La fortuna degli irlandesi (The luck of the Irish)

Some conclusions about Dublin (or Ireland in general):

1. The people are so damn friendly.  Seriously.  I was in St Stephen's Green with my friends last Saturday morning, and some guy just came up to us and said "Hey, what do you think of my picture?" and proceeded to show us some pencil sketch he had done.  The best part was, he wasn't even trying to sell it to us - he really just wanted to show it to us.  So we all said, "Wow, cool!" and this guy went on his merry way.  That was it.  And I think this sort of thing, along with all the old men in pubs saying "Cheers" when you leave and people being extremely willing to give you directions, is pretty normal for Ireland.

2.  Life is pretty much one big pub crawl.  And the Guinness really does taste better.  In fact, I think all the beer tasted better.  Perhaps this also has something to do with the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you walk into any Irish pub, but still.

3.  Rugby. is. AWESOME.  I'll say it - rugby trumps football.  We got to watch Ireland stomp Scotland on Saturday afternoon, accompanied by the rest of Dublin (who was out drinking Guinness in their Ireland jerseys to see this go down).  And all of this was even more exciting because now Ireland is in the championship today against Wales and, if they win (the game's in one hour!), it will be the first time since 1949!!!  NB: This last part I learned from the Irish guy, James, I sat next to on my flight.  James actually reminded me of an Irish version of my dad (and he has a daughter named Rachel who just turned 21...WEIRD), except that he was able to give me a history of Irish rugby while also providing me with about 10 bars that I should go to on my visit.  Sorry Dad, as far as I know, your knowledge of Dublin pubs is less extensive.  But I still love you anyway.

4. Whiskey.  Why is it so "masculine"?  We went to the Jameson distillery, enjoyed an informative tour (did you know they import barrels from Kentucky that have already been used for bourbon?  This way the whiskey doesn't pick up the wood taste of a new barrel during maturation) and got a drink at the end (duh).  Our friend Griffen, however, happened to be the only girl at a table of 10 who did the whiskey taste test at the end of the tour (Jameson trumps Johnny Walker and Jack Daniels, apparently).  It was half hilarious, half feminist-infuriating, but overall thoroughly enjoyable to mock her and snap pictures from the sidelines.  All in a loving way, of course.

5.  It's ok to wear a Patagonia and rainboots.  Thank god this is acceptable somewhere outside of America.  On Sunday we took a day trip to Hoath, just a 20 minute train ride outside the city and right on the ocean.  So we spent the whole afternoon hiking along the cliffs - the water was that perfect shade of northern blue, and there were these huge bushes of yellow flowers blooming everywhere (spring! It actually does exist in March!).  It was such a perfect day - and it was such a Watervale day (kind of like doing a European Baldy hike).  And we met even more friendly Irish on our way, most notably the guy with the really cute dog and the family who directed us to - wait for it - the pub at the top of the mountain and end of our hike.  Perfect reward.  Great success.

6.  Europe is so weird with potato chips.  They have the strangest flavors, I sometimes can't believe they exist.  I haven't been updating pictures of this, but I have definitely been keeping track - I think I'll have to compile an album of evidence at the end of the year.  Some winning examples: "Prawn" in England.  "Jambon" in Spain.  Anyway, Ireland's recent addition to the list: Cajun Squirrel.  Someone want to tell me who hires the whacko that agrees to produce this?  I'll just go hurl now.  

7.  I have some incredible friends.  I know the world is smaller now, it's easier to stay in touch, it's easier to travel.  But this past weekend in Dublin, I was just so struck by how lucky I am to have found such down to earth, loving people who, even after distance and time apart and a lot of new experiences in between, are still some of the greatest people I know.  I am loving my year here - I really am.  But it was just so reassuring that even in a strange place and thousands of miles from the Lake Michigan beach, we could all fall so easily into the laid-back rhythm of our friendship.  It can be hard to have friends and family all over the world, so spread out, but it makes your time together even more special and your relationships even stronger.  So for that, I feel really lucky.

Pictures soon!