Dublin seems the perfect destination for this week’s Tuesday Travels, esp. my visit to Trinity College to view The Book of Kells. This is one of Dublin’s most popular destinations, as you can see by the line to get in.
In case you’re not familiar with the book, it’s a Medieval illuminated manuscript of the Gospels in Latin. No one is sure exactly when it was written, but academic opinion puts it around 800 AD. The book is kept in a darkened room, and is much prettier in person than in the photo below.
Open page of the Book of Kells showing both text and illustration via bigstockphoto.com
After viewing the book, we went upstairs to see the rest of the old library, a librarian and writer’s dream spot. A truly magnificent room. Unfortunately, I had bronchitis that day and the musty smell of the old volumes made it difficult to breathe and I left as quickly as I could maneuver myself through the crowds of tourists.
The Long Room in Trinity College Library via bigstockphoto.com
After leaving Trinity College, we went to Dublin Castle, which will be the subject of another Tuesday Travels post. Driving through Dublin, we saw the memorial to the victims of the Potato Famine of the 1840’s. The memorial consists of a line of statues of emaciated refugees walking along the river toward a sailing ship in search of a better home. It’s a sad and moving reminder of one of the great tragedies of Irish history.
We only had a day in Dublin and I’d have liked to see more of the city. But that gives me a good excuse to go back some day.
Erin go bragh!
Linda
