Dublin The Flavor, Dublin The Fun

Many weekends ago, (I know, I'm extremely behind, I suck), I went to Dublin. Now, my sister, Katie, and my Uncle Danny told me that they were very upset about not being included in my blog thus far. I have referenced my mom, my friends, and even one of Katie's best friends, but not them. So, I thought it would be funny to not include them in this post at all, even though I spent the weekend with them, just to tick them off. Then, I realized that would be cruel, because everyone mentioned in my blog becomes an instant celebrity, and I couldn't rob them of that precious celebrity-hood, so the tales of our exploits follow.

So, first things first, when I got to Dublin, I managed to get myself a little lost in a sketchy part of town. Luckily, I was able to ask a some drunk men in a pub the way to the B & B where Katie and I were staying. Nothing like getting lost and telling a bunch of inebriated strangers your address to start a trip off right. Once I reached our B & B I had a very solid welcoming committee: the one and only, Katie Eissler. Note: In this post Katie will be known interchangeably as Katie, Kate, Katie-Kate, Seester, Big Bean, or Strange Bird. Almost immediately after putting my stuff in our room we went to go meet up with one of my other favorite people ever, my Uncle Dan. Note: In this post Uncle Dan will be known as Uncle Dan or Uncle Danny. That guy had been wreaking havoc in Dublin for the past week or so already, but Strange Bird and I had no intentions of following in his footsteps in that regard.

We headed to the Arlington Hotel for some dinner and a show. At first they had a band play, then Irish dancers came out, and then the band once again. Like an entertainment Oreo, if you will. We all concluded that if we tried to dance like that we would have a heart attack, but the dancers didn't seem phased in the least. The bad thing about these kind of dinners is that they are interactive. I always find myself in this jumpy state of fear where I am praying nobody will pull me up on stage to do something I have absolutely no talent for in front of all these people I don't know. Even when I don't have to do something I still don't want performers to interact with me in some way. That's why I hate Cats, the Broadway show, so much. There is no reason for people dressed at cats, one of the most odious creatures on the planet, to come into the audience and essentially assault people. Why do you have to do that?! Do you find it enjoyable to dress up as a feline and crawl on my lap? Are you a Furry? No? Then, just stay up on the stage where you belong!....My apologies for that rant. Anyway, my fears were unfounded because I was not asked to come up on the stage. These performers even appeared to be pretty respectful and listened to people as they vigorously shook their heads no and maintained a death grip on their chair. Overall, the music and dancers were pretty awesome. The band played Galway Girl, so I was very happy. The dinner was also very good as well. Dinner came with an appetizer, main course, and dessert, so I chose this ham hock with brioche for an appetizer, lamb stew for my entree, and for the dessert I seem to remember chocolate and Bailey's taking place. Also, to honor my grandmom, I got a Bailey's coffee. It was all for you, Grandmom!

The next morning Kate and I headed down to the breakfast that the B & B provided. It was a "full Irish breakfast," but it was missing some essential items, like black and white pudding, fried tomatoes, and beans. Not like I would probably eat a lot of that anyway, but it's always super comforting to know it's there. For those of you who are surprised I wouldn't eat the pudding, if you come to visit we can go get some when you're here and we can see what you think then about "pudding." We then headed out for a day of exploration.

In Temple Bar (area, not public house, remember?) there is this totally kick-butt vintage and jewelry place that I am pretty sure is called May Fly. I found it one time when I had been in Dublin before, and I thought Seester would like it, so we went there. They just have some really interesting pieces, most of which are made by the people who own the store, like rings with legos, typewriter letters, Scrabble letters, or computer keys, purses made out of records, casettes mutated into wallets, tiny harmonica cufflinks, and earrings in all shapes and sizes (like mini keys, which I may or may not have purchased). The last time I was there I kept checking out this old pocketwatch that the lady suspended on a necklace..... It's also really helpful because now I have a watch and always know that the time is 9:30. Plus, I also can live out my Flavor Flav fetish without being too ostentatious with a regular-sized clock around my neck. It's just a baby clock.

