DanceHouse and Sights in Dublin

Class with the Irish Modern Dance Theatre so far has been great. It feels so good to be back in my body (even if it is incredibly sore at the moment) and be dancing again. It is so interesting taking class here because Cheryl Therrien who leads morning class is from the US so when no one else is talking and we are just moving bodies in a studio its like I am back home. I love that dance is so universal. Even though these dancer sound different and have different ways of saying things (ex: "Ooooh Claudine, please tell me your bum is as stiff as mine, I had to take the lift this mornin'!" or asking me "You're in queue then, yeah?" meaning "Are you in line?") we are all experiencing the same things in movement.  

DanceHouse

During the last hour of class on Monday, you know the time when your attention starts to fade and eyes wander out the windows, I saw beautiful tops of buildings in the distance and lush greenery from the second floor of DanceHouse and got really excited to go and wander about Dublin.

Luckily when I returned to my hostel and was looking over maps, unsure where to start in a city that has so many sights to see, my bunkmate Monique (who just happens to be an Irish history buff) offered to take me around!

As we walked down Talbot St it turned into a pedestrian market with tons of little shops and places to eat. The large spiky looking thing at the end is called the Spire. It was constructed in 2002 in place of Nelson's Pillar which was destroyed in a bombing by former IRA members in 1966. 

At the Spire, we turned onto O'Connell St. the main st. in Dublin.

Straight ahead on O'Connell was the GPO (General Post Office). It was headquarters to the Easter Rising leaders in 1916. You can look up in the columns and see bullet holes all over.

We continued down O'Connell St and passed loads more shops including Penney's which I fell in love with when I went back to look around today. It's like a huge Forever21, but its more of a department store so theres much more and its all pretty reasonable! 

We crossed over River Liffey and headed to look around the beautiful Dublin Castle, which Monique argues is not actually a castle, but a grand house rather.

Looks pretty castle-like to me! But she informs me I will see much grander! 

When we came back across the river we crossed the Ha'penny Bridge. Named because you used to have to pay half a penny to cross! 

Monique and I on the Ha'penny Bridge.

One final sight to see on our way back down Talbot St.

Bonavox. Yes that's a hearing aids store. Bono got his name from a hearing aids store. But Bonavox is a Latin phrase that translates to "good voice" so it makes sense! I can just see Bono walking through Dublin and stopping in front of this store thinking "I think Ill call myself that." 

Ah so that was it for our short walking tour of Dublin!  I went back out today for a bit and window shopped some more, but I am sore and exhausted so I didn't stay out as long as Monday! Ready for more dance tomorrow and hopefully seeing more sights and learning more interesting facts!