Camera in One Hand, Binoculars in the Other

Surprise, surprise.  Zero updates, zero words written during three and a half days in Ibiza.  Shocking?  Hardly.  The White Island surpassed my expectations, as fantastical they were.  The only cost (besides a massive pummeling of my bank account) was sleep.  Save the solid five hours I caught on the ferry to Barcelona, I looked forward to a bed and hopefully some air conditioning to get some real sleep.  First two things encountered in Saint Jorgi Sagrada Familia hostel in Barcelona:  locals and front desk personnel drinking cervezas and juggling a soccer ball; chants from the kitchen, "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! FRESHMAN! FRESHMAN!"

I shot Tyler a look of distress and shook my head in fear.  We will not be taking part in this.  I need to sleep.

Before I attempt to explain the tantalizing mental and physical serenity that Ibiza provided me, I left off in Dublin...

August 18 - our first full day in Dublin.  How does one embrace it?  Start off by hitting some tourist traps.  So as to avoid them later, of course.  With a camera in one hand, binoculars in the other, one could hardly tell I wasn´t just any visitor.

Gogarty´s provides breakfast for its visitors.  So clutch.  They recognize the budget, they can see the hunger emanating through dreary eyes and deep breaths, they know that backpack weighs a lot.  So, what do they do?  They provide Corn Flakes, grits, apples, oranges, toast with jam and butter, milk, coffee, juice, a table to eat at, and company to converse with.  Bowman, Markus, Sina and I ate our share, if not more, of this culinary charity and prepared for the day.  As Sina led Markus to the shops for some last day shopping, I managed to drag Tyler to not one, but TWO museums, and a college campus.  He wasn´t exactly kicking and screaming; the day before, I noted that the National Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Archaeology and History were within two blocks of each other.  I think he recognized the solemn, if not nerdy, glare on my face that said, "get ready to take advantage of some free entry," followed by an eyebrow raise.

En route we saw Oscar Wilde´s childhood house.  I took a photo with his memorial statue.  He and I definitely would have gotten along in real life.

For those of you who may be unawares, I am interested in a multitude of academic disciplines.  What up, Bachelor of Arts degree hanging above my desk.  I was eager to see these museums not only to learn about their exhibits and specimens, but to compare them to other such institutions I have been blessed to frequent throughout the world.  Our first stop was the Museum of Natural History.  A ´cabinet-style´ museum built in 1856 to house the Royal Dublin Society´s collections, it reminded me of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo wherein the entire space was saturated with specimens.  I nodded approvingly.  I also quickly compared it to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS), where I have had the pleasure of volunteering in the past.  DMNS boasts the most well-produced and realisitic dioramas in the United States and, from my experience, the world.  These fish tank scenes did not hold a candle to those of Denver, though the puffins were well done.  The sheer quantity of specimens, however, was breathtaking.  After scanning a few displays, I determined that they were all species found in Ireland.  Separated by animal type (bird, fish, insect, mouse, deer, etc.) and labeled with their common name and Genus species, the collection was impressive.

Before you ask - yes, I took a photo of the ducks.

Slowly, I studied Ireland´s occupants and made my way to the back of the room.  Satisfied by the time I reached the insect cases, Tyler inquired, "next floor?"

Oh?  Another floor?  Yes, please.

Upstairs is the same in length and width as the first floor but with ceilings thrice the height - inundated with specimens to the same degree, but with animals from all over the world.  Yes.  Standout performances include:

• Vampire bat with over a two foot wingspan.  It was dead, and behind glass, but I still felt like Ace Ventura in the cave looking for guano.
• Arrangement of deer, antelope, and moose heads as trophy displays - spanned lengthwise from one end to the other, on two different levels.  Awesome.
• Cat display - lions, tigers, lynx - obviously.
• Human and monkey skeletons positioned side by side - I don´t know if the curator or God decided to present them that way but it sure was interesting.

Overall, given the antiquity of the building and specimens, I was completely on board and was pleased to see it as busy as it was.  I wanted to tell every child in there to stay in school and appreciate all living things... but I didn´t.

