228 Days to Go!

I just logged into my Norwegian Cruise Lines account to make a payment and saw the big 228 Days to Go! countdown clock! Woo hoo! I can’t wait till our “big” honeymoon. At this point we are planning on a “big” and a “little” honeymoon because without the little I’ll be going back to work the Monday after we get married. No thanks! So we’ll be headed off somewhere for a couple of nights, like a bed and breakfast or something relaxing so we can chill out and enjoy being married I’ll take Monday off then hopefully work at home for the rest of the week. We’ll see how that works out. Then less than a week later we’ll be flying off to Miami! I hope we can take a trip to the Everglades before getting on the Norwegian Pearl for another 7-day Western Caribbean cruise. The Pearl is one of NCL’s Jewel class ships and is bigger and a bit fancier than the Spirit. We actually saw the Pearl anchored next to us when we were in Belize last year! This year we have a balcony cabin right at the back of the ship (aft) so we can hear the wake and get a gorgeous unblocked view from our room. (I don’t think the balcony’s all that big for sitting but we’ll probably be out there a fair amount too!) Last year we saw lots of sea life from the sundeck on the Spirit so I’m hoping we’ll get some great views of animals in the distance from our balcony, too. Also, the Pearl has a fabulous thermal spa with a big hot spa pool and heated ceramic loungers and drinks you can sip while you do nothing so one of the very first things we do after boarding will be purchasing spa passes! And our stops this year include:

*Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (NCL’s private island), where we plan to hike over to the lighthouse and the old helicopter pad and see the ruins left over from the days when it was a U.S. military installation. Hopefully we will also have plenty of time for snorkeling.

*Grand Cayman – This British territory is supposed to have some great snorkeling as well, especially with a large stingray population. This one will require some research.

*Ocho Rios, Jamaica – I think hiking the water fall here is a must!

*Our last stop is a return to Cozumel, Mexico which we also visited last year and loved. Cozumel is GREAT especially the little neighborhoods on the inside. It’s a nice place to just walk around once you get past the touristy areas (not that those aren’t a lot of fun – they are!). We loved cooking with Josefina in her home last year but this year I think we’ll just head to Money Bar (or another private beach bar) and do lots of snorkeling. That’s one thing I wish we did a bit more of last year, snorkel (although we did do some in the incredible reefs off Roatan).

WE CAN’T WAIT!

Costa Maya, Mexico

One of the obviously great things about cruising is that you can (briefly) experience a number of cities all in one vacation. The first stop on my first cruise was the little port of Costa Maya, part of the tiny fishing village of Mahahual (also spelled Majahual) at the southern tip of Quintana Roo state, Mexico. We got up early that morning for breakfast on the upper decks and watched as we approached the shore and the Mexican Navy cleared the ship. As soon as we could, we disembarked in a fast-moving line and stepped out onto the long pier to port. Just like that, we were in Mexico!

The Port of Costa Maya

Costa Maya is a little port. Its main centerpiece is a large pool with a swim-up bar and adjacent mock beach with lounge chairs and trees. All around the perimeter are shops selling every touristy trinket you can imagine. Entering one of these stores means an employee will eagerly follow you around telling about the “best prices” he has to offer. Go back outside and you’ll find stores with more practical items as well as deeply discounted gold and gemstone shops. Drugstores sell all kinds of medicines – Viagra, allergy meds, statins, you name it – found only through prescription in the U.S., here for anyone to buy and at massive discounts. The port has been rebuilt after the village was decimated by Hurricane Dean in 2007, but other signs of devastation remain and can be seen everywhere outside of the confines of the port.

The beach at Costa Maya looked rocky with darker sand and random palapas here and there, as well as remains of those in place prior to the hurricane. Little pools are in place as highly inadequate housing for the poor captive dolphins available for swimming excursions.

The Mexican government is very keen on keeping the area secure from drug violence and cartels that reign elsewhere and have deeply affected tourism for many other parts of the country. It is common for vehicles to be stopped at checkpoints entering and exiting the region by the Mexican military and searches conducted. We saw one such search ourselves as we returned to port following our excursion, and troops holding enormous machine guns guarded the exterior of the port. I actually felt safer seeing this. With that said, this doesn’t seem to be a particularly high-crime area of Quintana Roo, but use your common sense as you would with any tourist destination.

The Road to Chacchoben

A big draw of this area for cruise ship visitors and tourists is the proximity to multiple Mayan ruins, and the Costa Maya port even features a giant replica pyramid fountain. After much hemming and hawing I decided on Chacchoben as the ruins we’d visit and we booked a tour with The Native Choice tour company. I am so glad we did. We walked past the main area of the port to a tour bus area and rode comfortably into Mahahual to the Native Choice offices, where we paid cash for the tour and piled into a van with several other Norwegian Spirit cruisers. The ride out to Chacchoben was roughly an hour long. We were given bottled water and our tour guide, a really nice older gentleman (whose name completely escapes me!) who’s native to this area, routinely turned around in the passenger seat to point things out and give us information. The area we drove through was very rural, though it’s hard for me to tell if that’s its general nature or simply that what’s there was demolished by the hurricane. We saw many remains of buildings off the road and very little other vehicle traffic. The only semblance of a traffic jam was a necessary stop to allow a cowboy to finish herding his longhorn cattle across the road. “Look everyone, a real Mexican cowboy!” said our good-humored guide, twisting around in his seat with eyebrows raised.

We passed a fruit stand where the van stopped and our guide purchased two bags of fresh pineapple for the group; one bag plain and one sprinkled with chili powder. I ate the chili variety and was in heaven with the juicy, melt-in-your-mouth fruit and slight spike of heat. Nearby, young schoolgirls in uniform skipped down a dirt road, books in hand.

On Sacred Ground

Finally we came to the entrance to the ruins, not far from Chetumal, the state capital. There was a small souvenir and snack shop at the entrance to the jungle trail. After taking a bathroom and refreshment break, we started onto the dirt path to the temples. It was very hot but there were many trees to provide shade. I was thankful for my sneakers, capri workout pants and wide-brimmed floppy hat. In no time at all, we reached the first of the restored Mayan temples, which we’d already seen towering above the trees. It was magnificent to see up close. It was adjacent to another ruin that hadn’t been unearthed yet, but you could see the bricks spilling out of it.

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. He gave us all kinds of history, lore, trivia, you name it. He was obviously well-versed in the history, culture, and flora and fauna of the surrounding jungles. (We did not meet with any jungle animals save a couple of small jumping spiders.) Listening to our guide speak was fascinating. He also had no problem leaving us time to look around each ruin on our own, and offered to take pictures for multiple people. There were many things to see. We couldn’t climb all the way up most of the temples, but some had a mid-way point marked by a white string at which we could stop and pose for the photos. Following our lengthy tour, we hiked back to the entry point where we were given time for a rest stop and any purchases, and then it was back in the van and off down the road for lunch and a refreshing swim!

