When I arrived in the unfamiliar city of Dublin, I decided that the best way to get to know this unfamiliar city was to try unfamiliar things. My first few days here I just plain explored the city. I had no itinerary, no destination, and no idea how to get back to the lovely St. Augustine Apartments. On one of my adventures around the city I found myself strolling by a Mediterranean market, and thought to myself, “wow, I wonder it’s like inside”? Trying to embrace my new love of the unfamiliar, I decided, “why not go in rather than forever wonder what is inside”? I went in and was bombarded by a cornucopia of exotic spices, fruit juices, and economy sized bags of rice. While exploring the meat counter selection, (which included sheep brain and cow tongue), I noticed that they had crates of 30 eggs for €4, a fantastic deal, much better than the 6 eggs for €3 I had found down the street. I will no longer walk past something and wonder. There is no harm in taking a look inside.
Our bus finally pulled into the welcoming centre, and our group filed into the Marble Arch Caves Museum. Rather than meander around the welcoming center until our tour began, I opted to watch the movie about the history of the Marble Arch Cave Geopark. From the brief film I learned that the Caves themselves were first explored in 1895 by Edouard-Alfred Martel and Lyster Jameson. They had very basic supplies, include a simple canvas boat and magnesium flares to light their way through the caves. Martel and Jameson were just the first of many of further explored the Caves, and finally in 1985 they were opened to the public. In 2001 the Marble Arch Caves became recognized as a Global Geopark, making in the first Geopark in the UK.
Our brief boat ride came to an end and we continued on our tour via concrete pathways. I couldn’t tell you the scientific name of any of the rock formations I encountered, but I can tell you that I saw strips of bacon, overflowing porridge bowls, and humpty dumpty (as our tour guide referred to them). Our guide informed us that the only living thing found in the cave is the occasional bat, which made me feel a lot better about potentially getting attacked by a bear. Throughout the whole tour I did not feel the least bit claustrophobic, as a majority of the cave was Cathedral like in width, height, and acoustics. The 151 steps out of the darkness of the cave into the warmth of the afternoon sunlight really put into perspective how far down we had actually been.Taking a boat ride on an underground river is something I never imagine I would do. More specifically, take a boat ride on an underground river in Northern Ireland during my Fall Semester studying in Dublin. I’m eager to try more unfamiliar things. Whether it be making meatloaf for the first time, or traveling to the Czech Republic, studying abroad is all about embracing the unfamiliar.
Laurel O’Meara
Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger
Champlain College Class of 2013