Photos and the City

Tag: travel

  • Trinity College Dublin

    My to-do list for Dublin wasn´t that long, I´ve been there before and after spending some days at the Causeway Coast I just wanted to enjoy city life.

    • tea at Bewleys (which doesn´t exist anymore)
    • hot chocolate at Butlers (done)
    • having fun at the Glen Hansard concert (it was amazing)
    • photographing a redhead
    • strolling around Grafton Street and Temple Bar area
    • finally visiting Trinity College

    Besides Beweleys I did all of that an let´s start with Trinity College – as it was the centre (and origin) of modern-day Dublin.

    trinity college, dublin, ireland, old library, long room,

    The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592 as a new “mother” university like the ones in Cambridge or Oxford. Today it is one of the seven ancient universities (foundedn before 1600) of Britain and Ireland, as well as Ireland’s oldest surviving university and ones of the most elite universities in Europe.

    trinity college, dublin, ireland, old library, long room,

    Originally established outside Dublin’s city walls Trinity College now is surrounded by the city and is located on College Green, just opposite the historic Irish Houses of Parliament. Besides being one of the most elite European universities it also is known for its library housing more than 6 million of books and manuscripts including the Book of Kells.

    trinity college, dublin, ireland, old library, long room,trinity college, dublin, ireland, old library, long room,

    The Long Room – the main chamber of the Old Library is 65 metres long and houses around 200.000 books. When I approached the Old Library I saw a huge queue of people waiting and saw a second (empty line) labelled “pre-booked-tickets”. So I just took my phone, went online and booked a ticket for the next possible time slot, 15 minutes later. Easy peasy and these pre-booked tickets were the first to enter, which gave me a little head start. I more or less ignored the Book of Kells exhibition and just went on to the Long Room – to get at least a little bit of time with not that many people. And it worked! It´s just such a beautiful and impressive room, you´d want to curl up with a book in a corner and read for hours.

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    During the summer month you could even stay at the campus, it is possible (like at many universities in the UK) to rent rooms in the student housing while they are on holiday.

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  • Causeway Coast seen from the sea

    My very last stop on my tour along the Causeway Coast: Portrush Sea Tours – exploring the coastline from the sea.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    Having parked the car a little bit outside the city centre (there was a major traffic jam going on) it was still just a short walk through the seaside town Portrush down to the small harbour. At the office of the Portrush Sea Tours we were greeted by two cute dogs and a cup of tea, cuddling the dogs and the tea set me in perfect relaxation mood for the tour.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    Our captain and tour guide arrived and we “hopped” on the boat, it´s a small speedboat for 14 people, we only were 7 or 8, so there was plenty of space for everyone. And off we went! It was the tour going to the Giant´s Causeway and back, taking about 90 minutes.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    First “stop”: The Skerries – a  small group of rocky islands just off the coast and a paradise for birdwatcher.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    The Amphitheatre of the Giant´s Causeway from the other side – that´s where the path suddenly ends thanks to the landslide in the middle of the Amphitheatre.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, ukportrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    The “organ”.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, ukportrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    Bye bye Giant´s Causeway!

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, ukportrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    Runkerry House and Runkerry Beach would be on the right.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, ukportrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    Dunluce Castle

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    The “elephant” at White Rocks (beach)

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    And hello again Portrush.

    portrush, sea tours, speed boat, causeway coast, northern ireland, uk

    If you´re in the area and like boat tours only half as much than I do, take one – you won´t regret it. You gonna see the Coast from a new perspective and will hear many anecdotes and stories from the area.

  • Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Magilligan Point – say “hi” to Ireland. County Donegal is close by! Another very idyllic beach and coast, when you ignore the huge prison along the way.

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    The word ‘demesne’ is used throughout Ireland. It indicates the part of the estate that was usually enclosed by a demesne wall and was for the use of the landowner only. His estate would have been much larger, including all the tenanted lands and may have been made up of parcels of land geographically isolated from each other. (National Trust)

    Two beaches later I arrived at Bishop´s Gate – one of the two entrances to Downhill Demesne and the Mussenden Temple.

    Downhill Demesne which is sometimes simply referred to as Downhill House is an amazing 18th century mansion built by the eccentric Earl Bishop. Beautifully set within open grounds it is the perfect place for a day trip. Bring a picnic and enjoy the sheltered gardens of Hezlett House. (Downhill Demnese)

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    After a short walk through beautiful gardens and even a little wood (The Black Glen) suddenly this comes into view! Downhill House. Frederick Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol as well as the Bishop of Cloyne and later the Bishop of Derry, commissioned the estate in 1768 and construction began in 1755.

    After the death in 1803 of Lord Bristol (he had succeeded to the Earldom in December 1779), the estate passed to his cousin, The Rev. Henry Bruce, who had acted as steward of the Estate during the Earl-Bishop’s absences. Bruce’s sister was Frideswide Mussenden, for whom Mussenden Temple was built, and which became a memorial after her death. (Downhill House)

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill DemesneMussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Walled garden and old icehouse.

    The house was seriously damaged in 1839 and big parts of the house were damaged by a fire in 1851. Reconstruction works began in 1870 and continued until 1874.

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill DemesneMussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    During World War II Downhill House hosted RAF servicemen and -women. The Bruce family owned the demnese until 1946, by 1950 it has been dismantled and the surrounding land was sold. The National Trust acquired the house in 1980.

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill DemesneMussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Dining Room

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill DemesneMussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    First view of the Mussenden Temple, the library and monument to Bishop Lord Bristol’s niece Frideswide Bruce. It´s said that the relationship between Earl Bishop and Frideswide was far too close and he often stayed with his “cher cousin”. Frideswide later married the banker Daniel Mussenden.

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Downhill House is seen from Mussenden Temple.

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Mussenden Temple, a library modeled on the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli. Perched dramatically at the edge of a basalt cliff on the coast of Ireland east of Derry, the perilous location and design of Mussenden Temple embodies many of the aesthetic ideals of the philosopher Edmund Burke’s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful. (World Monument Fund)

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Once it was possible to drive a carriage around the temple – nobody would try to do this today. Nature has brought it right on the edge. The National Trust had some cliff stabilisation work done in 1997.

    Built in 1785 as a library it was once lined with bookcases and a fired burnt day and night in the basement to keep the books dry. Today you would be married in the Temple!

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill DemesneMussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    View of Downhill Beach.

    Mussenden Temple and Downhill DemesneMussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne

    Lion´s Gate – the second entrance to the demnese.

    Downhill Demnese is open all year from dusk till dawn and you wouldn´t want to miss it! Located near Castlerock it´s just a short (and beautiful) drive from the Causeway.