Dublin

So I went to Dublin. And it was amazing. I had so much fun. I was there four full days and was happy to find the flight only 40 minutes from London. I tried to explain to people that Dublin is like a small London-it still has the same old buildings and charm as London but on a much smaller scale. It is a lovely city. I did a lot in 4 days so get ready for a big post. But lots of pretty Dublin pictures that I hope you enjoy.

St. Patrick's Cathedral


Christ Church. My favorite architecturally-I love the Bridge of Sighs over the street.


O'Connell statue on O'Connelly Street. That's the Spire in the background.


Another view of the Spire. It's called the Spike by locals and apparently they don't like it very much. It was for the Millennium... and no other reason. It was just built to be apart of the new millennium. It is pretty cool lit up at night-and a good meeting place but holds no other purpose.



The River Liffey from the O'Connell Bridge. I thought the river was going to be like the Thames but it is smaller and definitely more peaceful.


The old Parliament building. I think it's offices now-I like the columns.


A tourist directions sign to all sorts of fun Dublin things :)


This city is full of great statues!


Trinity College. So gorgeous!


More of Trinity College


This is the playing fields of Trinity College.


I love this. It's a solar compactor! LSE needs these.


Walked from Trinity College to Merrion Square. A small little park but is very full of trees so it doesn't feel like you are right by a major street. Here is Oscar Wilde relaxing on a rock.


Inside of the Square. So pretty!


I visited this park on Saturday, my birthday, and sat in the peaceful park while listening to someone far away play guitar. I also enjoyed a brownie that I bought at the Temple Bar Food Market (where I also had a yummy crepe for lunch) and relaxed.



More of the pretty park. I visited A LOT of parks-Dublin has a lot of green spaces. It makes for a nice break while walking around and is lovely to sit and people watch.


So pretty!


A little bird.


Ok ok enough of this park. But I loved it!


Entrance to St. Stephen's Greens. This is the main park in the city of Dublin.


A small famine memorial in St. Stephen's Green.


loved loved loved this park. It had 2 little lakes and lots of people enjoying a Saturday afternoon.


Lovely little bridge!


pretty flowers.


More of the open space.


I know it seems like I spent most of the time sitting in parks but on Saturday I also visited Temple Bar Food Market and the National Gallery where I enjoyed all of the art. I walked down Grafton Street where there are lots of people and shops and music.


A little church on the corner.


Gorgeous church right? It's the Dublin Tourism Office now! I went in to book my day trip for Monday to the countryside-that post will have to be for another day, too many pictures!


The Famine Memorial. It's a bit further down the river but worth seeing. The faces are so life like and really show the struggle of the people during the famine.





A church across the River Liffey.


More view of the river Liffey-this one near the port of Dublin.


I love the street lamps- some of them have shamrocks around the top and it is so pretty to walk along the river at dusk.


The sun setting over the Liffey.


More views of the city-this is the O'Connell bridge.


Ha'penny Bridge! Because it used to have a half penny toll to cross. I love the design of this bridge.


And finally, for now, a picture of Ben and I at the house he was staying at in Greystones. We went to a cute little Italian restaurant for dessert on my birthday and then I met a bunch of people from his team and had fun talking and hanging out with them. It was a great birthday!



Dublin was so much fun! I will post more pictures from the day trip later but I had so much fun and can't believe how quickly the trip went. The river, bridges, buildings, and green spaces are all so beautiful and everyone is so friendly-much more so than in London I think. It was a great trip.

This week went by fast with all of the things I have to get done before the end of term. I can't believe next week is the last week of classes! I am very relieved-it has been a rough term. After the break I have 3 essays due, then 3 weeks of summer term to prepare for the exams that are in June and then the dissertation. While it is still A LOT of work, it is strange that actual classroom time is pretty much done and it's just paper writing and exams.

I do not feel good today. I didn't sleep well and woke up a lot feeling sick. So I have not done much today at all but sleep and watch movies. This isn't good because I have a lot of reading and a paper to write for next week-but hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

Last weekend I walked all over London and stopped by school to take some pictures of the campus because I realized that 1. I have not taken any pictures of campus and 2. most of you haven't seen what my campus looks like. It's a very urban campus and full of old and new buildings and crooked cobbled streets (like the rest of London).