The Lake of the Seven Colors (Bacalar Lagoon)

What a peaceful, quiet place for our tour to end. After a rickety and bouncy ride through windy dirt roads in the jungle, we arrived at a small, clean, new resort overlooking many sparkling shades of blue. This was the Lake of the Seven Colors, aptly named for its shimmering hues. Here we entered a restaurant where we found our lunch was ready for us. We also had our choice of two drinks as part of the tour. I ordered a margarita and a pina colada and both were delicious, yet weakly made. As I was looking to stay hydrated in the heat, I didn’t mind. The food was warming and incredible – warm tortillas, a pyramid of rice, refried beans with tortilla chips, sliced, cooked carrots, and a pile of shredded chicken. We ate our meal overlooking the water and feeling the breeze through the open window. We were joined by another couple about our age from Chicago, Sarah and Josh, whom we’d continue to run into and hang out with throughout the cruise.

Following our meal, we headed out to a cabana overlooking the water. Sarah and Josh chose to kayak while Eric and I dropped right into the lagoon, which had the temperature of bath water. The colors of the sky and sea matched as we floated around. We examined the lagoon’s rocky bottom for any sign of life, but only saw a few mucky plants waving among the limestone. After a while, we lay back on the chaise lounges of the cabana to dry off and relax. Our guide helped people into their kayaks, spoke with some children, and kept track of time for us. He wasn’t just a tour guide, he was a sweetheart!

The Village of Mahahual

After leaving Bacalar, our guide found we still had time available for a quick trip through Mahahual. Our driver took us all around the village where we saw much evidence of the hurricane’s devastation. The remains of buildings stood in huge empty wide fields with trash scattered about. Little shops were open here and there, with people busily working and greeting one another. We also passed the local school. The ocean gleamed in the distance. I saw a donkey ambling around. Eric was able to see inside one shop where a cat sat upright, both front paws on the counter, right next to the shopkeeper who held the same pose! (Which one is really running the store?)

I could not have been happier with our first day in Mexico. I highly recommend The Native Choice tours. Everyone we met was sweet, patient and accommodating. Our guide was excellent at keeping our group on track and on time. Our tour was called Chacchoben Extreme Tour, which includes the visit to the lagoon. There are also many other tours of this area available. I’d love to come back and take another!

Here are a few of the many pictures from this portion of our trip.

Waiting patiently for cattle to cross.

Here we are at the foot of one of the Chacchoben temples.

Our tableside view of the lagoon and tiny resort at Bacalar

Our delightful lunch!

If you go: Bring a beach towel, change of clothes, good walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, water shoes (such as Speedo) or Tevas for the rocky lagoon bottom, any extra water, camera (keeping in mind that the lagoon is rather foggy for underwater pictures), and cash (USD is fine) – for souvenirs as well as tips for your hard-working tour guide and driver!

“All we need is just a little patience”

I received word from NCL that they have cancelled a number of cruises to the Mediterranean region due to “continued political unrest”, which includes our planned 10-day stint on the Norwegian Jade. The cruise would have left from Rome and ventured to a couple of ports in Greece, a port in Turkey, and two wonderful days in Alexandria, Egypt. I had also planned to take an escorted private flight from Alexandria to Cairo/Luxor, which was something offered by NCL as part of a fabulous overnight tour. Now I’m left with three options and the first two involve transferring the booking to another cruise. The third? Do nothing and just have the deposit refunded. We plan to take the money back and see what we feel like doing with it in the future. On the one hand, I’m really excited to plan another vacation. On the other hand … booooo, I wanted my Mediterranean cruise! Now I can’t help but paw through numerous travel brochures looking for other exotic trips – a nicely discounted repositioning cruise that leaves from Dubai and ends up in Rome has really got me salivating – but I understand Eric’s viewpoint, to just wait and see. Maybe as we get closer, we can take the same trip either later on, or on a different cruise line. (We really can’t wait too much past February – the heat in Egypt will not be bearable.) I have all kinds of travel dreams, but some will probably have to wait till I am retired (hi, Antarctica!) much to my great consternation. I have the worst case of wanderlust, I swear. I try to be patient, but it’s hard.

On a separate note about the cruise, I noticed NCL did NOT cancel cruises to that same region that take place this fall. So, I suspect the real reason for the cancellations is that since people have become more skittish about traveling to Egypt, the staterooms NCL would expect to have booked by now on the Jade remain empty. It’s really too bad. The travel advisory to Egypt has been lifted by the Department of State, and when it was in place, NCL simply docked at Istanbul instead.

I hit the gym last night and tore up that elliptical. I was mad about something earlier so it was good to release that energy … also good because I slipped and ordered two Domino’s pizzas Monday, and then ate a McDonald’s value meal on the way to the office today. I was in a rush and disobeyed my trainer’s instructions for my diet. Groaaaaan. One of the funny things about this whole gym deal is it’s pushing me to finally join the 21st century and buy an iPod. I’m thinking I’ll get a little Shuffle and then dressing it in these Mix Monsters cases. Currently I just read a fitness magazine or watch something on TV while I use the elliptical. The other funny thing is that I’m considering going to the gym in the early morning rather than in the evening after work. That way I can spend more time with Eric, who goes to bed around 9:30 or 10 PM now!

Looking forward to the weekend …

Baby’s First Cruise

I have never been on an overnight cruise, but I’m about to try one out this coming March-April. Eric and I will be on a Western Caribbean 7-day cruise on the Norwegian Spirit. This was kind of a rough year financially, so I’m proud that we saved up the money to do this. I’m not very good at saving, so now I feel inspired to save for other things I/we want – namely, a home down payment that we hope to put to good use in 5 (or more) years. If we dig this cruise, we just may become one of “those couples” that cruises every single year! After all, there are some rather inexpensive ones out there. Some leave right from our local port of Baltimore, and others are simple weekend cruises that will allow you a chance to “get away from it all” without taking any leave or spending too much.

Here are our ports for this cruise:

Origin: New Orleans

Gimme gimme gimme that New Orleans soul. I haven’t been there since my first stay of little over a week (June 2007) when I added it to my list of cities that will never leave my heart! The food and drink are to die for and there’s no shortage of things to do and see. Just thinkin’ about some jambalaya and a mojito at Pat O’Brien’s makes my mouth water. I can’t wait to introduce Eric to all of this. We plan to stay the night before we leave port so that we have some time to enjoy ourselves. If you’re looking for a great city to spend a long weekend in, or even just a weekend, get thee to the Crescent City!

Costa Maya, Mexico

Everything I’ve read indicates this is a smaller port, in Quintana Roo state. There are many Mayan ruins to explore here. We have an excursion to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins with The Native Choice.

