The first stop was the Guinness Storehouse. A very interesting building and tour. I think it was 7 stories tall. Each floor is interactive starting with an explanation on the process to make Guinness beer, up through tastings, to the big lounge on the top floor with a 360 degrees view of Dublin. Overall, a great experience for both of us. I have never been a big Guinness fan (it is so heavy), but drinking it at the brewery - it was delicious! I enjoyed my complimentary pint very much. That said - Sara had a complimentary coupon as well for a soft drink that she did not use - and I could have used it on a second pint - but was awful full after the first. Terrible, I know.
Next we hit Dublin's St. Patrick's Cathedral. This is located at the well where legend says that St. Patrick officiated his first Baptism in Ireland. The Cathedral was built around the year 1200. The building was very impressive. Inside however, I think that we were both a little disappointed. Although it was a little unusual to pay to enter a church, I appreciate that there are bills to pay and a building to preserve, so I was Ok with that. Once inside, there was a large souvenir store in the Nave, selling the usual general Ireland trinkets. It seemed terribly out of place. Secondly, we had come from the Basilica in Albert last week where the statues and focus was on Jesus, Mary, the Apostles and Saints. Though I do not doubt the purpose of this beautiful church, the length of both walls flanking the Nave were monuments to, and busts of, past important Dubliners and Deans of the Church. There are apparently over 200 of these. All of this is fine I suppose, but it is not what we were expecting. One interesting artifact in the church was a stone marker found in 1901 that was 6 ft under the earth on the site of St. Patrick's well.
We spent the rest of the day finishing our shopping for everyone at home, and then dinner at an Irish pub. (I had to do that once!)
Things that we learned today.
1. The statues here are not what I was expecting. I was clearly a little shocked.
2. As the day was ending, I asked Sara if there was anything else that she would like to see or do while we were still in Dublin. We then noticed this sign in an alleyway. Tempting sure, but we were tired and opted out.
3. I should always, and I mean always, check our supply of hand sanitizer before doing something stupid like this.
4. As many of you know, Sara has issues with birds. As a small child she was chased by a peacock and is the poster child for dive bombing crows. This set up a tense standoff today when she encountered a pigeon on the sidewalk that didn't want to move out of the way. After what seemed like an eternity with both of them frozen in their tracks, Sara flinched and crossed the street. I don't know if birds can blink, but this one sure didn't.
5. I learned something very personal today. After 12 days together, Sara informed me that I'm annoying. I have no idea where this came from and found it very rude and hurtful.
C.K.
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