Shakespeare in the Park

Today is my second day in Dublin! Well, I suppose it was my second day. It's a little after 8pm and things are winding down for the day. Tomorrow I leave for Galway and to meet up with Rita Ann Higgins (http://www.ritaannhiggins.com), so I'm going to get some sleep so that I'm ready for the bus journey tomorrow.

I spent most of yesterday relearning the city in a jetlagged haze. I was surprised at how easy it was to get from point A to point B; I hadn't really forgotten my way around the city. I met up with my friend Seanse at Trinty College Dublin and we spent the afternoon wandering the city and I fought the urge to sleep. I finally gave in at around 6:30 and headed back to my hostel to relax and recoup.

The morning came bright and early at 10am. I slept a grand total of 12 hours and it was GREAT! Today I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore more of Dublin.

I met up with Seanse and her sister again this morning and we headed, via the LUAS (www.luas.ie) to Collins Barracks (www.museum.ie). Collins Barracks houses the decorative arts and history museum, so we wandered through looking at Irish life past and present, as well as exhibits on Easter1916 and Irish military throughout the years. Without intending to, we were there for over 3 hours.

After the museum, Seanse and her sister wanted to experience lunch in a pub, so I took them to O'Neills (www.oneillsbar.com) and we had a choice between the sandwhich bar or the carvey lunch. We chose the less expensive option and had sandwhichs. The sandwhichs were massive and fantastic!

From there we went to the tourism bureau to find out how to get to Glasnevin Cemetery only to find out it was minutes from closing. I have always wanted to go to Glasnevin, but have never had the time. So, Seanse and I opted to walk up Grafton Street (the major shopping thoroughfaire) to St. Stephen's Green Park.

Today was sunny and gorgeous so everyone was in the park. People were laying in the sun and sitting on the benches enjoying the early evening. Seanse and I wandered through the park taking pictures, looking at the statues and busts and finally made our way over to the WB Yeats Memorial just in time to see Shakespeare in the park.

The acting troupe was performing Antony and Cleopatra and it was a lot of fun. We both remembered the play being longer than it was, but we quite enjoyed ourselves. Neither of us had imagined Antony and Cleopatra having Irish accents, but it worked. At the end of the play, as the audience clapped, a dog began barking...Even Yorkies like Shakespeare in the park!

Well that about covers the first/second day of the trip to Ireland...when next we meet, I shall be in Galway!