Belize City

Here we have a cave tubing excursion planned with cave-tubing.com which came highly recommended by many experienced travelers on the Cruise Critic boards.

Roatan, Honduras

Roatan is the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands. Often touted as an excellent spot for snorkeling and scuba diving, it is home to Barefoot Divers which offers shallow water beginners’ lessons. I would love to learn to scuba – my sister is an accomplished certified diver – and so would Eric, so we are considering booking lessons with them. We may choose to learn scuba in Cozumel instead.

Cozumel, Mexico

This is one city that I’d heard much about over the years and is famous for many things. We are considering a day trip to Xcaret, an ecological park, or a catamaran tour out into the ocean where we can snorkel and just relax on the beach before heading back toward the U.S. Scuba diving beginner lessons are cheaper here, but only go to 25 feet.

One thing I haven’t considered is whether or not I need to get pesos, etc. out at the airport, or if most of the businesses in these touristy ports will take USD. Another question I’ll need to answer is whether or not one can access public beaches at these ports should we feel like swimming following our non-beach excursions. As you can see, I’m completely ignorant when it comes to cruises, but doing the research is a lot of fun.

Have you been to any of these ports or even on this same cruise? Do you have any tips for a first-time cruiser like me?

A Brief Stay in Luxembourg

One of the few downsides to traveling is that I spend many days back home daydreaming that I am in those places I’ve long since left behind, such as … Luxembourg! Yes, Luxembourg, that tiny nation nestled between Belgium, France, and Germany. It charmed me in a way I was not expecting. Now I wish I could board my private jet, a la Doris Buffett, at any time I needed a little peace and quiet. I would zip off to spend a long weekend writing in the countryside of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Here’s what I found there on my first visit, which was the second stop on a road trip I took from the Netherlands a little more than a year ago.

Luxembourg’s citizens are very well educated; their literacy rate is at 100 percent. The three official languages of Luxembourg are German, French, and the native language, Luxembourgish – and school children are raised to be fluent in all three languages. The country is filled with family-owned farms, wineries, and ancient castles and forts. It is the home of light, refreshing beer Bofferding. (I found a Bofferding glass abandoned in the street that I washed and took home!) Luxembourg enjoys a very stable economy; in fact, as of 2009, it was the richest country in the world (using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita data). (This Wikipedia page cites the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, both of which put Luxembourg at #1 for 2009. The CIA World Factbook placed Luxembourg at #3 behind Lichtenstein and Qatar, but used estimates from various years for each nation.)

We arrived in Luxembourg City from Brussels and headed through the bumpy roads and narrow streets. I noticed that we appeared to be in some sort of valley with mountains, forests, and castles rising on all sides. We drove around and around until we reached our hostel, which was large and sparkling clean. Our hostel stood in the shadow of a tall train bridge. To get to the city proper, we had to climb a very steep hill next to the bridge. How my friend did this in flats, I’m not so sure. It was worth it … just look at these gorgeous views. You can see why the national motto is: “Mir welle bleiwe wat mir sinn” (“We want to remain how we are”) … the buildings all retain their original beauty.

View of the valley from a pedestrian bridge. Photo by Leigh Lenis.

Here is the bridge that went over our hostel! Photo by Leigh Lenis.

Sadly, the ancient fortress we could see looming above the valley is only available for underground tours during the summertime. It was first built in the 900s!

This is Bock Rock, part of "The Gibraltar of the North", whose casemates (underground tunnels) stretch 24 miles or more under the city.

I believe this preserved sculpture of St. Michael has been at St. Michael's Church at least since the 1600s. The colors of Luxembourg's flag appear beneath.

Luxembourg’s head of state is Grand Duke Henri Albert Gabriel Félix Marie Guillaume, who resides in the Grand Ducal Palace with his wife and family. The heir apparent to the crown is his eldest son Guillaume, who is about my age (29). And according to the tabloid OK!, younger brother Felix is one of the “near-perfect princes still up for grabs”! Hopefully he enjoys a more private, paparazzi-free life than Prince William and Kate Middleton currently do.

I chuckled when I saw this page at the supermarket ogling unattached royals! Click to enlarge!

The palace is lovely and we could walk so close to it that I probably could’ve leaned over and touched it! It was rainy and cold and as we walked by, the Grand Duke himself saw us shivering and invited us inside, where we had tea with him and his wife, the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa … Oops, there goes my imagination again!

A royal guard marches in front of the Grand Ducal Palace. Photo by Leigh Lenis.

The city was quiet on this rainy, chilly weekday. We ventured across a large square where there were several bistros and bars and more people. Dinner was at Bananas bar, which was adjacent to another Chi-Chi’s restaurant! You’ll recall I saw one in Belgium too! The bar was decked out in awesome old signs and ads. I had the Taz LuxemBurger (“Does this place look like Hamburg ???” asked the menu) with Arrabia’taz sauce (a play on the Italian Arrabbiata sauce – garlic, tomatoes, and chili pepper) and it was exactly the kind of warm filling meal I wanted. Then we spent the rest of the night drinking Bofferding!

Bananas Bar in Luxembourg! Photo by Leigh Lenis.

On our way out we stopped to get gas, and suddenly heard a siren. The police car that sped by was a BMW with neon orange markings! Here’s a user-submitted picture at Wikimedia Commons of a similar one. Man, think how unsuccessful all those speed traps would be on I-81 with these guys trying to hide in the bushes.

We left Luxembourg after a filling hostel breakfast with some really delicious baked bread. We listened to a free 2-CD set the hostel offered, which had pop, metal, and hip-hop tracks by various Luxembourgian artists. I loved it! We didn’t love the roads though. Leigh’s GPS led us through the countryside on our way to Koln (Cologne), Germany, where we seemed to forever be stuck on roads that looked like THIS:

Meanwhile, every other driver whizzed right past us about 80 mph. No joke.

Poor Leigh was not a fan! As we found ourselves traveling through an extremely rural area full of farmland and wind turbines, Leigh became concerned that the GPS had lead us astray. We pulled over in the first small village we found, but there was nobody around! We made it to Germany, but not until more hours on the road than we’d bargained for!

It’s true there wasn’t a whole lot to do in the city. This is not a tourist mecca, but it has many wonderful things to offer and is a true place of beauty. Things I’d like to see on my next relaxing visit to Luxembourg include the Valley of the Seven Castles, the wineries, and of course, a tour of the casemates! Visit in the summer to get the most out of your stay.

A Brief Stay in Brussels

While visiting friends in the Netherlands last November (my second trip there, or third if you want to get technical), we decided to hit the road for a brief tour of three neighboring countries. The first of these was Belgium. We headed straight for Brussels. We would be there for just two days and one night. So, from that point of view, here are the things I think you should absolutely make a point to see if you, too, have just a little time in this gorgeous city.

