28 June 2005----Book of Kells and other stuff
Mood:  happy
Did a bit of shopping this morning and solved my sweater dilemma. I really didn't pack as well as I thought I had. Oh well.

I also went to a bookstore and got some of the books that I'll need for the summer. I'm still peeved that I forgot my Yeats book, but I guess that one can never have too much of Yeats. Either way, I spent a bit more than I had intended--got some fun-pleasure books as well as the ones I'll need for classes. Bookstores are so dangerous for me, but there are definitely worse things to be addicted to!

We also took a tour of the campus and learned about the buildings and their origins, but that wasn't as interesting as seeing the Book of Kells. Yeah, it's a book, but what a book!!! The amount of detail that went into creating the book is amazing.

The girls and I took the DART up to Howth, a small fishing village north of Dublin. Placed on a peninsula, it juts out into the Irish Sea, pointing at a very cool piece of landscape: the Eye of Ireland. A short, round building sits at one end of the island; I'm not sure if it was an outpost or a primitive lighthouse. The other end of the island is covered by a huge rock formation that looks as if one of the Celtic gods had split it in a fit of anger.

The town of Howth itself is lovely. Set into the hills rising above the coastline, one can imagine themselves settling down here.

It was a bit misty and rainy, but none of us seemed to mind. The weather just added to the atmosphere of the place.

We ate dinner at a restaurant called The Bloody Stream. Quite a name! Apparently the name come from way back during the Norman invasion and a great battle took place in and around the stream where the restaurant now stands. The water turned red with blood from the fallen combatants, and soon after the stream was renamed the Bloody Stream. The restaurant owners decided to name their restaurant after the stream as a way of making peace with it, as the stream had a tendency to flood their lower floors!

It was after dinner that we walked out on the levy to get a closer look at the island. And dammit, I didn't bring my camera, again!!! I should just start carrying it with me everywhere. Grrr.

Oh well, I guess that means I just might have to take another trip up there. Darn. :)