Dear, Dirty Dublin

I am now finally recovering from my Irish excursion and can relate those stories to you, my dear readers. But first, I saw Patrick Stewart in The Tempest last night. A.truly.amazing.performance. Wow. Worth a trip over just to see him alone. A really good performance of the play.

Now, I am going to divide my posts into three parts. Once daily, I'll deliver some news and photos. Just think of me as web Dickens. Part One is Dublin. I spent four days in Dublin to start the trip. I saw quite a bit and had quite a few Guinnesses. And yes, they do taste different over there. And yes, they are liquid crack. You know how they really fill you up and you can't pound them even with a will of a Greek god? Nope. Over there, you can't help but drink them in fifteen minutes and order another one while tapping the bar impatiently for your next fix. As was required, I visited the home of Guinness at St. James Gate.















Now, the brewery is a total rip off - 14.50 euro to get in. That's basically $20 and I was told it wasn't worth it. But I did get my hands on the real thing anyways.



Awesome. Poured the perfect pint. Now, to allay fears that all I did was drink, there were a few great things to do in Dublin. There was a fantastic Samuel Beckett exhibit at the National Gallery, displaying artwork that influenced his writing and plays. There was a superb William Butler Yeats exhibit at the Library that contained dozens of his poems written in his own hand, as well as tons of priceless memorabilia, including his Nobel Prize. And of course, the charming campus of Trinity College, which educated the likes of Oscar Wilde.















And of course, who can forget the river Liffey, crosscutting the city and [ahem] green.



Sorry, but I have to do this to you Liz. Here's me in front of Bono's mansion in the suburbs of Dublin:





















I saw the grave of Jonathan Swift in St Patrick's Cathedral. I also saw Christ Church, which is associated with the first performance of Handel's Messiah. I took a few day trips with my dear friend Anna and will share a few spectacular photos with you.









Ah, but on this cliffhanger, I must leave you. The best are yet to come.