Entering the Kingdom of Belgium in Leigh’s Clio, I noticed signs in both French and Dutch. The three official languages in Belgium are Dutch (often called Flemish in Belgium, and considered a Dutch variant), French, and German, which is prevalent in a smaller area of the country. Many other languages are used in different parts of Belgium, too. I noticed the sugar packets and napkins in one restaurant had words on them in five languages, whereas a typical street sign in the city displayed both French and Dutch. As we entered and exited Belgium, it was more common to see one language or the other on street and highway signs. You can read a little bit more about some of these languages, and view a map of the country at the BBC’s Languages Across Europe page on Belgium.

We checked in to the Hotel van Belle, which was a good deal and not too far a walk from the city’s main attractions. Our room had a big bathroom with packets (not bottles) of body wash and shampoo. Three twin beds filled the somewhat cramped main room and a very small TV sat on top of the dresser, but we couldn’t have cared less about that. If you are looking for a less expensive hotel or hostel in a foreign city, I recommend you just keep security, cleanliness, and location in mind, in that order. You’ll save yourself a boatload of dough, and chances are you won’t even miss the “extras.” After all, you’re not planning on staying in your hotel room the whole time, are you? You may also want to research if the hotel or hostel offers any meals. What the Hotel van Belle lacked in luxurious guest rooms, it more than made up for with comfy, nicely decorated lounges and a huge free breakfast buffet. As I’ve found that most morning meals in this area of Europe are primarily bread and coffee, sometimes with meat or cheese slices, I was overjoyed to see eggs, bacon, cereal, and sausage patties included. And true to form with all of the Belgian chocolate we sampled, even the hot chocolate out of the machine was very rich. I would recommend this hotel any time for someone looking for a comfortable night’s stay.

Our room at Hotel van Belle. Another twin bed (out of frame) is to the right.

Brussels is well-revered abroad for many things, and it’s my humble opinion that you should make a point to sample all of them.

Belgian lace shops line the streets. Delicate shawls, bookmarks, and wall hangings are made in the back of each shop. I have a Belgian bookmark, but of course I can’t find it. It’s no doubt stuck in the middle of any one of thousands of books jammed in my shelves. So, I’ll provide you with this link to examples of Belgian lace at the Manufacture Belge de Dentelles instead.

Belgian waffles are carried around in your hands and can be eaten with rich toppings like chocolate syrup, Nutella, and strawberries. The Waffle Shop provides a fork with a serrated tine so that you can easily cut and eat your waffle while walking around.

Leigh, me, and Eric showing off our waffles!

The famous Belgian beer absolutely should be tasted by any beer fan who visits this city! Some restaurants offer “tasting specials” where several varieties can be sampled for a flat rate. We ate our dinner at a restaurant called Drug Opera where we drank something called Kwak. It comes in a specialty glass in a wooden holder, and makes a “quack” noise when the beer gets to a certain level and passes from the bottom to the mouth of the glass.

Kwak, a fine beer in a curious holder.

(Drug Opera offered the French sandwich Croque Monsieur, so I ordered one of those. Yes, I ordered in French.)

And, of course, Belgian chocolates! They are every bit as good as you can imagine. They are handmade in the boutiques, most of which include towering chocolate fountains in the windows. They are kept on display in refrigerated glass cases. They are so rich with butter and cream that they spoil in a couple of days if left uneaten (which I seriously doubt happens often). Trays of complimentary samples can be found in most boutiques. Pre-packaged chocolates, such as dark chocolate truffles, are also available for your flight home.

Chocopolis is one well-known store. Photo by Leigh Lenis.

Belgian-style frites … French fries, that is … are fairly well-known. I have eaten them often while in Amsterdam. They come in cones, making it easy for you to top them with condiments such as curried ketchup or mayonnaise. I didn’t eat any here, but it’s something to keep in mind if you would like to take a fast food tour of Brussels!

Speaking of food – we also saw a rare Chi-Chi’s Mexican restaurant in town! Chi-Chi’s was once a very popular Mexican restaurant chain in America. It filed bankruptcy and shut down following an E. Coli outbreak at a Pennsylvania franchise. (This left many abandoned Chi-Chi’s buildings dotting the landscape … check out the blog Creepy Abandoned Chi-Chis!) Chi-Chi’s still exists overseas, and as a brand of packaged foods in the U.S. We also saw a Chi-Chi’s in Luxembourg City. I would’ve loved to eat at Chi-Chi’s for the first time in many years, but with so little time to visit these countries I did not want to eat any meals that were not as reflective of the surrounding culture as possible.

I was also completely surprised to see a corner grocery store called Delhaize with the easily recognizable American Food Lion logo on the sign! I pointed it out to Eric, who worked at the Blacksburg Food Lion for several years, and he remembered that Food Lion’s parent company is Delhaize. It turns out it was founded in Belgium. We took a picture of it to send to an old coworker of his, but sadly, it was accidentally deleted

What is this French fry doing? And why is he so happy about it?

If you are wondering what the fry shop sign above is all about – maybe you’re not even sure what you are looking at – here’s the explanation: Mannekin Pis!

The famous Mannequin Pis. Photo by Eric Mercado

He’s the highly treasured statue of a little boy urinating. He is usually covered up with a costume of some sort (Santa Claus for Christmas, etc.), but we caught him on a rare day that he was not. I’m kind of sad we didn’t get to see him decked out for the holidays, but on the other hand, we can say we saw him in his original form! He has been in Brussels since the 1600s, although he’s been kidnapped a few times. Imitations of this statue can be found in many other places. I was surprised to see how small he is up close. When Leigh described it to me, I somehow had an image of a statue bigger and taller than we are, yet he’s only about a foot high.

Eric and I hoping to bring home some good luck with us from Brussels! Photo by Leigh Lenis.

Not far from Manneken Pis is this statue of Everard ‘t Serclaes, who successfully drove the invading Flemish count from the city in the 14th century. He was later assassinated. It is said that visitors should touch this statue for good luck. I have to say my luck has been quite nice since I did this!

The square of the city is called Grand Place and has a rich history. It is one of those rare manmade places that is so beautiful that you may be struck dumb when you see it. I certainly was. The architecture literally took my breath away, and of course my speech for a good few minutes – a rare event, if I do say so myself.

This is the beautiful Brussels town hall at Grand Place. Photo by Leigh Lenis.

Look at the detail on this little St. Michael, over 300 feet above our heads on the spire of the town hall. Photo by Leigh Lenis.

Flower markets in the foreground of another stunning Grand Place building.

Those are my recommendations for Brussels. Have you been to Brussels or any other part of Belgium? If so, what are your stories and suggestions?