I know some of you may consider this next statement sad, and for those of you who do believe it's sad, you should know that you are everything that is wrong with this world. Statement: I was not going to leave Dublin until I visited the jewelry store, Gollum's Precious. In what could possibly one of the greatest naming-jobs of all time, Gollum's Precious no doubt has the nerdiest, (but awesomest), customer population among jewelry stores. The store itself was nothing crazy. I was kind of expecting a certain vibe from it, but it seemed like a standard jewelry store.

I apologize for not capturing the true essence of Gollum. It's really hard to stay in character when you're in the middle of a crowded strip mall full of people judging you.

Located close to Temple Bar is Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle is a little weird to visit because of its placement, or since I guess it was there first, the placement of the city and buildings around the castle. The castle just suddenly pops up in the middle of one of the busier areas of the city. Strangely enough the best vantage point to view the castle is to stand in the middle of a parking lot, and the castle is in front of you, and to the left of you is an office building. We didn't explore inside, but we did go into the chapel that was added on at a later date, and that was very beautiful, though small, with some really intricate wood carvings.

Thank goodness! I was so worried I wouldn't be able to get that Mazda in the foreground!

Guinness. A name so synonymous with Ireland that I have heard there have been talks to change the country name to New Guinness....like New Guinea? Sorry, bad joke. Well, the Guinness factory is flocked to by tourists and alcoholics alike. The day that we visited the factory, Guinness had started a campaign to make St. Patrick's Day the Happiest Day of the Year. I tried to sign my name to make it the Happiest Day of the Year, but I was rejected. Not by Guinness. Guinness was glad to have me. I was rejected by the ol' US of A. Since I am under 21, apparently the  America can still reach out its claws of "justice" and keep me from doing something that relates to alcohol in the slightest way. Thanks a bunch Uncle Sam for helping to ruin the Happiest Day of the Year! I was quickly perked up when I realized there were free photobooths around. Katie was none too excited, because it is impossible to look good in photobooth pictures, and apparently she is fond of not looking like an idiot. I, on the other hand, have no qualms with appearing to be a deranged imbecile, so I jumped in right away. The product was 4 pictures worthy to be included in National Geographic's Best Photographs of the Year.

My inspiration for the bottom right panel was to have the dead eyes of a stripper.

Seester was the 366 person to sign the pledge. No, not that pledge.

The factory itself was what you made out of it. You could spend a lot of time in each part and read about the brewing, packaging, advertising, etc., or you could blow past everything and just head right up to the bar--a choose-your-own-adventure book for adults. Katie and I took the middle route and checked out everything, but didn't read everything in depth. I decided against learning how to pour a pint of Guinness, (there was a lot of pressure, maybe next time), but we did make sure to try out the station where you test Guinness on all your senses where much hilarity ensued. The last stop on the tour is the Gravity Bar where you are poured a free Guinness while in a circular glass bar that overlooks Dublin. Dublin does not have the prettiest skyline in the world, but it was still neat to see everything, and you were able to see the Wicklow Mountains in the distance, so that was neat. It was pretty crowded when we were there, so I can't imagine what it's like when it's actually tourist season.

Observing the beer.

Listening to the beer. Like the ocean in a seashell.

Damn straight they do.

Glistening in the sun.

Seesters4lyfe.

Wicklow Mountains in the distance. I thought this would be a good time to remind you that I climbed a mountain.

Katie and I did the math, and if you took every opportunity they gave you to get free Guinness you could get 2.25 free pints. Given the average price for a pint of Guinness in a pub, you are actually better off buying the admission into the factory than you are buying the beer at a pub. Isn't basic math fun?

So trendy with her shorts and tights.

Somebody's cocky.

