I trek through the stinging nettle and past waist-high thistles to get to the shore and further away from the grass field that is the backyard of the residency. “Holy Shit!” I gasp under my breath as I look over my left shoulder. Cliffs! I didn’t expect to see that.
But why this phrase? Is my vocabulary so minimal (no answer required) that “Holy Shit!” is how I express awe? I also use this phrase to vent extreme frustration. For example, when driving in Ireland this utterance was interchangeable with “Oh my god!” Both are responses to unanticipated events.
Nature is crazy spectacular here for its scale and rawness, so why can’t I find adequate words? Interestingly, my expressions include “holy” and “god”. I’m not finding religion in Ireland; I’m just observing this language pattern. So, what does this have to do with Dublin?
Living in NYC for thirteen years tainted my expectations of a city. New York is gritty but has charm. Dublin is just gritty. Not an awe-inspiring city. Matt and I spent three days exploring, trying to understand Dublin’s allure, with no luck. That might have to do with our choice of Airbnb. The location was golden (close to everything), but the interior made us want to escape in the morning to avoid the claustrophobic space. There is good food in Dublin, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art is stellar. It isn’t a bad city; it lacks a defining characteristic. We both agreed that time spent elsewhere would have been better spent.
Now, here’s the connection between those disparate thoughts: below you will see photos of awe-inspiring nature* and mediocre Dublin.
*The images don’t truly capture the scale and intensity of the outdoors in Ireland. You need to feel gusts of wind across your body and traverse the rugged terrain to appreciate moments of surprise and delight.
Low tide at Prison Cove near the residency. Not color enhanced!
On the side of the road.
So much action happened so long ago.
It looks as though these two masses just crashed into each other this morning.
Prison Cove also serves as the local swimming hole at high tide.
Edge of North Atlantic Ocean; backyard of residency.
Tang in Dublin. A young employee of Trinity College made this recommendation. We were too early for lunch, so we sat with beverages and “people watched” until they were serving.
Lovely storefront on Dawson Street.
The Museum Building on Trinity College campus.
Hand carved details of Museum Building.
All parts of this building are carved by hand with no repeats. Notice the cat!
Random building on Williams Street.
Devitts Pub. This place has good whiskey and live music.
St. Stephen’s Green Park. Dublin doesn’t do a good job of incorporating nature with the city. Green is only seen in parks.
Saint Anne’s Church in Dublin.
Saint Anne’s Church.