All things bright and beautiful: (2020) 6 days in Ireland --- Day 3: Dublin

After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we walked to Galway coach station to take the Citylink coach to Dublin, where we would stay for the rest of our trip to Ireland. We had chosen to stay at a hotel in the busy and lively Temple Bar district in Dublin, mostly because of its central location and it being walkable from the bus stops of the Galway-Dublin coach and the Aircoach to Dublin Airport.

As the coach approached Dublin from the west, we realized we were arriving by first seeing the famous Guinness Brewery from a distance, and driving along a river, which we guessed was the Liffey that flows through central Dublin. It was not yet check-in time when we got to the hotel, so we left our luggage at the reception and began our walking tour of the beautiful city.

Parliament Square, Trinity College, Dublin

We first made our way to Trinity College, a popular tourist attraction well known for its historical buildings and the famous Long Room in the Old Library of the College. Many visitors come to the College to see a priceless item in its collection, the Book of Kells, a meticulously illustrated book dating back to around 800AD consisting of Latin texts of the four Gospels. The College very much resembles a college of Oxford or Cambridge, right from the entrance. One enters by a wooden gate, passing a porter's lodge on its side, and steps into the large and open Parliament Square. Looking ahead, a clock tower, called the Campanile, stands prominently in the middle of the square. Two buildings of identical design, featuring four large columns, stand symmetrically on the two sides. Further ahead lie various academic and residential buildings. There were possibly no fewer visitors than actual students walking on the college grounds.

Main Entrance of Trinity College

Trinity College

The Long Room, Old Library, Trinity College

Old Library, Trinity College

The Book of Kells, Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin. The opened left page of the book depicts a meticulous "Madonna and Child" illustration.

While it was rather cloudy before we entered the Old Library, we were greeted by a bright blue sky when we came out.

The Campanile, Trinity College

Trinity College

We grabbed a late lunch on the nearby Grafton Street, one of the main shopping streets in central Dublin, before proceeding to Merrion Square Park. The Park is another popular attraction thanks to the Oscar Wilde Memorial Statue, which is in fact a set of three statues. Adjacent to the leaning figure of the famous Irish poet and playwright stands the bronze statue of Constance Lloyd, his wife. This latter statue is place on a pillar which bears inscriptions of inspirational and witty quotes of Wilde, such as "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Oscar Wilde Memorial Sculpture, Merrion Square, Dublin

Statue of Constance Lloyd, Merrion Square

Oscar Wilde quotes

Statue of Constance Lloyd

Oscar Wilde quotes

We had just about enough time before sunset to see one more place of interest. St Stephen's Green it was. In the end, we took a look in the the Stephen's Green shopping centre adjacent to this public park as well. The glass roof of the shopping centre supported by metal frames makes it look a bit like a large green house from the inside.