Having purchased a 3 day Do Dublin pass, I had had access to a Dublin tour bus for the past 3 days without my knowledge. Wanting to get my full money’s worth, I started today by riding the tour in its entirety, which consists of 33 stops, across 2 hours. It was very enjoyable, as the tour guide I had was named John, and he did a very good job of conducting the live tour, with humorous commentary. After completing the tour, which allows riders to hop on and hop off to experience attractions, I decided to visit the National Natural History Museum, since it was free and looked enticing. Known as the ‘Dead Zoo’, it houses over 2 million species.
The first floor consisted of mainly birds, insects, and species that reside in water. The room was densely crowded full of jars and cases, each one packed to the brim with specimens. A walk up an ornate staircase at the end of the hall led to the second floor, which had natural light(what could make it through the clouds) streaming in through opaque sky lights. Along the walls were cases full of various stuffed animals, from birds to flying squirrels to monkeys. In the middle, were cases full of larger animals, such as lions, tigers, and Irish wolf hounds. Suspended from the ceiling in grand fashion were the carcasses of two whales. This floor had two more levels that consisted of walkways along the tall walls that were lined with more specimens above, but unfortunately these were closed off.
After the Dead Zoo, I briefly walked through the Irish National Gallery. The trip was just long enough to look at some art, and use the wifi as it began to drizzle outside. Later I hope to visit here again for a more extensive visit, maybe in conjunction with the Science Gallery down the street. After the Gallery, I sat down in a local Insomnia Coffee(Irish Starbucks), and got a warm drink to sip as I read my book(The Demon in the Freezer) and charged my phone.
I then hopped back onto the tour bus, and took it back to the Millennium Spire, which is pretty much the center of Dublin. After this, I walked around as the sun set(I got a pretty late start to today). Eventually I settled on the Rosie Hackett Bridge, which connects North and South Dublin over the River Liffey. I read my book and enjoyed the sunset, and had a calm ending to my 3rd day in Dublin.
