One sunny afternoon during my second week in Dublin, I took
advantage of a few hours’ downtime to appease my wanderlust. Walking west along the River Liffey, I made
my way towards Phoenix Park, not having looked at a map and completely unaware
of how far it was from Trinity College. Nearly
forty minutes passed before I reached the park’s gates, but I was satisfied
with having found my destination after guessing on a whim which turns would
lead me there. Though I managed to
traverse the two miles from campus in reasonable time, a map would have been
nice once I stepped into the 1,750 acre scatterplot of meadows, forests,
cricket fields, and walking paths. I
only recently learned that a park map stands in front of the visitor centre,
almost at the opposite side, through a dense row of trees… But never mind the fact that Phoenix Park is
one of the largest recreational areas in Europe and lacks sufficient
directional information; the best adventures are always experienced when lost,
anyway, and getting lost was at the top of my intentions from the start. Half way across the park I abandoned the main
road, negotiated an expansive meadow, and forayed into the trees.
Among the other hidden treasures within the park is the Magazine Fort at the south side. Sir Edward Fisher built his lodge here in 1611. Over the centuries the fort underwent various transformations, and was the site of the Christmas Raid in 1939. James Joyce featured this section of Phoenix Park in the Dubliners story "A Painful Case." Today it is merely an abandoned fort atop a hill, its perimeter outlined by an empty moat. The buildings peering over the stone fortifications resemble concrete bunkers from either world war. Having an interest in such structures I cased the fort for a way in but was impeded by the high walls, three consecutive fences lined by barbed wire at the front, and limited time. I had spent over an hour wandering through the park and would soon be running late for some school activity. Avoiding the long, meandering route that had led me to the fort, I cut across the sports fields between me and the entrance, referring to the 203 ft Wellington Monument peering through the trees for a source of direction.
Nice pictures and discussion of Phoenix Park, but why start out so pompously--to appease my wanderlust? Do you think like that? What prompted you to take the walk. I know that you walk all over the place, so why not say you like to walk?
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