Greetings all!
So I finally saw the famous Book of Kells - from whence my tattoo comes (St. Matthew's Page). Trinity College, the premier University in Dublin, is home to Kells as well as dozens of others ancient books (8 - 13 th centuries). They have an impressive exhibition that centres on Kells but also features all the other books. Certain images from Kells have been blown up and place on 4 x 8 panels which are backlit. This is an excellent idea as there are so many tiny details, easily missed, on every page. They also have videos streaming which explain the art of calligraphy and the ancient form of book binding.
In another section of the exhibit, they relate how the majority of the pigments used to colour the many vivid pages of Kells where not found in Ireland nor in main land Europe but in the Middle East. According to this incredible display, the reddish grey used in the book actually came from an insect in the Middle East. Moreover, the insect only produces this tone when pregnant. The bright blue used on several pages of the book was made from Lapis-Lazuli mined from Afghanistan! How crazy is that!!
After leaving the beautiful campus of Trinity College, I wandered down to Grafton street (a cobblestone shopping street not unlike Prince-Arthur were is 10x the size!) and then to St. Stephen's Green. The Green is a large enclosed parc with a pond at its centre. I took some pretty pictures there, mostly of the friggin' swans that seem to be regulars of the parc. There were two adults and a trails of baby swans - too adorable!
Yesterday I woke up wanting to plan my trip out a bit more. I began investigating the trail that I would take on my bike through the south on my way to Galway. After having a good bit of difficulty finding available lodgings, I decided to simplify my life a little bit. I'll be in Dublin until the 20th then I'll be taking a train to Galway where I'm booked in a hostel for 5 days (20-24). On the 24th I leave Galway for the Aran Islands for two days (24, 25).
-Miss you all!
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