This is a passageway between a few of the buildings. Most bikes are kept here and the bridge above is like many of the overhead walkways between the buildings. Yes, those are kegs in the picture-in the building on the left, among other things is the Three Tuns which is the undergraduate pub.


This is Houghton Street, the main street of campus. The Old Building is here as well as Student Services and The Garrick-which is one of my favorite cafes on campus. On the 4th floor of the Old Building is the Fourth Floor Cafe (creative name I know) where my friends and I usually eat. Because it's Sunday there isn't anyone on campus but most days it is very crowded with students and student groups advertising activities and meetings.


This is the St. Clement's building where my department is located-on the 2nd floor.


The penguin. I really don't understand it's significance but it is a beloved statue at LSE. Apparently there is a rivalry between LSE and King's College-located nearby, and while I would probably care more if was an undergraduate, there have been numerous pranks pulled between the two schools. The penguin disappeared at the end of last year and only recently was brought back to it's proper place-and the King's student's have been to blame. but no one knows for sure.


This is a mural on the far end of St. Clement's building. It provided much entertainment to Sarah and myself while trying to figure out what it stands for. Apparently the artist wanted to depict the programs and power of LSE and what it represents but I don't really see it.


This is the George IV pub, the graduate pub on campus. It's quieter and less crowded than the Three Tuns and has a lot of dark wood and a comfy seating. It's where the people in my program got together a few times to get to know each other. I like it a lot better than the Three Tuns.


The Library. It's a pretty building but there are a lot of complains that the building inside isn't very practical and doesn't use space very well. I don't have a picture to show you but the "pit" inside is basically a huge room with lots of computers. Also, the marquee on the side of the building is impossible to read-I have no idea what it says and why it's there. People usually refer to it as the "rain" although you can tell in this picture it is actually words.


Another side small street at LSE. Not all of the buildings in this picture are LSE but I like all of the different buildings.


The New Academic Building. Obviously, it is new (hence the name). LSE hasn't had it very long but it's very modern and has tried to be eco-friendly which I appreciate. Apparently the Queen was there for the grand opening of the building a few years ago which is pretty cool.


Lincoln's Inn Fields is the big park right across from the New Academic Building (or NAB as it's often referred to). It's not property of LSE but on a nice day-like this one-it's used by students for studying and socialising.












I really do like the feel of my campus and especially it's location which is right by the Thames and in the center of London. A quick walk in any direction will lead to fascinating places like St. Paul's, Covent Garden, the British Museum, and a lot of other fun London things.

Hopefully I will be feeling better soon so I can write a paper and read a book for a presentation next week. Week 10!!! Then off to Dublin next weekend! I am so excited!

Sunday

It has been sooo long since I have posted. Mostly due to a stressful term. 2 more weeks until the end of the term. I can't wait! Yesterday (Sunday) I walked to Oxford Street-to run some errands and to also enjoy the beautiful weather. If you look through these pictures you can see the gorgeous blue sky! It was still chilly but not like it has been lately. It was fun to walk around and take pictures-and a good break from school.

One of my favorite buildings on the walk to school. It's small and surrounded by big buildings and has such a cool feel with the shape of the building and the statues. I have no idea what it is but I see it everyday when I walk to school and I love it.


I'm realizing this is mostly a post about architecture-which I love about London. So many different types of buildings with an enormous history.


These two buildings next to each other are great-the lighting isn't good to see some of the detail but around the windows is especially awesome.


One thing I love about London-The Royal Mail. This is where you can drop off a letter to be mailed (when there isn't a strike of course).


An old church on the walk to school.


The Royal Courts of Justice. This building is right next to school and it is so gorgeous.


A statue in the middle of the street.


Look at all the arches and turrets and details! This is a different angle of the royal courts of justice and it's so fun to look at!


The church directly next to school.


The back view of the royal courts of justice, taken from campus. so pretty!



One of the people in my Methods group who I had tea with a couple days ago made the comment that it is important to look up when walking in London. This is so true-with the different time periods and architecture represented-and one of the reasons I love this city so much.

Blackfriars Bridge

I may not have time to do tons of London stuff right now but I do have time to waste on youtube :) I found this awesome video of the Blackfriars Bridge from 1896 while reading some stuff about London. Isn't it great? What I really love about this is... this is the bridge that I walk across everyday to go to school. I love it.