Young in Dublin – Day 4

It was another overcast day in Dublin, and rainy at times. We woke up, ate breakfast, and bumbled around outside. I was excited to see the Dublin Writers Museum that day. Since I still lived in Blacksburg, I couldn’t wait to tell one of my favorite English professors all about it. Once inside the museum, you could don headphones and a cassette player and take an audio-guided tour of the rooms. Available for viewing were original possessions of, and other artifacts related to, famous Irish authors and poets like James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, and George Bernard Shaw (to name just a few). Taking the audio tour was a fun way to learn more about the history behind the artifacts. In fact, even Crystal, who hadn’t been expecting to like the museum all that much, later said she had a good time and really enjoyed the audio tour. I’m thinking I will look into available audio tours the next time I visit an art museum – I might stay longer than just a couple of hours that way.

Dublin Writers Museum is fairly small. It's located to the left of this cathedral.

The highlight of the evening was coming up fast … the Guinness Storehouse museum at St. James’s Gate! I was so excited it was hard for me to take our afternoon nap. With all the clubbing we’d been doing, none of us had gotten anything resembling a full night’s sleep the entire time, so we usually found ourselves crashing for roughly an hour every afternoon. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see pints of Guinness dancing … needless to say, I’m a fan.

We set out to get to St James’s Gate. It was raining, but the map in my big Frommer’s guide showed that it was only a mile or so down the street from our hostel. I assured my travel sidekicks of the same. Well, we walked, and walked … and finally came to an enormous brick wall with no entrance or sign in sight. We kept following the brick wall, feeling rather like peasants skulking around a castle fortress. We couldn’t even see what was over this towering wall, but it was clear that this was St. James’s Gate. So we kept walking … and walking .. and walking … soon we passed a giant Guinness logo, but there was still no conceivable way to get past the towering brick. My friends began grumbling as it became clear that Frommer’s was right … the brewery WAS just a mile or so away from our hostel … but the entrance definitely wasn’t!

I can’t tell you how long it took us to get all the way around that brick wall, but I believe it was at least another couple of miles. From time to time we would see a gate coming up and get excited that we were finally there, only to be disappointed as it proved to be a service entrance only which was most definitely barricaded against the rest of the world. Yet, I have to say the few small glimpses we viewed of the approximately 64 acres of brewery grounds showed quite the operation. Security was everywhere, carefully guarding every visible area (and, I’m sure, every invisible area too). In fact, at times I couldn’t help but be reminded of a military base.

The site does have a very impressive history. According to this Wikipedia page, St. James’s Gate was the Western entrance to the city during the Middle Ages. It later became a series of breweries, all of which could not have turned out anything like the magnificent Guinness we enjoy today. In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the property, and Guinness has been brewed there ever since. Wait, did I say 9,000 year lease? I certainly did! It’s safe to say the Guinness operations aren’t going anywhere.

The Storehouse itself is simply a museum located inside an older building that isn’t used for proper operations anymore. Unless something has changed since we were there (November 2006), visitors are not permitted to view the actual brewing of Guinness or enter the “real” factory. They are, however, treated to a grand museum tour complete with a history of the brewery, Arthur Guinness and family (which still owns over 50 percent of the company today), and information on the four main ingredients – yeast, hops, water, and roasted barley. We saw a big crate of roasted barley with invitations for visitors to sample it, which I did. It was very tasty and crunchy and would make a good snack. I kid you not. I think my friends disagreed with me on that one.

At the end of the tour, we went to the Gravity Bar at the top of the storehouse. The Gravity Bar has a 360-degree view of Dublin and a lounge-like atmosphere. We handed the tokens we’d been given to the bartender, who snapped the plastic rings off the bottom and gave us drinks in return. (Visitors have a choice between a pint of Guinness and a non-alcoholic beverage.) We got to keep our tokens, which look like large plastic pebbles and have a drop of Guinness preserved on the inside. I think I should note that Beth, Leigh, and Crystal are not beer fans, whereas I adore beer and Guinness especially. Crystal ordered a Sprite, but Leigh and Beth went ahead and got Guinness. Beth made a horrible face after tasting hers, and so clearly, I had no choice but to finish it for her. Leigh bravely drained hers. I full enjoyed the luscious creamy taste of my pint!

Toasting a successful trip at Gravity Bar!

We went back to the hostel and talked to two of the hostel employees about things we had seen. They approved of many of our choices, but were appalled that we had been eating Abrakebabra. They also wrinkled their noses at Copper Face Jacks. One of them even said, “No self-respecting Irishman would go to Copper Face Jacks!” Ouch. They recommended a couple of other places for us to go out to that night. We ambled around and passed a place called Voodoo where I saw a huge line of people waiting to see The Killers, a famous American rock band. Their second album had just come out and I couldn’t believe we had no idea they were playing in Dublin. Eh! We wound up at Ri-Ra again and this time it was definitely more crowded. We had a blast. We came back for just a couple of hours of sleep before catching our flights back home. A pack of British kids had just checked in to our room and they stayed up a good deal of the night babbling back and forth and making fun of one of their friends who was snoring. I couldn’t sleep (even after I asked them to shut it) and so I wandered downstairs and chatted with a hostel employee for a bit.

Spotted on a utility van on the way to the airport! Photo by Crystal Smith.

We had to get up early the next morning. I mean, I remember it as early but I have no idea if it actually was. Leigh flew back to the Netherlands, of course. The rest of us had quite the wait to get through security to our gate. All I can say is that the security people at Dublin International are so not playing around. I laughed when they massaged my feet to check for explosives because it tickled. We flew on Lufthansa Airlines to Frankfurt. I saw some U.S. military families being reunited at the airport which was quite moving.

Saying goodbye with Leigh at Dublin International.

Writing these entries has made me realize we missed out on a lot of great pubs that we saw, such as The Brazen Head, which is said to be the oldest pub in Dublin. But none of us were particularly well-off at that point, and we all understood that sacrifices are often necessary when traveling. Traveling on a budget means choosing what you are willing to spend the most money on, and having every single meal at a pub just wasn’t in the cards for us. We definitely did enjoy some of the famed watering holes, and I don’t regret having only a few days to enjoy the city. Some days are better than no days, my friends.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

Goodbye, Ireland! Photo by Crystal Smith.

Young in Dublin – Day 3

On our third day in Dublin, we got up super early. I am notorious for sleeping in very late, but even I can be roused out of bed if it means doing something fun … really fun. The smells of breakfast wafting up the giant staircase from the first floor helped a little, too. The thought of taking another shower in the little shared stalls didn’t, but what can you do? The hostel breakfast buffet was tasty and very filling. Many European hostels/hotels I’ve stayed in contained the same basic breakfast of cheese, meat, and bread, so it was nice to have something with a lot of variety.

We decided that on this day, we’d make it a point to see some of the historic sights we’d outlined in my big Frommer’s guidebook (which I hauled around everywhere, by the way).

