dublin! [day two]

the overarching theme of today: walking, walking, and more walking. i've been on my feet since 9am (it's now 4pm). but where has all that walking gotten me? well, lots of places. we went to the national museum of ireland, where we learned all about--you guessed it--the history of ireland. the building that the museum is in was originally known as dublin barracks where a lot of stuff went down during the rebellion. so much about ireland's history was displayed in this museum--clothing and jewelry, furniture and coins, planes and tanks (from the war), etc.--my brain could barely take it all in. after the national museum we walked all the way across town to the writer's museum. it had some neat things, like typewriters that belonged to james joyce and letters written between other irish authors. it was at least 10 times smaller than the first museum, with only 4 rooms. so after a quick look around at the writers museum, some of us took the bus (and a break from walking) to the guinness factory. we learned how the beer is made and the history of the brewery among other things, and finally made it to the seventh story where they serve a complimentary pint of beer. after last night, though, i opted for an orange soda instead. classy, i know. the view from the top was amazing; we could see a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the entire city from there through its glass walls. here are some picture from the day:

the national museum of ireland
(we weren't allowed to take pictures inside)

the writers museum
everything in dublin revolves around guinness...on our way to the factorythe gravity bar (top floor of the storehouse)and the view

now we're back at the hotel, resting our feet from all the walking and our brains from all the learning. tonight we're going to the irish house party for dinner. karaoke may or may not be involved. until then, isle be seeing you...