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Welcome to Matt Goes Exploring. Check out "The Trip" for all sixty + posts from my trip around the world. For other explorations stick to "Home" and for a glimpse into my crazy creative mind, check out "On My Mind" (more posts to come soon). [Social media links right down there vvvv]

Day 2: Kicked Out

Day 2: Kicked Out

The National Irish Museum had to kick us out.

The day started like any other, waking up late after sleeping off yesterday. Here's a way to compare today to yesterday. My first day in Dublin I walked twenty four thousand steps and today I walked fourteen thousand (all according to my iphone's health app).

What really made the difference today was planning. Yesterday we had few plans, but we actually had time to figure out what we wanted to get done today. Our first stop was the National Irish Museum of History, Arts, and Decorations. One of three national Irish museums, but the one that had the special centennial exhibit of the 1916 Easter Rising.

The Easter Rising was a fascinating story. I feel weird saying "story" because of the way the word "story" has become so close to the word "fiction," when this is actual history. But it really is a great story, it's just one that really happened.

Here's my very abridged telling of that history: On Easter Sunday 1916 Ireland rose together in revolt against British rule. The rebellion lasted a week as British forces fought against the Irish, mostly in Dublin, over several important strategic locations. Unfortunately the Irish were unsuccessful in this rebellion, however, it did set the course of history which eventually led to independence.

Of course there are far more details than I have time to go into here, but the museum had them all. And for some reason I have trouble skipping over things in museums, and I have a compulsion to read and view as much as possible.

The shortened Sunday hours of the museum didn't help either.

So when five o'clock rolled around, there was a lot of museum left to see, but no time left to see it. Unfortunately, we were kicked out before we could see everything. 

 From outside the museum felt small, but once inside, they had so much information crammed into each room, that it ended up being much larger. Not that I'm complaining. I would've spent many more hours there if I had the chance.

Outside the museum when someone was kind enough to take our picture.

Outside the museum when someone was kind enough to take our picture.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city, we watched the Euro Soccer Tournament in which Germany played Ukraine. Went upstairs to a comedy show, and got shawarma again because it's so delicious.

Tomorrow we tour the Guinness factory, visit Dublin Castle, and potentially follow a medieval actor around the city for a tour. Will it be interesting or just hilarious? Find out tomorrow!

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Day 3: Burn it Down

Day 3: Burn it Down

Day 1: Welcome to Dublin

Day 1: Welcome to Dublin