One thing you’re guaranteed to see plenty of in Dublin is cathedrals – really beautiful ones, at that. Being that I only had a horrible, cheap little Panasonic 35mm with me, I wasn’t too eager to take pictures. The camera kept opening up randomly, exposing my film to light and ruining most of my photos. So, I repeatedly asked Crystal to capture the cathedrals that we passed. Since she is an exceedingly good-natured person, she was happy to do so! Thanks Crystal! Here are a couple that she caught:

Somewhere around O'Connell Street. I love the Christmas star.

Not sure where this one is located.

We were all eager to see Dublin Castle. I couldn’t believe it when we got there and saw that this ancient relic (first built in 1230) was sitting right in the middle of a parking lot! It was surrounded by modern buildings and businesses all around, although of course it wasn’t completely closed in. The building itself is very well-preserved, with at least one medieval tower still intact. I think this is a good example of how Dublin is a very modern city that still retains its historic pride even in the face of change.

Dublin Castle. Photo by Crystal Smith.

After Dublin Castle, it was on to Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592. We had hoped to see the famous Book of Kells, which contains the Four Gospels and dates from the early 8th century! We were very sad to arrive at the Trinity College Library and find that the Book would not be on display in time for us to see it; it was off for routine upkeep of some kind.

The Campanile (bell tower) at Parliament Square, Trinity College Dublin, with students in foreground.

The emerald green grass of Dublin on Trinity College campus.

After walking around campus trying to blend in with students, it was time for some lunch! We found a little place called Cafe Sol right around the corner from the campus. It appears to be a small Irish chain. We stopped there again the following day. Each day I would purchase an Irish Times newspaper from the friendly staff along with my meal. It happened to be Thanksgiving back home in America, so to commemorate the occasion Crystal ate a HUGE cranberry, turkey, and stuffing sandwich! I had a giant brie, ham, and mustard sandwich. (Remember how I was telling you about the big deli sandwiches at Cafe Kylemore that we saw on Day 2?) My appetite was way bigger back then, at 25 years old, but I could still only eat half of it – although I managed to polish off a drink (my favorite Coke Light – WAY better than American Diet Coke), yogurt, and chips too!

L-R: Crystal, Leigh, myself, Beth. Photo by some nice Cafe Sol employee.

Next, we decided to visit the National Gallery of Ireland, just for Beth. None of the rest of us are too crazy about hanging around art museums for hours. I like them, but I’m the type of person who likes to get in, see what I want to see, and get out. After a couple of hours, I get tired and cranky. But we were all on our best behavior so Beth could enjoy herself, and I did see some paintings by Caravaggio, a favorite artist of both Beth’s and mine. Crystal and I saw a painting of Lucretia stabbing herself that was beautiful, however sinister the image. Crystal gestured at it to show it to me and then we stretched out on a big bench right in front of it. A few moments later, a big guard came into the room calling, “Ladies, sit up please!” We sat up and he asked us if we had touched the painting. We said no. He told us the painting’s silent alarm had gone off and gave us a lecture about not getting too close to the artwork as even sudden drafts can trigger it. After he left, Crystal sheepishly admitted she had accidentally brushed the painting with her hand when she pointed it out to me! I was reminded of elementary school field trips where my mother served as an overly patient chaperon to wild kids who kept setting off the alarms at the Smithsonian!

After all of this traipsing around on relatively little sleep, we were ready for another nap. We took one and then set out at night to meet up with Leigh’s friend, Paul, a native Irishman who lived and worked in the city. He was eager to show us some of his favorite spots and first took us to Wagamama, a Japanese noodle bar with locations in Dublin and County Cork. At the time, it was an exclusively European chain; shortly afterwards it became “hip” for U.S. celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher to sport Wagamama T-shirts. Today there are some U.S. locations as well. There was a huge line waiting to get in, but it went quickly. The restaurant itself was a big cafeteria-style room with long tables and stools. Our group sat at the end of one table along with multiple other people we didn’t know. I had a huge bowl of noodles along with some tasty, salty edamame.

Crystal and I using our chopsticks at Wagamama!

Paul cleverly paid the bill for Wagamama when we weren’t looking, then said we could pay him back later. We headed on to a place he frequented called Cafe en Seine – WOW. This splendorous, cavernous pub was full of professionals and executives and boasted gorgeous decorations, including a beautiful ceiling and glass atrium. We spotted a grand piano, numerous busts and sculptures, and tall, living trees. At the same time, it felt very unpretentious and I found myself not caring that I was wearing a sweater, old jeans, and my tried-and-true clunky traveling boots.

With our new friend Paul at Cafe en Seine.

At the end of the night, Paul had to head back home since there was work the next day. We went to split up the check, figuring we’d cover Paul’s Guinnesses since he was so kind to show us around. But he had already gotten the tab! We tried to pay him, but he ran off laughing! What a sneaky, generous man, that Paul.

We went looking for a club and wound up in some giant basement dive. I have no idea what it was called. I think it might’ve been called Shindig, or at least the event was since the word kept flying around a giant screen. I’m going to sound pretty old here, but it was soooo loud, and packed really full so that you could barely even move. The music wasn’t good either, so we left. Paul had mentioned a place called Copper Face Jacks to us earlier. We went in there and it was very lively. It filled up quickly with mostly young people. We met several who said they were teachers or nurses. We danced with a few. Two big dudes got into a fight over who was going to dance with me. (No, I am not making that up!) Crystal and I stayed there the whole night looking after one another and did not have to pay for a single drink all night. I’m not sure I would recommend it to anyone older than we were back then (mid-early 20s). Also, although no one really invaded our space, there were definitely some weirdos there. We had a good time though, and when we left about 30 people waved and yelled “BYE!” On the way back, our feet hurt so Crystal stopped by a police car and tried to get them to give us a ride back to the hostel by pretending we were lost and couldn’t find it. She even said she didn’t know which direction the River Liffey was in, hahaha! They didn’t fall for it.

And that was how we spent Thanksgiving of 2006! Next – our last full day in Dublin with a little bit of everything, including a visit to the place I’d been anticipating the most – the original Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate! Truly a short, whirlwind trip, but I think we got a nice variety of things in!

Young in Dublin – Day 2

On our second day of our whirlwind Dublin trip, we decided to devote most of the day to simply walking around and getting to know the city more. Once another old college friend, Leigh, arrived from her new home in the Netherlands, we’d show her the nightlife. We knew our time in the city was short and didn’t want to waste it, so we were constantly out and about. We felt a little sheepish about sleeping in past the hostel’s free breakfast … but not really. It had been a late night.

We grabbed hot chocolates out of the hostel vending machine and headed outside. It was very, very cold.

L-R: Beth, Crystal, me. In the background, you can see a double-decker bus like the one we rode in on.