Two blocks as the pedestrian walks, or a 3-wood from roof to roof lies the Museum of Archaeology and History.  We are going.  The entrance is beautiful.  Once inside, one can´t help but look up at the domed ceiling and think, Pantheon (I know what it looks like even though I haven´t been... yet).  The room would be better of as an arena for exhibitions rather than a gift shop, but it made sense given the architecture.  The collections were exhibited similar to the Natural History museum - a substantial, two-story open area with specimens throughout.  Showrooms were connected to the mainroom and various staircases led to the upper level.

Hands down, the most interesting collections were:

• Weaponry - the section compared medieval weapons with those of the more modern age.  Chainmail, shields, axes and swords from ancient times stood next to the well-crafted steel blades of yesteryear.
• Vikings in Dublin - Dublin was a crucial post in the Viking´s trade routes, opening the oceans further west towards Iceland, Greenland, and beyond.  They would also head south around Portugal into the Mediterranean.  While there is apparently a mention of Dublin in Roman text, the utilization of the city and the river Liffey is well known in Viking history.
• The Faddan More Psalter - In July 2006, a construction worker uncovered an ancient book while digging in a bog in Faddan More.  The Psalter is a Book of Psalms from the Old Testament, probably written around AD 800.  The cultural and historical significance of this find, coupled with the extremely tedious methods of conservation enacted to ensure its existence was fascinating.

Riding an educational high, we decided to walk back through Trinity College to meet Markus and Sina for our pre-planned tour of the Guinness Storehouse at St. James´ Gate Brewery.  The campus is graceful and calm.  Not difficult to envision myself studying there.  Until I remembered where I had actually studied.  While I have no first hand experience to judge Trinity´s educational prowess, social scene, historical significance, or student life, Occidental wins in my book.

Hunger set in during our stop at Trinity and we were running short on time.  Not more than two blocks from campus we came across a restaurant with a €10 lunch menu.  Sold.  We should have passed.  My fried calamari was decent - all five rings on my plate, the Irish steak was overcooked and tough (not medium), the mashed potatoes were good enough (I would hope so, we´re in IRELAND), and my water glass was bone dry for most of the meal.  Last time I order Irish food from a restaurant called Salamanca.  Don´t call the Irish dish the "house classic" if it´s not, dick.  When in Dublin, don´t go there.

Thanks, once again, to our trusty compass, we made it back to Gogarty´s to meet Markus and Sina to walk to St. James Gate.  This German couple are officially recognized as the first hostel friends of our adventure.  And friends they were.  En route to the Storehouse we discussed memorable travel experiences, learned of each others families, and shared culinary treats from our respective areas.  I will be eating a curry sausage in Hamburg.

The Guinness Storehouse itself is a sight to behold.

*Fun Fact:  In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease for 45 pounds (that´s English currency) a year.  What a steal.

I´ve always enjoyed Guinness; it´s rich flavor and distinct consistency reminds me of sipping from my dad´s beer when I was a lad.  Guinness and Duvel.  I distinctly remember those bottles in the garage refrigerator next to my Gatorades and Otter-Pops.  We had prints of the classic "My Goodness, My Guinness" and "Guinness Is Good For You" advertisements in the stairwell leading to my childhood basement.  The tour of the Storehouse enhanced my appreciation for the beverage.  It is designed to establish a sense of the drink´s history, the years of committment to the original recipe and flavor that transcends generations, and the enduring culture it maintains throughout the world.

Memorable aspects of the Guinness Storehouse:

