We woke up this morning totally discombobulated, with no idea of the date and time, the only certainty being that we are finally here in Dublin!
It’s 6:30 a.m. and I am writing from our hotel room at The Morgan, which incidentally, looks just like the pictures on the website. It’s sleek, comfortable, clean and friendly, much like the rest of Dublin, which comes as somewhat of a surprise. Yes, there are cobblestone streets and tiny houses painted yellow and red and green with Gaelic writing on them, and lots of ruddy faced red-heads and pubs galore. I could not help but giggle a bit when we got into a taxi at the airport and our driver was playing U2. But there is also a very modern sensibility here, with hip kids walking around in their Urban Outfitter clothes, restaurants of every ethnicity lining the streets and an emphasis on contemporary design in the newer hot spots. According to the bartender at the hotel (of course our first bit of business was to have a tall, dark Guinness), about five years ago Dublin began growing quickly, importing goods from all over the world and developing its tourism and technological industries. She was very happy to report that now they can get whatever they want here, including Hershey’s Kisses, and that the top selling beer in Ireland after Guinness is, get this, Budweiser!
After our Guinness, we freshened up a bit and went to dinner at Il Baccaro,
a little Italian restaurant situated in what appears to be a converted
railroad tunnel with its below ground entrance and curved brick walls.
It is run by a couple of young Italian guys who between taking orders,
would sit at the bar and practice their English. We shared the proscuitto
appetizer with the best parmesan cheese I’ve ever tasted, and a pretty
flimsy tomato and onion salad (I fear what they say about salads in Ireland
may be true), a four cheese gnocchi, and a tasty grilled pork filet. They
pour the wine out of draft barrels. Although the portions were slim, the
whole dinner was a mere $40. After our excellent dinner, we walked around
a bit. Chris did a great job picking the hotel! Its on Fleet Street, smack
dab in the heart of the Temple Bar neighborhood where all the bars and
restaurants are located, around the corner from Trinity College, and a
short walk to Grafton Street, the main shopping district – all of
which we plan to explore further today.
I know I’m getting ahead of myself here, but I think Dublin might
make the short list of places I could live. It certainly is one of the
coolest, friendliest places I’ve ever been. On the plane over, the
two guys in the seat behind us chatted the entire length of the flight
about everything from work to politics to music. I figured they were friends
traveling together until at the end of the flight they shook hands, said
God Bless and went their separate ways.
It seems like it could be an interesting time to live here, with so much happening in our respective industries, and a real welcoming spirit indigenous to the Irish culture. But our taxi driver also warned us that the cost of living is outrageous, with prices five times that of what they were before the Euro and salaries only increasing by 18%. As well, sadly enough, the culture is changing dramatically, with only a few Dubliners capable of speaking Irish. Those who can speak the language take an Irish language test with the government and if they pass, get awarded with a gold pin which is worn with pride on the lapel.
I’m excited to be here for a lot of reasons, but most of all, because Chris is so damn happy. He was tickled to be able to go through the fast line at Customs while his poor wife had to stand forever waiting with the other foreigners.
As for the trip itself, the flight was long and uncomfortable, with the
only remarkable detail being that they sell books and acupressure strips
in vending machines here. Oh, and we saw Ethan Hawke (sans Uma) at the
Heathrow Airport looking shaggy and tired.
That’s all for now. Will write again later.