GUINNESS - DUBLIN, IRELAND - DAY 3
Made it to Ireland! Thanks to a very early wake up call, we slept the whole flight. We grabbed our bags and waited for the bus into the city. It's frightfully cold and raining the moment we step outside. You were right mom, it's a damp cold that goes right through you- Especially since it's February. A local overheard our conversation about a much colder Ireland than where we started in Portugal. I'm sorry to say, but due to the dreary Irish weather, this girl about our age, seemed to lack any pigmentation whatsoever. She had the fairest skin, hair and eyes. With folded arms, she looks up from her hooded rain coat and says, "Oh it's real shite wea'der 'ere. It ne'er stops raynin' on this bleedin' islund". We have to laugh (and shiver).
For this, I'm not sure for the reasoning, but even though this is both of our first time in Ireland, this is, was, and always will be Kay's favorite place in the world. She digs all of it- The food, the weather, the beer, whiskey, people, accents, nature, castles, and even the Celtic songs. Truthfully, these all appeal to me as well, (especially the whiskey and Guinness), but it hasn't gripped my soul the way it has for her. I will say, the dark Irish humor is some of the best I've come across. It's right up my alley- For that I'd live, shoot, and work here any day for a good, consistent barrel of inappropriate laughs.
We hop on and off the bus, and check-in to our hostel. We're met with awesome all-girl roommates from Michigan, Mexico and France. I try to practice my broken French and Spanish with them. It's rubbish, but I'm pleased to find that I remember more than I thought I did. The women from France and Mexico are looking for work, while the girl from Michigan is passing through, like us. We shower and explore Dublin. We walk over to see the National Library but it was 10 euros for a student price!! We agree that that's ridiculous, and opt out. Instead, we take a photo of the poster for free, which looks just the same as if we went there haha! We duck into a pub to warm up, and spend our euros on Guinness- We're at a Viking pub no less! We come back, close to our hostel, and grab a late meal at a different pub. It's cold, rainy and grey everywhere, all the time. I understand now why pubs are the best place to be- I'd practically live in one if I had to reside in Ireland throughout the Winter. We have more Guinness, and split traditional lamb stew and a chicken burger. The fresh Guinness beer on tap, and this lamb stew is the absolute best thing I've tasted. I love lamb to begin with, but with the cold weather outside, this warms us to the core. *It's still the best comfort meal I've had to date. I'm not even fond of beer in the states, but the flavor of Guinness here is the GOAT, (greatest of all time). It's not a placebo effect of me just being in the place where it's made. It truly tastes different, better, and fresh here- The way it was meant to taste. In the States, it tastes syrupy, and almost metallic. Here, it's foamy, fluffy, and flavorful. It's almost like an adult chocolate shake. I've never drank so much beer in my life. Because it acts as a caloric additive and subsequently "wood" for the body's central heating, I never got drunk- Just warm, and full. It's wonderful.
After our meal, we literally run from the cold, and into our hostel. We keep warm up in our room and catch our roommates again. They suggest for us to go back to the same bar to experience traditional Irish music that will be happening later this evening. After some R&R, and a bit of research for transportation to Kilkenny and Cork, we sprint back to the pub which is now packed full of people. The show has already begun- We order whiskey. We barely have a place to stand as the pub is small, and the people are abundant. We cram into a small corner, a bit central to the pub. An old geezer near us is so wasted, he can hardly stand. He stinks to high Heaven, and we actually thought he may have shat himself. He tries to chat us up, especially Kay. The musicians, and this lovely group near us can see what's happening. The musicians call him out, but he's too drunk to do anything about it. Instead, Kay takes refuge with a small group across the room- Two couples on holiday from Liverpool. They hit it off and chat about football, (soccer for the American readers). I sit closer to the musicians and he leaves us alone. I'm fully enjoying myself, and I know Kay is living her best life as all her dreams come true in one place. The musicians are hilarious with their Irish humor, and are really talented. We sing and drink all evening, and don't crawl back into bed until midnight. Another early wake up call tomorrow. We are catching the train for a small town, Kilkenny. We just have one castle to see there, and then that evening we’ll head to Cork. I tried to FaceTime, but there’s only WiFi in the lobby and not our rooms. No bother, you get what you pay for.
I love you guys and hope I can FaceTime soon.
-eM
P.S. Yes mom, I’m warm enough xoxox
