Not all of the books in the Long Hall of Trinity College’s Old Library have yet been removed for conservation. This gives an idea of how the stacks looked when the place was in operation. I look at those ladders and, as an American lawyer, I think about liability insurance coverage.
Many people who go to Dublin visit Trinity College. (My favorite alumnus is Oscar Wilde.) The chief attractions are the 7th Century Book of Kells, a magnificent illustrated Bible produced by the monks of the Dark Ages, and the Long Hall of the Old Library, seen here. Most of the books have been removed for conservation. The six meter globe in the center is called Gaia.
Seen yesterday in Grafton Street, the busy pedestrianized shopping thoroughfare in the heart of Dublin. The artist had stretched some kind of plastic sheeting between two posts and was painting a portrait of Pope Francis, who died on Monday. It would leave no permanent record and the authorities didn’t object. Imagine that in the U.S.
Home late tonight but there are lots of Irish images still to edit on the plane.
In Dublin's fair city,
Where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
The song is the unofficial anthem of Dublin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Malone . Molly was, by legend, a 17th Century fishmonger, the daughter of fishmonger parents. The statue was installed in 1988 and has become one of the most Instagram-able places in the city.
The statue has obviously been burnished by tourists. Comically, after a recent public poll, the city decided to place monitors (without authority) at the statue asking visitors to respect her patina. They will only be there from 9 to 5, so after the pubs get busy Molly will be defenseless.
However, if your monitor allows it, look closely at her face. The weariness and sadness are powerful.
Clonmancoise is the site of a monastery founded in the 6th Century, containing the ruins of the church and an ancient graveyard with several high crosses. It sits in a beautiful location on a gentle hill overlooking the River Shannon. We stopped there on our way back to Dublin from Galway.
Connemara is a wild and desolate region in the west of Ireland, covering parts of County Galway and spilling into County Mayo. It is filled with mountains, lakes, peat bogs and more sheep than people. Wild beauty.
Arrived in Dublin yesterday morning and got a rental car. I was a bit worried since it has been years since I drove on the left and, well, jet lag. Made it across the island in 2.5 hours and arrived safely in Galway. Even though it’s the beginning of Easter weekend the town is full of visitors. Obviously, this is the tourist trap street.
The flag of the City of St. Louis on the patio behind The Royale. It references the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, with a symbol and colors based on our French and Spanish heritage. Pretty good design.
It’s a travel day. 🇺🇸 → 🇮🇪
Artican is the demonym that people call themselves who are fans of and participants of the Artica scene. The logo is a stylized version of the burning wooden effigy of Our Lady of Artica that ends the festival. The community was hanging out at Saturday night’s event.
Robots of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your oil cans!
My favorite local off-the-wall arts festival is Artica, featured here many times over the years. The main event is in October but last night there was a kick-off party for the year’s activities at a bar and restaurant called The Royale. It was a mild night and the crowd was out on the patio, which was full of quirky art. This metallic, hostile-looking fellow wielded a hammer and sickle. Interpret as you will.
Oh, and Mrs. C and I are so old that today is our 51st anniversary. We get along pretty well.
Plum trees in springtime bloom mark a pathway in the botanical garden. Now I have to hunt for a few more days of images. Wednesday is a travel day. When we arrive on Thursday I’ll have to drive all the way across a country in 2.5 hours.
A last picture from The Observatory in the Missouri Botanical Garden. Off to one side is a traditional hedgerow maze. I am frightened by these things. It’s a dim memory, but it seems that once I felt hopelessly lost in one and had to call out for help to a monitor on a tower overlooking the puzzle. (Edinburgh?) I’d rather photograph this one from above.
Another direction from the parapet of the Observatory at the botanical garden. I should go back and see what’s now in bloom.
Anti-imperialism lives on in Webster Groves. This is the same house in my neighborhood seen here about a week ago flying the Ukraine and Canadian flags. There was a change yesterday. Now the nearer one is the flag of Greenland. Recognize it? I wonder where the homeowner found one.
From the walkway on the second level of the Observatory. The white building is the home of Henry Shaw, mentioned yesterday, who founded the Missouri Botanical Garden. The wedges of green on the right will be full of flowers in a few days.
The land that became the Missouri Botanical Garden was originally the estate of Henry Shaw. He was the son of a steel manufacturer in the British Midlands and was sent here in the 19th Century as an agent. He settled in St. Louis and made a fortune, using some of his money on his hobby as a keen amateur botanist. He built an octagonal tower, an observatory, to view his domain. This building is a reproduction but faithful to the original design.
A Japanese garden would not be complete without a koi pond. Siewa-en has a pretty good size artificial lake but the koi population stays in one corner. That’s probably because there is a bridge where visitors throw them something to eat. (Given local business connections, maybe it’s Purina koi chow.)
The Japanese garden has a small island containing a tea house. You may notice that the bridge is barred. The tea house is open only for special occasions and can hold a small number of people. Makes me think of the time we were at a tourist tea ceremony in Tokyo and stiff-jointed Western me couldn’t come close to sitting in an appropriate position. They didn’t kick me out.
Back to the wonderful Missouri Botanical Garden. This is part of the Japanese Garden, called Siewa-en, garden of pure, clear harmony and peace. I wish the theme was more accurate.
A house in my neighborhood. Perhaps a sign of the resistance. I hope so. After yesterday, our retirement investments have lost 10% since Trump’s inauguration, and they are cautiously managed.
Springtime has come to the Midwest (as opposed to Costa Rica, where there are two seasons, hot and dry and hot and wet). Tuesday was mild and mostly sunny, a perfect day for a walk in the sprawling Missouri Botanical Garden. The cherry trees were still in bloom in the Japanese garden area.
Just past sunset on Tamarindo beach. There was a group of young women in fancy tropical dresses waiting at water’s edge. Perhaps there was a seaborne soiree. It may be time to go back to The Lou but more Costa Rica at https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobcrowe/albums/72177720324696670/ and more to add in the next few days.
In Tower Grove Park, my favorite in St. Louis. It is laid out like an old-fashioned English walking park. There are many old, fancy pavilions available to rent. This one, called the Turkish Pavilion, is the largest.
