The weather could not have been more perfect for exploring Dublin today.  Sunny, warm, a light breeze.  Completely unlike the chilly rain so typical for this part of the world.

Trinity College is just around the corner from my hotel, so I started there.  I joined a student-led tour and learned, among other things, that Trinity College (1) was founded in the 16th Century by Elizabeth I as an Irish counterpart to Oxford and Cambridge, (2) has a habit of commissioning campus buildings and then refusing to pay the architect on the theory that the building wasn’t “aesthetically pleasing” enough (but still keeping the building for centuries), and (3) makes its graduates collect their diplomas in order of their class ranking.  The college also houses the famous thousand-year-old, fantastically illuminated Book of Kells in its gorgeous “Long Room” library, and has two of the most beautiful maple trees I’ve ever seen.

I spent the rest of the day walking around outside.  The weather was too nice to spend any more time inside a museum!

I visited some churches — the Christ Church cathedral and St Patrick’s cathedral, both of which date back nearly 1000 years, but which feel much newer because of some Victorian “renovations” . . . .

And then of course there was shopping — funky little markets that had little to tempt me, and beautiful design shops that had plenty (earthenware pots!) . . . .

I found a castle which was, well, a little more colorful in some places than castles typically are . . . .

And finally there were the parks — glorious parks!  full of green and flowers and happy, happy people . . . .

I sat in the park for as long as I could, but then my battery ran low and I still needed to call Justin and make plans for my evening, so I headed back to the hotel.