• Ingredients - an enormous vat of barley, hops branches fifteen feet tall, and a giant waterfall dominated the first room.  The basic building blocks of one of the most distinct beverages in the world.
• Timeline of Brewmasters - the brewing process is an art.  Before they take the tour step-by-step through the brewing clinic, you see a timeline identifying the previous brewmasters.  I think I counted 19 or so, starting with Arthur himself and ending with the current team of scientists.  It illuminated the fact that the position is highly regarded in the beer world - they offered me the position at the end of the tour, unfortunately I have other plans for the coming months.
• The Guinness Story - An archive of stories that led to Guinness´ domination of world beer markets.  My personal favorites:
• 1815 - After the battle at Waterloo, one soldier wrote, "When I was sufficiently recovered to take some nourishment, I felt the most extraordinary desire for a glass of Guinness.  Upon expressing my wish to the doctor, he told me I might take a small glass... I thought I had never tasted anything so delightful... I am confident that it contributed more than anything else to the renewal of my strength."
• 1840 - A shipment of Guinness to New York.
• 1869 - "A Little Pint of Guinness History" - The first recorded advertisement in Singapore commemorates the first 138 years.
• 1886 - Guinness becomes the first major brewery to be incorporated as a public company on the London Stock Exchange. It is now the largest brewery in the world with an annual production of 1.2 million barrels.
• 1931 - The S.S. Guinness steamship is launched.
• 1954 - The first "Bottle Drop" promotion. 50,000 numbered and sealed bottles are dropped overboard from ships in various oceans of the world. Finders send the enclosed slip back to Guinness Exports to receive a reply and a memento. Bottles are returned from locations across the world, including Liverpool Docks, the Bahamas, Tahiti, the Azores and Mexico.
• 1976 - Over 7,000,000 glasses of Guinness are downed daily.
• 2001 - Almost two billion pints sold around the world, one billion in Great Britain alone.
• The Gravity Bar - Traditionally, the tour is consummated with a complementary pint.  The Gravity Bar is the tallest point of the Storehouse and provides a 360º view of Dublin complete with descriptions of monuments on the glass to help establish a sense of direction.  The four of us thoroughly enjoyed this experience while mingling with other visitors and taking in the rainy views.  Lorena, the bartender from Colombia poured our drinks and when I asked her how many pints she poured per day, she suggested that the Storehouse gets about 6,000 sightseers a day.  That´s a lot of beer.

After a long day of walking and touring, it was time to return to Gogarty´s.  We stopped by the supermarket en route and picked up some ingredients for pasta and Irish sausages to prepare at the hostel.  While sipping Brahma, a Brazilian beer, we fixed some spaghetti with peppers and sausages.  The Germans introduced us to card game similar to Rummy and we kept them company before seeing them to their bus and off to the airport.  Thank you for the memories, Markus and Sina, see you in Hamburg!  Tyler and I returned to our room to find a new friend.  A local named James, in from the country for the weekend.  He showed us to a new pub down the street where we met another group of Citibank workers out for a night.  They were hilarious.  Gradually feeling the effects of the pints, these colleagues began to bicker about work related issues and their obligation to rise in the morning.  As things slowly dispersed we got to bed around 2 o´clock and prepared for our final day in Dublin.

The Last Hurrah

Intent on not missing a free meal, I awoke early despite the devil on my shoulder telling me to sleep.  Slammed some more corn flakes, orange juice, and toast.  When we got back to the room, James and his mate Karl (the locals from the night before) were just coming to.  James and I began discussing the possibilities for the day, paying no mind to his sleeping friend.

- Dubliner:  Don´t you Americans know about a lie-in?

- Me:  A what?

- Tyler:  A lie-in bed.

- Me:  Oh.  We are lying in bed!

- James:  You´ve got to learn the Irish ways.

The four of us differentiated between American and Irish terms for common phrases for a while before they got up, smoked a cigarette through the window, and sought off to do whatever it is Dubliners do on Saturday mornings.  Tyler and I visited a internet café to respond to some emails and get at the ol´ Facebook.  I desperately wanted to write a post but the greedy pigs were charging €1.00 per thirty minutes and, if you haven´t noticed, these long winded posts would be out of our budget at such a rate.  Props to Saint Jorgi Sagrada Familia hostel for free internet (current location).

The Dublin streets were dirty and crowded; buses were missing pedestrians by inches; it was overcast and muggy.  It was time to get out of the city.  Helena recommended we take the bus to Howth, a forty minute ride to the east of the city with cliffs, flowers, caves, and the ocean.  Without further ado, we grabbed our packs and caught the 31B bus to Howth.  On the way we saw the skyscrapers and traffic transform into quaint homes with small front lawns surrounded by mom-and-pop markets and cafés.  We were riding in a double decker bus - yes, we sat on the top deck ever time - and I was transfixed by the way this thing moved through the streets.  We were hauling ass, barely missing bicyclists; the tree branches on the sidewalks had clearly been trimmed by buses past to fit like a puzzle piece, a few even scraped the windows.  I was laughing out loud at the situation.

