Picnic in the Park

Good morning!


Aaron here. First, I want to thank everyone that posted in response to my request. Lauren and I really got a kick out of seeing that people really do read our posts, so please keep them coming. Your comments are appreciated more than you know. While you know a lot about what we're up to, we also like to hear from you!

Anyhoo, on to the main event. Lauren and I packed up lunches today and made the 45-minute walk St. Stephen's Green in the center of town. After about 20 minutes of loitering near the gate, it became clear that the group picnic was going to be a couple's picnic. We certainly didn't mind and took advantage of the opportunity to spend some time together in the park.

(I apologize for the image quality. We forgot our camera, so we used our iPhones.) We found a nice sunny patch near a large pond teeming with swans, seagulls, ducks and pigeons, which was definitely the strangest group of fowl I've ever seen. Once I saw the huge flocks of pigeons nearby, I did what every little boy with a piece of bread would do...

Suddenly, I had about 40 friends. You can't really tell in this picture, but the flock was quite large. They came from all over the clearing once they saw the peanut buttery bread. I felt very special until they flew away later when another visitor brought a bready gift. They flew away and took my shattered heart with them. Okay, not really, because...

 

...they came back! Such fickle lovers. This shot is almost a bit Hitchcockian, don't you think? We noticed that many of the birds seemed a little war-torn. Feathers were missing and we saw several scratches, but the feet were horrible. I don't know if they were diseased or what, but many of the pigeons were missing toes and has large, bulbous growths between their claws. Several pigeons could barely walk on them and would just stand on one foot with the other tucked under their bodies, just like flamingos. 

This little guy was our favorite. One of his feet was a stub and the other was quite "goitery" as well. We liked him because he would walk right up to our blanket and stand there, making this little "Hooo hooo hooo" sounds that reminded me of a kitten purring. He clearly couldn't get around very well and was a little thinner than the other birds, probably due to his crippled feet. We felt bad for him, so we rose our fists against "survival of the fittest" and fed him lots of bread. Maybe "survival of the cutest" is more apt. 

Oh, and we did, indeed name him. "Tiny Tim, the Peg-legged Pigeon."

On the way out, we saw this guy. He brought an entire loaf of bread to feed the birds, and he looked to be homeless. I thought there was something interesting in someone sharing his meager wealth with birds. I suppose we all want to feel needed, or at least well-liked. It was also interesting to note the different personalities of the birds. The pigeons were pretty excitable, but didn't fight much. They were eager eaters but didn't step on many toes (because there aren't any left! HA!). The sea gulls, however, were huge jerks. They showed up late to the party and cleared a path through any pigeons to the bread. The swans, however, were my favorite. Unlike the other birds flapping furiously toward any sight of bread, the swans floated slowly, serenely, over to the man and ate quietly at their leisure. They were the true masters of the pond.

We ended up going to the museum, but we didn't stay long. It will take us several visits to see everything, and Lauren and I were getting tired. We realized today that we've walked to the city center and back every day the past three days. That's over 20 miles of walking. We didn't take pictures inside, because it's not allowed, and I took one of the exterior, but it wasn't a decent shot. We'll take more pictures of the outside next time we go.

Well, we hope your Saturdays are going well. We're going to nap and take it easy tonight. It will be nice to rest our feet and enjoy the weekend. We might be leaving the city for a few hours tomorrow morning to visit Glendalough with other Trinity Hall residents. Glendalough is a huge nature reserve 30 miles sound of Dublin (in the Mountains!). The trip is being organized by the hall staff, and would include transportation for only 5 Euro apiece, but we're not sure if we missed the deadline for payment. Regardless, we're sure it will be a wonderful day.

Thanks again for posting your comments! Don't be shy!