We are going to try and pack the last two days of our UK trip into this blog, so this will be the last one you have to read. We travel home tomorrow and will be leaving here at 5 am (1 am Nova Scotia time). Yesterday, being Sunday we decided to attend the Christian Fellowship Church in the East side of the city. This is the home church of Robin Mark, the leader of the group which made the Revival in Belfast CDs. We hired a taxi to get us there as it looked like about a 5 mile walk and the potential for going astray could make it 10! Although Robin Mark only leads worship about 6 times per year, Pastor Paul Reid told us, he was there yesterday. The church was very much alive and the music was awesome; we especially appreciated the celtic flute, which lends the music a yearning quality. This service was in stark contrast to the high kirk we experienced last Sunday in Edinburgh, especially when you consider the flag waving.
The church is tucked behind the Ulster Unionist Association.
Christian Fellowship Church
In the afternoon we were booked on a tour entitled "In the Footsteps of C.S.Lewis". The tour was supposed to be 2 hours long but ended up being three, due to the fullness of the guide's knowledge and his unwillingness to let us go until he shared it all with us. Lewis was born and raised in Belfast and we saw the houses where his parents and grandparents lived and worked. It was very interesting to see the images that influenced Lewis as a child, that play a pivotal role in the Narnia series. We can now experience these books with fresh insights. A few images will illustrate this.
The rather posh house that C.S. Lewis moved to when he was about 4. Interestingly, a rather large wardrobe was delivered to the house and wouldn't fit in, so his grandfather had to take it apart. Lewis would have heard much discussion about this wardrobe.
As a boy, Lewis would walk to a nearby private school. As he walked up a curved, tree-lined driveway, he encountered this lamp-post, an image which signaled the dividing point between two worlds.
Lewis' mother was the daughter of the rector of St. Mark's Church and this is the door to the rectory. Lewis' parents and grandparents were members of this church and Lewis would have been brought to the rectory as a boy. At face level was a doorknob.
The doorknob.
This bronze statue "The Searcher", created by Irish sculptor Ross Wilson, stands outside a community library, showing Lewis' character Digory Kirke trying to decide whether to enter the wardrobe. On the back of the wardrobe is a copy of a letter from C.S. Lewis to a young girl explaining the overall meaning of each Narnia books.
We arrived at our Dublin hotel at 9:30 pm and then went out for pizza. On Monday, we caught a bus down to the city centre (we are in an airport hotel) and had a day of exploring this city of 2 million people, which was full of people and buses, somewhat like London. It being a Monday, most of the museums and galleries were closed, so we were spared the viewing of more ancient history!! (Sorry, Kim!). We did do a quick bus tour of the city and then we went on foot for a couple of hours and took photos.
There were some interesting stores in Dublin.
This bronze was of Molly Malone a.k.a. "the tart with the cart".
Which way to turn? Perhaps it's time to come home!
The ha'penny bridge across the River Liffey, a Dublin landmark. A century ago, the bridge toll was a ha'penny.
Some typical Dublin buildings; a close-up of the taller building follows.
The Clarence Hotel, owned by the band U2, is where Bono and the boys hang out when spending a weekend in Dublin. The locals call it Bono's B&B, a name he doesn't appreciate. It is a very expensive hotel.
We give no promotion of this product, but one of the main tourist stops (after Guinness) is the old Jameson Whisky Distillery. Note the spelling; no relation to us Jamiesons.
Each city seems to have constructed something to celebrate the millennium.
In Dublin it was this 390 foot tall Spire of Dublin, a.k.a. "The Rod to God". Makes a great lightning rod!
So, thank you to all who have faithfully followed us on our UK trip. It has been a blast and we will be happy to share more pictures (to those who have the patience), when we get home.
Looking forward to seeing everyone again and being back on Canadian soil where a cheeseburger happy meal doesn't cost $7.00!!
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