Kilmainham Gaol and Dublin City 10/26/04

Day 12

Our last day in Ireland was spent doing two very important things -- walking our sore marathon legs so as not to stiffen up and taking the Dublin City Sightseeing Tour.

It was suggested that the Gray Line/Guided tour was the most comprehensive and we found that to be true. Steve and I recognized many of the sites from our run yesterday including Phoenix Park, National Wax Museum and the bridge over the River Liffey on O'Connell Street.

Wishing we had purchased the Heritage Card (very worthwhile discount entrances to many museums and historical sites), we stopped at the Kilmainham Gaol (jail) and took the informative tour.

I immediately felt as if I had stepped on the movie set to Shawshank Redemption. The last prisoner was released in 1924 and the jail laid in virtual ruins until 1960. Restored to its eerie presence, one can view the solitary cells, grim prison yard and hear all details of Ireland's fight for independence. It sent shivers up my spine and I don't think it was only from the chilly overcast temperature!

Our last bit of sightseeing took us to the Trinity College campus. Seeing all the young students walking across campus, I couldn't help but reminisce back to my college days. How could over 30 years have passed? Trinity has long been Ireland's most prestigious college. The old library holds the ancient Book of Kells, one of the oldest books in the world dating back to AD 800. This tour was worth the time, both the amazing illustrations and text so delicately preserved and pages even turned on a regular basis. The 200 foot long main library chamber is stacked to the ceiling with some 200,000 of the oldest library books. Again we were fortunate to be here in October as the summer months boast lines of tourists eager to see such an historical popular landmark.

Back to the Gresham Hotel we went to conquer the packing monster. Maneuvering souvenirs, my precious sweater, and our 12 days worth of clothes into our rolling suitcases was quite a feat. Experiencing a bit of melancholy to leave this lovely country, we vowed to return again soon, perhaps more travel savvy and certainly eager to explore sights unseen.