6 posts tagged “dublin”

Sunset in Dubin from our apartment

Bruxelles Pub - off Grafton Street, Dublin - April 2009

Near the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

Two elderly gentlemen approach.  Gentleman 1 is the seedier, more wizened of the two.  A cigarette dangles from the corner of his mouth.  Gentleman 2 is the more robust, respectable looking one in a tweed jacket.  They both have the unmistakable glow only provided by several pints or perhaps large whiskeys, even though it is quite early in the day. They sit.

Gentleman 1: Ah..(sighs)... I wish I'd never been born.

Gentleman 2: (brightly) That would've been easy enough!

Gentleman 1: You're here and then you're gone and you're nothin' in between.  And then you're nobody.  What've you got?  A few days and then it's over.  It's like that American woman said:  "Life is just F*ck All!"

So were these guys:

a) Actors hired by the Dublin Tourist Bureau to provide a 'slice of life' to unsuspecting tourists?

b) The cast of the Abbey Theatre's latest production of Waiting For Godot doing field work? Or

c) True representatives of the alcohol-soaked Irish Soul which has produced perhaps the greatest literary culture in the history of Mankind?

Bonus Question:

Who was the 'American woman' they referred to?

a) Oprah Winfrey

b) Eleanor Roosevelt

c) That chick in the Progressive Auto Insurance Commercials or

d) Dick Cheney

'Everyone' says that the Guinness Storehouse is a must-see in Dublin.  Since it's relatively close to where we're staying, we decided to cross it off our list on our first full day here.

After a slog through driving, chilly rain, we arrived soaked to the bone.  It costs 15 Euros (I guess around $US20) apiece to get in and, frankly, the exhibit on how the stuff is made was pretty lame.  Up at the top of the building there's a bar that has some pretty spectacular views of the city, even on a cloudy rainy day.  There you can enjoy your 'complimentary' (i.e., 15 Euro) pint.

We decided to have lunch in the cafe.  I just had soup and sandwiches but my wife, who's a relatively light eater, ordered the beef and Guinness stew.  This was a massive plate of stew topped with mashed potatoes.  She ate what she could and asked to take the rest home.  The waiter told her that it was company policy that no food should leave the premises since someone once took food home and got sick and sued the company.  My wife was obviously a bit peeved - not at the waiter but at the stupid policy - and, when it came time to clear the table and bring our check he wouldn't even come back to our table but sent someone else.  My wife asked her if he was too scared to come back and she said 'A bit'.  (I swear to my sons that she did nothing untoward.....)

I finally had to walk up to the waiter's station to get someone to take my credit card.  She asked me if everything was all right and I explained what had happened.  She said that unless you went to a take-out shop, they don't have takeaway containers 'over here', although it's 'apparently quite popular in America', a somewhat different explanation than the waiter's.

I think the real explanation is that over here in 'socialist Europe' what you buy doesn't really belong to you at all. (JK)

Anyway, overpriced and disappointing.  But the first real complaint we've had after two weeks on the road.  We'll give Dublin another chance tomorrow.