Is that a Shamrock in My Guinness?

Fortunately, to get my butt over here to Europe for my month of French studies, we were able to use frequent flyer miles for a free ticket. On top of that, one of the advantages of flying is that you can usually include an extra stop between your departure city and final destination. So I decided to make mine in Dublin, Ireland, home of Irish Spring and Guinness.

That is Irish Green

I left U.S. soil July 3rd and arrived on the ever so Irish green soil July 4th. My stop in Dublin wasn’t to find U2 playing in a local park or Pierce Brosnan prepping for his next James Bond film, but to finally decide if Guinness was a beer I really like or really just don’t enjoy. Anywhere you go in the world, and I literally mean anywhere, you will find an Irish pub replete with Guinness. It is really good beer or excellent marketing? What better way to find out than going straight to the source.

A mandatory two hour nap was in order to recharge my batteries from sleep depravation on the Philadelphia flight. Philly should really rename itself from the “City of Brotherly Love” to “We’re not really that interested in your sorry ass city or anything else about your sorry story”. With my trusty blue backpack in hand, I headed in what I believed to be the general direction of the Guinness brewery. Once my gut feeling of direct route to the Guinness Brewery morphed into the most arduous, indirect route, I stood inside the brewery that helped nourish thousands of Irish during the lean and good times. There is nothing like a Guinness to chew on.

Well Hello Odessa, Texas

I queued with all of the other enthusiasts to tour a brewery shaped like a pint of beer. Each new and carefully staged room revealed the brewing process, ingredients (one brilliant Eastern European decided to eat a few handfuls of hops that thousands of people run their hands through everyday), and advertising. The lifeblood of any enterprise, advertising and marketing. It was at this point watching another advertisement that I realized that one of the commercials was good ol’ American football, none of this football you actually kick with your foot. Upon closer examination, it was high school football from none other than the greatest city in the world, ODESSA, TEXAS! Let me tell you, there is nothing like being abroad and being reminded of the notoriety and grandness of your home state and town. Hmmmm, I don’t remember seeing any commercials about crime in Albuquerque.

Setting the Scene for a Guinness

The Ultimate Guinness Test

Eventually I passed the Guinness’ Seven Levels of Beer and arrived to Irish heaven, the Guinness Gravity Bar. The Gravity Bar rendered a 360 degree view of downtown Dublin. Usually when a patron first steps inside, they immediately head to the lively round bar for their complementary pint of Guinness. I on the other hand, realizing the magnitude of what was about to transpire, took my time, walked around, pondered my surroundings, took some photos, appreciated others drink their pints, and then ceremoniously strolled up to the bar. The moment of truth arrived, do I like Guinness straight from the source? I mentioned my mission to the young gal serving the pints, so she decided to make my first time special. She put the shape of a shamrock in my Guinness.

I grabbed my pint, kindly asked a couple to take the above photo, raised the glass up, and took my first drink. A few minutes later, several drinks later, I had came to my final decision about Guinness – I don’t like it. Like any good tragedy, you’d expect me to really love the beer, but sadly, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it that much. Downstairs, I gave the Guinness family another chance at redemption with their Kilkenney beer, and I have to say that I liked that beer quite a bit more.

Moments Prior to First Guinness

Sauntering around Dublin with an ice cream in hand

There is More than a Brewery in Dublin?

After another beer and a turkey sandwich, I figured I should make my first visit to Dublin more than just the Guinness brewery. The problem is, I had a hard time orientating myself on the map and walked around a good hour not seeing much of interest other than local housing. I am sure that the beverages played no part in my misdirection as much as the lousy map I was using. I am sure of it.

One of Many Irish Catholic Churches

I eventually returned to my Four Court Hostel (great little hostel) and walked around with my roommates Christian (Spain), Kayla and Alex (California college students) through the Temple Bar area.

My trip to Dublin, Ireland was brief and enlightening. I think Dublin would best be experienced with my two girls and friends. So next time, I am going to bring those folks with me.

So the next morning, I jumped on a bus, the incorrect one, but fortunately it was a direct bus to the airport, and I was on a plane to Geneva, Switzerland where I hoped to catch a train to Besançon, France where I would complete my studies for the month of July.