Dublin, Day 2 - Churches, Trinity College and Pony-Trekking

Day 2 in Dublin, Ireland, January 26, 2013
        After our first night in the hostel, we started our day early. After a breakfast of toast and hot chocolate or juice, we were on the search for some churches! When we were trying to find where we were going, a nice old man pointed with his cane which direction to go! The first church we went into was Christ Church Cathedral, an Anglican church. It was originally built in the 10th century, but has been rebuilt since then. There was some sort of music festival going on in Dublin that weekend, and in the church a stage was set up. It got in the way of some pictures! But the church was really pretty. It had stained glass windows and also intricate tiling designs. The church had multiple chapels in the back dedicated to different saints. It also had a crypt, which was kind of creepy, but is supposed to be oldest structure in Dublin, and the largest crypt in Britain and Ireland. They had many artifacts such as bibles, songbooks, and tombs. The TV show the Tudors was filmed in the church, so they had some of the costumes from it. 

Christ Church Cathedral

Site of Christ Church Chapter room, built in 10th century

 

Creepy crypt

        Our next stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was absolutely gorgeous. This church too was being used for the music festival. A church for St. Patrick has stood in the spot since the 5th century, and the church that sits there today was built in the early 13th century. It just seemed so Irish!

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Statue of St. Patrick

Pretty stained glass windows

    Our next stop was Trinity College! It was so pretty...I wanted to just stay in Dublin and go to school there! We just walked around the campus; we did not get to see the library or Book of Kells. Trinity College is Ireland's oldest university.

Trinity College

Trinity College Campanile

     Then it was time for me to go pony trekking! We found the train station for the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) and I bought a ticket to Bray, and then I was on my way by myself. I had to wait a little bit for the right train to come (although now I wonder if the other train going south would have gotten me to the same place). I got to the Bray train station, and then waited for the Finnegan Bus to come along, which was a local bus. The Dublin Bus runs in the town, but none of the stops were close to the riding school. I waited a while for the Finnegan Bus, and then I got on and went to the Brennanstown Riding School. I walked down a road to get to the riding school, and followed some other riders to see where they were going. I got checked in, and got a helmet, and then I was ready to go! One of the older ladies that was also on my ride told me what to do...the horses were just sitting in a muddy ring, and their were younger girls that brought out the horses. So, I got my pony, Bumblebee and got on inside another ring. There were only 2 older ladies in my "ride out", but there was also another ride with about 9 young kids, probably aged 8-10. They were all riding ponies and it was so cute!! We started our ride, and it was kind of drizzly, but not too bad. It was so muddy though...I would not ride my own horse in those conditions! We were able to trot and canter some, but couldn't go the way that was planned due to hunters and some event that was going on. I think they are limited anyway in the winter since it rains the most in Ireland then. The scenery was pretty, with a mountain nearby and a lot of forested area and some creeks. And I got to see their cross-country course. It was a lot of fun, and I was kind of glad we didn't do a lot because I didn't have half-chaps on! (for English riders no halfchaps/tall boots and jeans = saddle sore).

View from DART on way to Bray...a small harbor

An our way back to the stable, following the kids on ponies!

Me riding Bumblebee, after the pony trekking. Look how muddy she is! (her legs were white before I got on)

       I made my way back to Dublin and met my friends at the train station, because it was dark and I didn't know where I was going. We walked around some and found a Carroll's to get Irish souvenirs. We were all really hungry and went to find something to eat. But by then it was 7:30 and a Saturday night, so most of the bars were packed with drinkers. We decided to go back to P'Borza (it must have stayed open really late) and I got some fish and chips, yum! We took our time eating and then walked back to our hostel because we were so tired! 

Things I learned in Ireland:

• There are a lot of churches in Ireland
• Horseback riders wear protective vests, even if they aren't jumping...I don't do that, and I've never been to a stable in the US that does that either!
• Rubber tall boots are a thing to ride in, too
• It rains a lot in Ireland, and is really muddy! But is also really green
• Fish and chips is a good meal
• Ireland also has Fanta...why isn't it as popular in the US? They even had the lemon kind!
• I love Irish things! Going into gift shops was a lot of fun
• I am glad I am Irish...my great-grandmother came over from Ireland!
• I want to go back to Ireland!

Cheers!