Well, Friday was a bit of a blur. We slept in and then spent the afternoon
at the Guinness Hopstore. It’s a gigantic space with a lot of self-important
news about the history of Guinness beer and, Arthur, the man who started
it all. Actually, I did learn a few interesting tidbits: in a move that
would have made Stella proud, the shrewd Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000
year lease at 45 pounds per year to rent the original brewery; also, it
used to be that water in Ireland was unsafe for consumption, therefore,
everyone, children and infants included, resorted to drinking beer as
their primary beverage. The heavy and filling properties of Guinness made
it a particularly hearty choice and used to be prescribed to nursing mothers,
the sick, and the elderly. That’s where you get the “My goodness,
My Guinness” and “Guinness: it’s good for you” slogans.
Still, the best part of the tour was the Gravity Bar on the top floor
where you get to sample the brew while enjoying a fantastic 360 degree
view of Dublin.
On the way home we meandered by Dublin Castle, the seat of British rule in Ireland and now used only for inaugurations. We also passed Christchurch Cathedral. Unfortunately, we were running late for dinner and did not get the chance to stop in.
We celebrated our fifth(!) wedding anniversary at the Halo Restaurant, the city’s hotspot restaurant located in the Morrison Hotel. The room itself is beautiful – sleek stained chocolate floors, soft lighting, very modern white upholstered chairs and lavender accents. This sophisticated, modern look seems the craze here now and for many, personifies urban chic. I admit to liking the room, however, I’m growing a little tired of the fad. Anyhow, the food itself – squid ink and prawn dumpling, and roasted guinea fowl over saffron risotto for me; lump crabmeat and tuna tartar, and seared duck breast over salad greens and haricots vert for Chris. The food was very good, with one exception: What’s with all the foam? Despite our server who was chewing gum, the service was excellent. What it lacked in polish was greatly made up in friendliness and a sense of hospitality, which when you’re a tourist, means a lot. Oh, and the heavenly cheese plate. Can’t say enough about Irish cheese!
After dinner we headed back to the Morgan for a night cap at the hotel bar. I could have turned in then, but Chris was eager to try out his new pipe so we went wandering for a late night bar and stumbled upon the Ha’penny Bridge Inn (which incidentally, is named so because there used to be a half penny tariff to cross the bridge). You know Chris, he managed to make friends with Andrews and Kevin, two very outspoken and friendly Irishmen who had a lot to say about everything. Andrews is a civil servant reviewing applications for immigration and those seeking asylum. His uncle, Kevin, recently moved to Dublin from the Midlands. Both are very distraught over the changes occurring in Ireland and have a real hard time with the inflated prices and Ireland’s open door policy to foreigners. Kevin made it known that despite the friendly veneer, the Irish are a very racist bunch. Ireland’s policy has always been to bestow citizenship to children born on Irish soil and to the birth mother. Since joining the EU, a lot of women from Third World countries are coming to Ireland, getting pregnant, giving birth and then moving on to the European city of choice. Apparently, there are a lot of women from Africa doing just that so the hostility toward blacks tends to be higher than toward Asians.
Anyhow, we finally stumbled home as all the bars closed their doors. The next morning, having to wake early to meet Claire and Brian (Claire is a friend of Chris’ from his days at Self Magazine) for a traditional Irish breakfast, we learned how good craic can go bad. Or perhaps I’m suffering a delayed form of jetlag. Regardless, Claire is fabulous – recently promoted to the Managing Editor of Irish Tatler magazine (a popular women’s fashion and beauty monthly) and is very stylish and sophisticated. Brian is a web and print designer and lifelong Dublinder who managed to give us some great tips on where to go and what to see. One of his recommendations was to get out of the Temple Bar district and check out the other neighborhoods such as Smithfield, an up-and-coming residential area on the Northside of the Liffey River. It’s still a little rough around the edges for me, but you can already see how the new construction condos will gentrify the area.
Smithfield is also one of the more ethnically diverse areas of the city. As we passed a modest doorway, we could smell the scent of Indian food. Later, we couldn’t help but walk back and managed to get a big bag of some of the best Indian take-out I’ve ever had. That was it for me, but Chris ventured out again to meet Claire, Brian and his family at the Cobblestone, a pub/music venue to hear, of all things, a Texan band!
This morning we woke at our usual sluggish hour and spent the day walking, walking, walking! First to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Kilmainham Gaol and back again. The museum was amazing. Housed in a converted hospital, it features excellent gardens in addition to a great exhibit of artists from all over the world including big names like Bruce Nauman, Mariko Mori, Jeff Koons, Laurie Anderson and Matthew Ritchie. After that we toured the Kilmainham jail which at one point housed just about every major political insurgent since its creation in 1792. Our guide was excellent, and for a novice like me, it really did help me to gain a better understanding of Ireland’s history. It also made me realize that all that talk about Americans being poorly educated and ignorant to the rest of the world is, sad to say, true.
In all, today was a really great day that made me excited to learn more about Ireland. I’m sure I could happily live in Dublin if it weren’t for the economy (the quality of living is comparable to that of life in New York) and the rain (it rains at least twice a day!). Chris on the other hand is smitten. We’ll see. If all advice is accurate, we have a lot more beauty to witness in this country before settling down.
Off to warm my cold bones with some Irish stew. Will write tomorrow from London where Chris will begin training for the international offices of Divine in a couple of days. Cheers!