We decided to walk across the River Liffey to the McConnell Street area, of which we’d seen little. It wasn’t a terribly long walk and we made the trek several times over the next couple of days. I found the people we encountered very friendly and hospitable. I did not feel at all intimidated strolling around in a city which less than two days prior I’d never seen. This is the thing I love about traveling … how quickly you find yourself in love with new places.

Crossing the bridge over the River Liffey. Four Courts is to the right, out of frame. Behind us is the Custom House, which holds the environmental department, among other things. Photo taken by Leigh Turpyn.

We passed the Four Courts, which is Ireland’s main judiciary building, and which our hostel was named after. Here sits Ireland’s Supreme Court and High Court. The building is said to still have many bullet holes in it from the Irish Civil War in 1916, but we did not notice any. We did, however, see the judges exiting out of the back of the building in their robes.

This is the front of the building, facing the Four Courts hostel.

We walked all around McConnell Street, getting a closer look at those Victorian multicolored doors along the way. I’m sorry to say we don’t have pictures of those to the best of my knowledge. But here is a wonderful article by a Bridget Haggerty about the doors, with pictures and history: Who Was Behind the Doors of Dublin?

Statue of Irish revolutionary Daniel O'Connell, renowned for his non-violent approach, at the south end of McConnell Street. (Look closely to see the bird perched on his head.)

Once on McConnell Street I found myself thankful we’d chosen to visit close to the winter holiday season. All of the storefronts were gaily decorated for Christmas. Burly security guards in long black trenchcoats and matching hats stood outside every store, watching for shoplifters.

The freezing wind was really miserable after a while. It didn’t take much convincing for us to drop in a Butler’s Chocolate Cafe and grab some hot chocolate. I chose the white hot chocolate which was boiling hot (and of course I burned myself) but also very rich and sweet. Butler’s also had boxes of various chocolates including some with honeycombs in them. Mmmm … Butler’s. It was definitely not the last time we went there.

One of the things that you can see from McConnell Street is the fairly new Millenium Spire, more officially known as the Spire of Dublin or the Monument of Light. If you ask a local, you’ll get one of many different risque nicknames for the structure! Part of the reason Anna Livia’s statue was moved from the river was to make way for the Spire. Completed in 2003, it stands at nearly 400 feet. When you get up close, you can see a lighter silver artwork all around the base. I have to say that from a distance it looked like a giant flagpole to me, heh heh. I was especially fascinated to see it up close because the area in which it stands has recent tragic history. From 1809 to 1966, a granite/limestone monument to English viscount Horatio, Lord Nelson stood on the spot. The approximately 170-foot tower, known as Nelson’s Pillar, was very similar to one that can currently be seen in London at Tralfagar Square. The monument was always seen as somewhat controversial, but it was still a surprise when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a bomb that completely destroyed it. Well over three decades later, the Spire is its replacement.

McConnell Street in the daytime. The Spire looms in the distance.

Part of McConnell at night, with the Spire lit up in distance. (Look really hard.) Picture by Martha Lynch.

As night approached, we got a cheap meal at Cafe Kylemore in the O’Connell area. Despite the name, it was really a big bustling cafeteria. We saw lots of tired Christmas shoppers sitting down for a meal. Going through the line, I saw all these huge sandwiches. Um, it’s probably weird that I noticed something like that, but I kept seeing them everywhere – basically like a deli sandwich on regular sliced wheat bread, but with a ton of different fillings stuffed in there all at once. I picked out some stew and burned myself again. It’s not the food’s fault, it’s just me.

We went back to the hostel to wait for Leigh, who made it safely. Yay! She met our other hostel friends and we hung around a bit before we four ladies headed out to find Leigh something to eat for dinner. We wound up at Abrakebabra again! Yeah, yeah – we were all kind of broke and it was the cheapest thing we could find that wasn’t something we could get in America. We wanted to save our dough for more authentic things later!

It was time for some clubbing. First we visited The Globe/Ri-Ra, a little club/pub set-up. As far as I can tell, the big friendly pub upstairs is The Globe and the little club downstairs is Ri-Ra. As it was the middle of the week, there weren’t a ton of people there, but some after-work crowd. We had some beers upstairs (or I did – the other girls don’t like beer, but I was in HEAVEN with all the Guinness!) and then went downstairs after a while to dance. We were amazed that no one tried to really bother us, four ladies who by all appearances were single. People laughed and smiled but all the elements of nightclubs that I hate the most were conspicuously absent. There was an interesting mix of people at the club, from an artsy-nerdy type who did interpretive dances across the floor to a loud bloke doing a chorus line kick and very enthusiastically singing about his beer. By this point I had noticed many, if not most, of the Irish we had seen in the clubs were drinking American beer like Miller and Budweiser.

We took Leigh over to Pal Joey’s after that so she could enjoy the cozy atmosphere. We met some characters there and had a good time. There was a boy who passed out on one of the couches for a good 20 or 30 minutes until the bouncer got annoyed, slapped him awake, and kicked him out. Oh my my.

We had a bit of a long walk back, but it was very memorable. Crowds of young people roamed through the streets shouting and calling to one another. I’m guessing we passed by the Dublin Zoo as I suddenly heard the sounds of wild animals, including a lion roaring. We saw some wild animals of a different sort as we passed two fellas having a loud argument with a third trying to mediate as they yelled “Let’s dance!” at one another. We stopped by a small market where I bought a shepherd’s pie which wasn’t very appetizing. Crystal got me a Turkish Delight candy bar which is also really nasty. (I hear the real stuff is delicious though.) Once again, someone asked me where I was from and was surprised to hear I was American. They thought I just had a slightly-off local accent. Back outside, two drunken dudes ran up acting crazy and silly. They stopped to take a picture with us, then ran away ahead of us, where we saw them erupt into a fistfight that stopped literally three seconds later, then ended with them walking away arm in arm singing. I felt like I was in a much larger version of Blacksburg all of a sudden! How awesome!

Strangers and a Shepherd's pie. Photo by Leigh Turpyn.

And that was the end of Day 2! Coming up next: Day 3 – A sightseeing trip around some of Ireland’s most historic places, followed by an evening with a very kind Irish native.

A note on the pictures: All photos shown were taken by myself, Leigh Turpyn, Beth McKinney, or Crystal Smith. At this point many of the picture files are jumbled and it’s hard to tell who took what! (If it looks like a grainy 35mm, it was probably me – nope, no digital camera back then!) I’ve tried to give credit wherever possible.

