Sunday, September 08, 2013

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland


So, I made an executive decision!  Trier, Germany, from early July (2 months ago!) can wait.  Let's see Dublin first.  It is too much in my blood right now to stand waiting.

But, because our two "boyfriends" from England (Chris and Chad, from our Shutterchance blog) are arriving on Tuesday, staying till Friday, I can only give you an appetizer today.

In fact, this is how I ended my short Dublin stay this past Sunday-to-Tuesday...with the Christ Church Cathedral, just a 10-minute walk from my hotel before heading back to the airport.  My girlfriends, Catherine and Robin, were already off separately for the day.  I was on my own....

Isn't she a beauty, facing the sun like that!
Born in 1030, she's the elder sister of Dublin's other medieval cathedral, St. Patrick's, from 1191.
(Let's save St. Patrick's for when Astrid can join me.)

Upon entering any church/cathedral, I always go for the "first impression" of space.
Heighth (68 ft.) and breadth, front and back, ceiling and floor.

Then the details quickly follow!

And because design enthralls me, I was mesmerized by the medieval mosaic floor tiles.

And the chairs!
Astrid was the one who noticed the 3 together...for Catherine, Robin and me.
And Astrid wasn't even there (unable to take time off work)!

Besides the pulpit (bottom center), I saw 3 lecterns.
The one near the pulpit (top center) is medieval...old enough.
But the one on the right, in the crypt, is supposedly Ireland's oldest of them all.
(To be honest, I'm confused...because the one on top may be a replica?)

Speaking of the crypt, it's the largest not only in Ireland but in all of Great Britain.
It's also Dublin's oldest surviving structure, from 1172-1173.
It houses the 2 oldest known secular carvings in Ireland
as well as memorabilia from King William III and James II.
But what takes the cake is the mummified cat & rat, found trapped in an organ pipe in the 1850s.

And that was the end of my short Dublin trip!
Soon you'll see the rest, with these teasers...

This is from Catherine's phone, taken by the Murphy's ice-cream man.
L-to-R:  Ginnie, Robin and Catherine.
Did I mention we're all from Vision & Verb?
Catherine is Irish and Robin lives in NYC, on a business trip with her hubby.

See.  Bloggers really DO meet up and have loads of fun!
Robin is the one who visited us in the Netherlands a year ago,
but Catherine was a "first" for us both.

And because I promised myself at least one Guinness,YES, I DID IT.
As we say, the proof is in the pudding.  (Thanks, Robin.)
(Actually, I think I've already acquired the taste.  HA!)

To be continued....

17 comments:

  1. I am so glad you DID go. Grab each opportunity you can, live your life (even when I have to defend the fort, which I do with pleasure)
    Pleasure is what you had. I have never been to Dublin (Ireland) this is all new to me and I can see why you LOVE it. It has all the ingredients what you love.
    Friendship, ice cream and beer..... what else does a happy person need HA.
    Wonderful post, a memory forever.

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    1. Next time YOU will be with me, I promise, MLMA! It wasn't the same without you, of course, but you were with us anyway. Your name came up often. HA! It was a short and sweet time...and a great memory!

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  2. Oh my!! These captures are beautiful! We had coffee in the crypt which was fun! I am in awe how you are able to hand hold and get the results like you show here. You must share your secrets when we are together in October! I am so happy you joined us in Ireland. Astrid is so right...life is short and we should grab every opportunity to live it!!! xoxo

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    1. I am SOOOOO glad you told me Christ Church was a must to see, Robin. I wouldn't have seen it if you hadn't mentioned it, so thank you! And yes, when we see you in October, we can share all our secrets. HA! Astrid is almost always right, isn't she. :)

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  3. P.S. Oh how I would love to have that flooring in my house!!! It was awesome!

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  4. these churches you've been featuring are all so magnificent and full of details, so envious.

    with all the ills that internet brings, it's still a good place to develop friendships.

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    1. You know us, Marie...we love to go inside any church that's open. It's kinda like our way of seeing "museums," if that makes sense?

      And yes, the friendships from the internet can be rewarding and lasting. I would NOT be married to Astrid if it weren't for the internet...and Skype. :)

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  5. It figures that the item getting greatest notice was the rat mummy, but no picture?

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    1. The cat and rat are there, Ted, but you may need to click on the collage to enlarge it (top center of the crypt collage)!

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  6. The Guinness in Dublin tastes SOoooo good, much better than what is sold on draught or in bottles here :)

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    1. Well, I declare, Anne, because I'm a real believer in the Guinness I had on draught there. I'll pay attention to that. :) Thanks.

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  7. I love seeing Dublin through your eyes and lens, Boots. I am trying to remember if I went into Christ Church, I don't think so. I was in love with St. Patrick's though, mostly because of Dean Jonathan Swift. I "did" Dublin with Inge one year, so I have a bit of a taste of what you experienced. It just so happens we had about 30 17-year-olds riding our shirt tails, so it wasn't quite the same. :)

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    1. Oh, yes, Ruth. I do remember all the times you've been to Dublin and how much you have loved it. It must be in our blood, right? Do you know how much Irish is in our ancestry?? That whole area of the world is so soulful to me. Astrid and I want to go back soon...together. Maybe we'll visit St. Patrick's AND Christ Church!

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  8. So inspiring, the fotos, the fun, the colours. And the Guiness.

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    1. Many kind thanks, Ilse, for stopping by and commenting here.

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