Howth is the opposite of Dublin proper.  The soft rain, uncompromised view of the ocean, vivid purple and yellow wild flowers, and steep cliffs were as photogenic as they were therapeutic.  We walked the trails for over an hour before we ran into a family picking wild blackberries from the bushes - somehow we had overlooked this feature of Howth.  This also slowed our roll quite a bit.  Sandals were a bad choice in this scenario as I slipped three times, twice scaling a trail and once trying to reach some succulent looking blackberries some feet off the beaten path.  As it happens, I LOVE blackberries and it was worth it, they were so tasty.  One in particular was possibly the best combination of tart and sweet I´ve tasted in a blackberry.  Howth, I will cherish that taste forever.  After eating probably sixty to seventy blackberries each, we found the cliffs and threw rocks.  Impressive hangtime and solid splashes.  I felt like a kid again.  Along one of the trails was a bench with a sign on it that said, "Sit a while - In Memory of Seamus Beham (1934-2007)".  So we sat, in silence.  It was a classic moment of enjoying the simple things in life, embracing the given moment, and appreciating the path that got you there.  This conjured a smile and it was time to go.

*What We Didn´t Pack = Pedometer.  I can´t even estimate how many miles we had walked up to this point.  The answer is many and more.  It would be interesting to have a true count when this is all said and done because it´s going to be legendary.  Dublin alone was upwards of fifteen and that´s being conservative.  Might still pick one up along the way.

Before catching the bus back we ate at Breshoff Brothers in Howth proper.  Gogarty´s recommended it´s fish and chips.  When we found the place I was skeptical to say the least.  It looked like a fast food joint with a McDonald´s style menu.  Took the plunge anyway to pure satisfaction.  They served us a healthy portion of fresh fish and a grip of chips, doused in vinegar and salt with a side of tartar sauce.  It was so bomb.  So bomb, in fact, that I fell asleep for a minute on the bus back to Dublin.  Howth - thank you.

Back at Gogarty´s, we have new roommates.  Two childhood girlfriends from Seattle.  Graduate students in Seattle and Austin, respectively, Jandice and Trish were ready to party.  Last night in Dublin and we had yet to tie in a real buzz.  Time to get it going.  We cashed in the free drink coupons at Gogarty´s for some Kilkenney pints and got to know our new friends.  This continued after we grabbed some Shephard´s pies for dinner (I got apple and pork, which was delicious) in the form of vodka-tonics in the room.  We then went to a traditional pub with our American friends and the newest member to Room 17, an Aussie girl and her friend from down the hall.  The pub, whose name I have forgotten, was a blast.  The music was the best I had heard in Dublin and everyone was on point and excited about the evening.  One thing though - no one, except for us, was dancing or even tapping their feet to the music.  We were sitting behind and to the right of the stage and I progressively got more and more agitated by this.  Hot Rod almost went Irish on the folk not in our group.  I applauded the musicians and tried to get a rise out of some of the onlookers to no avail.  Wisely, we went to a club before this escalated.  James introduced us to The Kitchen the night before.  Heeding drink specials as I have for the past couple years, the 3 Jager bombs for €10 special did not get past me.  So dancing, Jager, and new friends brought to a close our stay in Dublin.  It was a long one.

6:30 the next morning, Tyler´s alarm goes off.  I´m used to the "harp" tone on my iPhone to wake me up in the mornings.  His sounds like a semi-truck backing up.  He also seems to have no problem sleeping through or simply ignoring this.  It was not a welcome sound after such a short slumber.  We packed the night before, knowing that we had to make moves early to catch our bus-ferry-train ride to Liverpool.  Still tipsy, we left Gogarty´s and put Dublin in our rear view.  On to the next one - Ibiza.  Ít would be a long, painful journey to ge there, but my goodness was it worth it.

Up next:  Dublin to Liverpool, Liverpool to London Gatwick, straight to Ibiza.