Dublin

So we’re in Dublin.

The Romans called Dublin “Hibernia,” the land of eternal winter. Perhaps it’s the work of global warming, but our two days here so far make Dublin seem more like the land of eternal spring. We’ve got blue skies, bright sunshine, and a better climate than we’ve seen in any European city — perfect touring weather.

Consequently, we’re doing a lot of walking. Grafton Street, the pedestrians-only shopping complex, is bustling with Irish and visitors alike. We grab a tasty Thai chicken pizza from the brick ovens at Gotham, a trendy fusion-Italian restaurant, walk that off, and finish up with dinner at one of the Thai joints downtown.

Day 2 is our touring day, so we hop aboard bus 64A and switch to one of the open-top tourist busses for the rest of the day. This allows us to hop-on/hop-off at all the important stops, including the Guiness Brewery.

I know, I know. I’ve written before about hating the Heineken Brewery tour, so most folks will be surprsed to know that Clyde and I zipped up to the top of the seven-story Guiness plant to try a pint or two of the dark-red brew. I love it immediately — it tastes a bit like liquid bread — but Clyde hates the stuff.

Now, we’re on O’Connel Street — the once-trendy, now a bit run-down retail strip just north of the Liffey River. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the Global Internet Cafe, where smiling Irish youths seat you at the terminals and bring you all you can drink at reasonable prices.

Tomorrow, we’re off to countryside … but today, we’re really enjoying everything that the city has to offer. I’m very much at home here on the Emerald Isle.