Today I touched a mummy. Not just any mummy- a crusader!! We went to St. Michan's church in Dublin, which has a fantastic crypt with lots of dead bodies and coffins. The coolest part was a the 800 year old Crusader and the 400 year old nun- amazingly preserved because of the methane (I think) that comes from the soil, slowing down decomposition. Their skin and nails are preserved...SO COOL! Our tour guide seriously talked exactly like Professor Snape, same inflection, same deep voice. If I closed my eyes, I couldn't tell if it was a short Englishman in front of me or Snape. This only added to the whole experience.
The Crusader is the one on the top, placed that way because all through the middle ages to present day, it is supposed to be good luck to touch the hand of a Crusader. This led to someone breaking off his index finger, so they moved him (the mummy, not the finger breaker!) to the back of the crypt away from people. However, Professor Snape let us touch the Crusader's hand if we were super careful. In all my travels and experiences, I have never gotten to do something like that! I like to imagine he was alive during the 3rd crusade, and maybe knew Richard the Lionheart or fought Saladin or went to Jerusalem. The historian inside me was warm and fuzzy for the rest of the day.
There may have been an awkward moment when I very publicly confessed my love for Celine Dion down in the crypt. The tour guide was talking about spies, and proceeded to list people you love to hate. Celine Dion made the list, and I (louder than intended, it was a very echoey crypt) said "hey!". This of course brought attention from everyone on the tour, including the guide, who looked at me with some pity, some concern, mostly disdain (his sneer did greatly resemble Snape's). He asked me if at the very least I hated Mariah Carey, to which I said yes. Someone had to defend Celine's honor...
We left soon after, before I could shame myself further, but our day was not over. We popped over to Whitefriar Church to Saint Valentine's relics. People go to see his remains on pilgrimages, and of course, their busiest day is Valentine's Day. There was a book where you can write your prayer to St. Valentine, and there were some really cool entries. One woman was returning to Nigeria and leaving someone she loved behind. She asked for their protection and health, and that they might meet again in the future. Cheesy, yes, but also kind of nice. The book was full of entries like that, from people from all around the world.
All in all, great day. Probably the best part of living in Dublin is the fact that I am still finding stuff like this, and there are so many places to explore. I really love it here and am going to miss it so much!
The Crusader is the one on the top, placed that way because all through the middle ages to present day, it is supposed to be good luck to touch the hand of a Crusader. This led to someone breaking off his index finger, so they moved him (the mummy, not the finger breaker!) to the back of the crypt away from people. However, Professor Snape let us touch the Crusader's hand if we were super careful. In all my travels and experiences, I have never gotten to do something like that! I like to imagine he was alive during the 3rd crusade, and maybe knew Richard the Lionheart or fought Saladin or went to Jerusalem. The historian inside me was warm and fuzzy for the rest of the day.
There may have been an awkward moment when I very publicly confessed my love for Celine Dion down in the crypt. The tour guide was talking about spies, and proceeded to list people you love to hate. Celine Dion made the list, and I (louder than intended, it was a very echoey crypt) said "hey!". This of course brought attention from everyone on the tour, including the guide, who looked at me with some pity, some concern, mostly disdain (his sneer did greatly resemble Snape's). He asked me if at the very least I hated Mariah Carey, to which I said yes. Someone had to defend Celine's honor...
We left soon after, before I could shame myself further, but our day was not over. We popped over to Whitefriar Church to Saint Valentine's relics. People go to see his remains on pilgrimages, and of course, their busiest day is Valentine's Day. There was a book where you can write your prayer to St. Valentine, and there were some really cool entries. One woman was returning to Nigeria and leaving someone she loved behind. She asked for their protection and health, and that they might meet again in the future. Cheesy, yes, but also kind of nice. The book was full of entries like that, from people from all around the world.
All in all, great day. Probably the best part of living in Dublin is the fact that I am still finding stuff like this, and there are so many places to explore. I really love it here and am going to miss it so much!
