Dublin Wrap!

So you’re probably wondering what happened right? Last you heard from me I was hanging off the side of a castle kissing strange rocks in the rain. Well dear reader let me tell you….

Thursday 1/24/13

Thursday we had all kinds of grand plans that involved us getting up early and really taking in the sites and sounds of Dublin. Only problem was we were properly knackered after a day of castle and church touring and so our day got off to a late start. No big deal right?

Our tour of the Jameson Distillery was at 2 so we had plenty of time. Until we used Google Maps. You may remember me mentioning the Google. So against really any kind of logic and reason, I blame the Guinness, we started off in what appeared to be the direction of the distillery. Not a chance in hell that it was the right way. What was supposed to be a 20 minute walk again ended up taking 2 hours and 5 miles. We did make it to the distillery with 5 minutes to spare and then an additional 15 minutes because the tour guide told us they always start later because people get lost. Go figure. Got to learn how whiskey is made and the proper classy way to drink it. Turns out I was doing in wrong in college.

That night we went to a town called Ashbourne just outside of Dublin with one of my Dad’s co-workers. He took us to his neighborhood pub to introduce us to the locals. When the bartender found out we were from Texas he put ‘Friends in Low Places’ on the jukebox. Whether or not you like country music, you have to admit this was pretty cool. And I also like the song so that helped.

Next up was Temple Bar, which is an area of Dublin and also, surprise, a bar! Very touristy, very loud, and very crowded. Still fun. Lots of music and things of that nature. Then it was off to another Irish folk pub thing down the street. This one was called Oliver St. John Gogarty. It’s yellow and named after some famous historical Irish guy. It’s on Wikipedia so he has to be real. More dancing and Irish music. Lots and lots of Irish music.

Friday 1/25/13

GUINNESS!!!! Got up late and decided to take a cab to the brewery. See? We were learning. Anyway it was raining and cold and a great idea to spend the day inside a brewery where it’s dry and warm and beery. Not a whole lot to say about the brewery mostly because there wasn’t any actual brewing going on that you could see. That was disappointing. What wasn’t disappointing was the free pint of Guinness at the top of the building overlooking the city at the end of the tour. That definitely didn’t suck.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one, two Americans and two Dutch guys get into a cab…and that is how our Friday night started. We headed off to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for a night of, you guessed it, Irish music and dancing and food. The van that picked us up was also occupied by two very enthusiastic Dutch gentlemen who were also very enthusiastic about their new American companions. Have I mentioned how much I love the Dutch? They’re great! So what normally would have irritated me, sharing a cab and dinner outing with strangers, turned into something totally great.

The show was a lot of fun, even the audience participation parts, and one of the band guys offered to take us back to Dublin if we wanted to stick around for their after party. We were leaving the next morning and didn’t think it’d be wise to try and pull that off. Still a pretty cool offer.

So to close out our little adventure here are some closing thought bubbles:

1.  Irish McDonald’s is awesome. Not as good as Czech McDonald’s. Way better than Austrian McDonald’s.
2.  I was not the only person wearing Doc Martens for once. I consider this a win
3. There are no such thing as leprechauns
4. The Guinness Wall of Fame has a picture of Paul Rudd drinking a beer
5. There is also a picture of Emilio Estevez
6. O’ Danny Boy is not the national anthem
7. Everything is a 10 minute walk from where you are
8. There is no such thing as a 10 minute walk in Dublin
9. The English really aren’t uppity. I’m sorry for saying that
10. The Irish are genuinely interested in where you’re from and what you think of their country
11. They do not hate America
12. Not everyone is drunk all of the time
13. Some people are drunk most of the time
14. Buildings here are VERY old
15. Sometimes they put a Starbucks in those very old buildings
16. There is a restaurant that used to be a church. Still has the organ that Handel used to practice on
17. In the 70s when everyone in Amsterdam was really poor they used to host ‘American Parties’ which we Americans call potluck – Courtesy of our enthusiastic Dutchmen
18. Budweiser is readily available in Ireland
19. Tragically people actually like Budweiser in Ireland
20. This blog entry is almost 1000 words
21. I was actually sad to leave
22. I will be back

When I visit somewhere I think about whether or not I could live there. I could live in Ireland. If you have the chance to go don’t turn it down. You definitely will not regret it and might even find yourself looking at castle realtors and learning how to refurbish a moat.

As always, thanks for reading. I think I’ll do this again sometime. I have a feeling this internet thing is here to stay. Till next time. Sláinte y’all.