Young in Dublin – Day 1

(continued from Dublin: Modern Life of an Ancient City)

It was perhaps a 20 minute ride on our double decker bus from the Dublin International Airport to the Four Courts Hostel, adjacent to the famed Temple Bar area. Crystal and I were long past nursing our bruised egos and fannies from the Heathrow moving sidewalk incident when Beth became the next victim. As the bus hurtled around a corner, her giant suitcase started to slide off the seat next to her. Beth grabbed the handle to hold it back only to fly onto the floor with it in one loud movement. I swear it happened in slow motion. Oh don’t worry, she was okay, and once we realized this, Crystal’s signature loud laughter filled the bus!

We arrived at the huge hostel to find our rooms were not ready. So we placed our luggage in a downstairs storage area and trekked out to find some dinner. One of the first sites I saw as we bumbled around was this boarded-up pub called The Swan, with my family name right over the door! (I can’t figure out if this place is closed for good or not, but I never saw it open while I was in the city.)

Most of the pubs in Dublin feature a family name over the door.

I had read about a small soup restaurant called Soup Dragon, so we walked across the River Liffey bridge nearest our hostel and went in that direction. We were pleased to find a hearty meal of soup (I had cream of spinach) with bread, and seats along a wooden bar facing the street. I also had a flavored Club brand soda, which was flavored by little pieces of orange floating in it. Evening was setting in and we were several hours ahead from the U.S., which we’d left the previous day. By the time we were done eating, jet lag had set in and I was ready to rest my head in my empty bowl!

Back at the hostel, we were assigned to a huge room on the second floor along with multiple other travelers. We passed out in our respective bunks and woke up to find it pitch black outside. We were up just in time for some makin’ merry! We met two German girls in our room who spoke perfect English and chatted with them for a bit. An American backpacker arrived and joined in the conversation about things he had seen across Europe thus far. That is one of the best things about hostels. You are guaranteed to meet many fellow travelers (if you’d prefer). It’s true that many (but not all) of them are aimed at young adults, but they are a cheap way to crash for the night. This hostel took up the space of three buildings and had grand, sweeping staircases, a large common room, and a basement lounge with a pool table, couches, and a TV in the corner.

On this first night in Dublin, a Tuesday, we headed over to the adjacent Temple Bar area. Some of our hostel-mates – a Norwegian and three French – tagged along. Like many cities I’ve seen in Europe, the shops are clustered around pedestrian areas, off the busy highways, and for the most part Dublin is no exception. This leaves plenty of room for walking and for the after-party crowd to cluster in the streets. And while not a weekend, there were plenty of people out that night. We stopped in a crowded, red-painted pub called, aptly enough, The Temple Bar. There was a football (by that I mean European soccer, of course) game on, and the place was jam-packed with fans. We were desperate for some dinner and drinks, so we didn’t stay long. We wound up at nearby Fitzsimons pub, where the crowd was still impressive but seating was indeed available. Our crowd of seven rumpled travelers found a round table up front that barely held us all. I immediately ordered a thick, rich, frothy pint of real Dublin Guinness. Okay, so I ordered several pints! The football game was on a huge screen at the front of the pub, and the entire crowd was completely silent as they watched intently. If I had dropped a pin, you could’ve heard it. I thought that it was the quietest bar I had ever seen! We managed to chat quietly among ourselves and I was interested to hear everyone’s views of America. The Norwegian man sadly explained that no one he knew was fond of our then-President Bush (what a surprise) but that, hey, everyone still loves Americans! A French man had a little too much to drink and giddily started shouting: “I went to New York City! It was fun! Everything there is BIG! BIG BUILDINGS! BIG FOOD! BIG PEOPLE! BIG! BIG!” He was a little crazy, but we got a kick out of him. He was the loudest person in the pub until a goal was scored, then everyone leaped to their feet screaming, shouting, and clapping each other on the back and sloshing pints around. At one point I found myself thrown up in the air without much warning. It was a suitable introduction to the nightlife of Dublin.

I was pleased to find that an indoor smoking ban was in effect throughout Dublin. This was 2006, remember, so they were ahead of the times! I was tempted to feel sorry for all the smokers who had to stand around in the freezing cold outside. Yet it seemed like the insides of the buildings were almost as cold. Only the pubs, with their big roaring fires and the pseudo-warmth of countless pints of Guinness, were toasty. I’ve since returned to Europe for a third jaunt and realized that at least a sizable portion of that continent is just far more energy friendly than us Americans.

Following the football game, a man with a guitar came out to the front of the room and began singing. After that, we went back to the hostel for a game of pool in the lounge. We somehow became acquainted with two Americans who were staying there. We called one Boston (Keith) and the other Texas (Anthony) since that’s where they were from. We watched a silly British game show where people had to answer the simplest questions in the world in order to win. I’d like to go on that show! We five Americans went back out again. First we went in a club called Club M. The huge burly bouncers were very friendly and told us we could go in and see if we liked it before they’d charge us the cover fee. We went in, didn’t like it, and left. We wound up at a little bar with a small upstairs section: (Pal Joey). Texas bought us all a round and we hung around admiring the jazzy atmosphere and tiny dance floor but thinking that the atmosphere wasn’t that much better than Club M (although hey, it WAS a Tuesday!). I found myself longing to return to the pubs. Suddenly, the DJ broke out with 90s American pop music and everyone went insane. A man ran out on the dance floor and did the Running Man, then the Hammer. I have to say that even though I screamed and laughed and attempted to imitate it with everyone else, he was doing some good dancing. It was amazing!

All of the bars closed at 5 a.m., but unfortunately, so did the food joints. We had noticed a fast food kebab chain called Abrakebabra (get it?) and stopped in since it was the only place that was open. It was your typical fast food taste, in that it’s pretty gross, and you know it’s gross but your taste buds like it well enough for you to just go ahead and down it and not think too hard about what’s going in your body. The kebab was warm and stuffed full of donner (lamb meat!) and mayonnaise, and if I hadn’t been so full of Guinness at that point, I bet I wouldn’t have eaten it. I don’t even eat lamb normally.

The menu at Abrakebabra.

As we waited in line for our food, a slow, whiny Evanescence (American band) song came on, and an Irish man began singing along at the top of his lungs in a high-pitched voice. I found this highly amusing and started giggling while my friends poked me in the ribs. The man heard me and asked me where I was from, and was surprised to find I was American as he said I looked Irish. My friend yelled “Her last name’s Lynch!” and he went, “Ah, okay. Common name.”

We went back to the hostel and passed out, waking up too late for the free breakfast the next day. Oops. Oh well, it was a fabulous Day 1 in Dublin. I’ll tell you all about Day 2 in my next post! I must say writing these articles is making me long to return to Dublin, and of course Ireland in general. I would like to see more pubs, too.

Question for my readers: Which do you prefer for my travel articles – a longer, more narrative article such as this one, or a shorter article with more pictures? I’m afraid the latter is too much like a photo album and leaves too much out, but I also don’t want to bore people. Or perhaps some combination of both? Please comment and share your thoughts!