We took the Hop-on Hop-off bus back, and recuperated from the day for a little while in our B & B. It's good that we did, because I don't think I would have been able to make it through the marathon that was dinner that night. We met up with my Uncle Dan again at his baller hotel. From there we headed to a restaurant called The Pig's Ear where I am fairly certain they didn't serve the ears of pigs. Uncle Dan insisted on going all out for this meal, and I must admit I didn't try as hard as I could have to resist this. In the end this dinner was absolutely phenomenal. The three of us ended up sharing this salmon appetizer and 2 of these pressed terrine of rabbit (whatever that means) appetizers. Yes, I ate Thumper, and he was fantastic. For entrees, Uncle Dan got ribeye, Strange Bird got pork belly, and I got the traditional Irish dish of shepherd's pie. I've actually never had shepherd's pie before, but I can tell you that this was absolutely one of the best I will ever have in my life. I'm used to seeing the slop that they throw together at the cafeteria, but this was nothing like that. I don't know what was up with the crust, since I know it's supposed to be mashed potatoes, but they had perfectly cooked it so was almost a extremely soft pie crust texture. Instead of ground beef they used lamb. For dessert, Uncle Danny got brown bread ice cream (what?!?!) with cinnamon apples and honeycomb, Katie-Kate got a really rich chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream, and I got this amazeballs vanilla cheesecake with raspberry jam and a graham cracker crust that was cooked in a jar. My reckoning is that they put it in the jar because they know how good it is and how fast people will eat it, so the jar forces people to slow down. Obviously, The Pig's Ear didn't know who they were dealing with when I came to town, because I devoured that thing with the force of a hurricane while simultaneously stealing bites off of Uncle Dan and Big Bean's plates. I heard once that a meal is not completely over when you are full, it's completely over when you hate yourself. Mission accomplished.

So cute....and delicious....
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia.

I'm sorry you always have to see food in its half-eaten state. I think it give it a "weathered" look.

Jealous? You should be.

A family of models.

Sadly, the next morning Uncle Danny was heading back to the U.S. I think the Ireland bug bit him before he left, though, so I'm sure he'll be back. And, no, his hotel did not have bedbugs. I'm just saying, it would be super fun if he could come for another visit with Kim...Hintity hint hint, Uncle Dan.

The next day, we finished up our breakfasts and headed out to Trinity College. Katie had been there a couple days before and wasn't that impressed. I enjoyed looking around, but I didn't find it to be as spectacular as everyone had led on. Given, we did not go to look at the library and the Book of Kells, but the Trinity buildings definitely reminded me of an American university. I can't exactly remember which one I am thinking of because my mom and I visited around 50 schools, and some of them have started to blur together, but we have some beautiful universities too.

You're not allowed on the grass. I guess that means no college kids playing frisbee. Sad.

From there we walked over to St. Stephen's Green. It is quite the lovely park. I kept picturing it with women in petticoats and parasols and men with suits and top hats (very A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte), but, alas, just people in jeans and Abercrombie. I had also heard about another little park that was better than St. Stephen's and less crowded called the Iveagh Gardens. I'm sure these normally would have been super nice in the spring, but while we were there it was like a cemetery for plants.

No, this isn't a photograph I took, shockingly enough.
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.

The Muffin Man lives here.

Both Kate and I had read about this place called Cake Cafe, which I think is a stupid name and so I will from here on out be calling it Cake Baby after "Bridesmaids."  We quite literally found ourselves walking down an alleyway to find Cake Baby. Then, out of the blue, instead of being garage doors with the paint peeling off and graffiti there was a gateway that led into a small courtyard with tables and mosaic-lined walls. It was definitely a very odd location; it would be as if someone dropped a Build-A-Bear into the middle of the Camden ghetto. Besides the strange placement of the establishment it was very pleasant. They had many wonderful desserts placed out on the counter for you to gawk at before ordering. They also had a massive list of teas that took forever to choose between.

Once done our satisfying tea and crumpet session it was back to Temple Bar to check out Porterhouse Brewery because Katie is classy and enjoys trying fancy beers. Since Katie was sick we had a good time trying to share the glasses without me becoming infected with her ebola-like virus. Once the danger had safely passed we went back to the B & B crash for a bit.

Big Bean has been going through exotic food withdrawal since being in France, and she was craving some Thai food (specifically Pad Thai), so, to appease her, for dinner we went to a place called Thai Orchid. I don't know if I've ever had exclusively Thai food before. I always go to sketchy places that are kind of like a free-for-all under the all-encompassing title of "Asian." For my first actual Thai meal I got stir fry with chicken in oyster sauce. Yummers.

Stay tuned for what happens when Strange Bird and I go to Galway...