Ireland Trip; Dublin and Dubliners

    Let me first say that Dublin was everything we expected; a blend of tradition and modern culture that gave the impression of a rising economic force. Dubliners go about their day with a sense of urgency, unlike the other areas of Ireland that we visited. Everywhere you look, men are checking their watches as if they're going to be late for the G2 Summit. The women stride confidently with loose purchases in their arms as they weave their way through busy sidewalk traffic. As visitors, we were free to sit back and observe the disparities between Irish and American culture. Some differences were apparent, while others were veiled in a bit of Irish mystique that travelers probably wouldn't pick up on unless they'd sat in a pub for 8 straight hours with the locals.

   Our trip was a honeymoon, not really a vacation. And a great one it was! My prettier half is Irish, so of course the Seattle honeymoon was nixed in favor of Guinness and Irish soda bread. A word of advice, guys....if your cupcake is Irish (even to a dilution of like...5%), take her to Ireland. You'll never see a happier woman in your life.

   Anyway, the first thing we noticed after we arrived at the Dublin airport was the curious stares of passersby. Apparently, the loose, baggy shorts trend had either never made it to Eire or had come-and-gone, because the sidelong glances at my duds were pretty obvious. One thing we noticed about Irish apparel was the men's love for stick-legged jeans and business suits, vaguely reminiscent of the late-80's trend here in the U.S. We had to suppress a few snickers at the Dublin Garda (police) get-up....the motorcycle cops wore skin-tight leather outfits that looked like a Village People reunion. Fortunately my new bride kept me in line when I suggested singing a few verses of YMCA to a motorcycle Garda whose bike had just been hit by a bus.

   If you've ever seen pictures of a quaint European town with brightly painted buildings, alternated in every shade under the sun, then you'll understand my description of Dublin. At least, the side-streets. The main thoroughfares were a mixture of brick, concrete, and stucco buildings like many other places. And one thing is for sure: the Irish love to do some landscaping on their little slices of heaven. It seems that if an Irishman has 100 square feet of yard with his apartment in Dublin, 80% of it is planted with various flowers and shrubbery to add a bit of color.

Of course, at our earliest opportunity, we had to sample the Dublin nightlife, and we weren't disappointed. Just around the corner from our hotel, we discovered a little place called the Waterloo. Like many of the pubs and eateries around Dublin, it was approximately 15 feet wide at the facade, and 150 feet deep. Brushing our jet lag aside, I donned my "Guiness Est. 1759" hat and we pushed up to the bar. The barkeep took one look at me and grinned. "Where are ye from in the states?" Upstate New York, I replied, and asked him if it was THAT obvious. He said yep....only Americans wear Guinness clothing in Ireland.

Anyone who's sampled Guinness here in the U.S., and then in Ireland, will tell you there's no comparison. I could go on for 10 minutes describing the difference, but suffice it to say that it's smoother, richer, and oh-so-much-better over there. And here's a little lesson from the locals.....
We got a pint and headed outside to watch the city bustling by, sitting in the enclosure just off the sidewalk. As we sat there, a redheaded guy sidled up to the open door, leaned against the door frame and said "Don't drink Guinness alot, do ye?".

Not in the states, I said, but here I will!

"Easy to tell", he says, "because the Irish never drink a Guinness outdoors. It's an inside drink; drinking it outside is sacriligious".

Well, dip me in Jamieson's and call me Seamus! I never knew that. But it was good knowledge, because I figured once I had the basics of Irish drinking down pat, I could start working on my brogue.

Next Ireland hub: central Ireland....Athlone, County Roscommon, and the Irish countryside. Any interest? Drop me a comment!

My apologies for the disjointed nature of this hub; I haven't mastered the "capsule" concept and some of the pictures failed to generate.  Oh well, by the time I publish 20 more I might get the hang of it. Email Altasup@aol.com to see a few hundred more pictures of Ireland!