This summer
I went on a little trip across the English canal and visited the green, green
land of Ireland. There, I picked up a few things that have stayed in my memory.
“Let’s go to the pub!”
If you go
to Ireland and don’t visit a local pub, you haven’t seen Ireland at all! Pubs
are a big part of the local culture. I would best describe them as a mix
between a restaurant and a bar, full of Irish spirit. I was surprised that even
in such a vast city such as Dublin the pub is still the number one place to go
as it gets late. Thus we were also treated to an evening dinner with some
traditional Irish food, washed it down with a glass of fine-foamed Guinness and
enjoyed the lively tunes of traditional Irish music.
“My goodness, my Guinness!”
I am not
fond of alcohol, despite I was born in a culture whose drinking habits could
rival or even surpass the Irish. I am an incredible light-weight and can hardly
handle anything more than a glass of wine. That aside, even I was convinced
into trying the dark-colored beer with the incredibly fine and thick foam. A small glass, but a glass none-the-less.
This was an
amusing thing for me as we traveled the Irish island. Regardless of the region,
there was always a spot for at least one sort of Guinness beer on the menu. And
it didn’t stop just there. A lot of pubs or restaurants we went to had small,
usually humorous banners, promoting the genuine Irish brand. Even the title of
this very segment was taken from a banner were a poor man helplessly exclaimed
those very words as a kangaroo was hopping away with a few bottles of beer
neatly stored in his pouch.
“Here we see a church. And also there, there, there, there…”
Alright,
there weren’t THAT many, but is true that the Irish are known for being loyal Catholics.
Not that they would just shout it at you.
It was a lot more subtle, with the use of the signature Celtic cross or
the patron saint St. Patrick and his clover featured on several locations. The
thing was, most of the time you weren’t sure if they were used to symbolize the
catholic branch of Christianity or Irish nationality. I think those things are
pretty much glued together by now.
Still, I have to wonder if they tweaked the rules a bit and, instead of
the traditional wine, they serve Guinness at mass. I need to look into that
next time I’m there.
“If I drop a penny, how long will it take to fall into the sea?”
Not as much
a cultural thing, but the Irish cliffs are no less Irish and no less amazing.
Sitting on the soft, green grass a top of cliff with the waves rushing
underneath is one of the fondest memories I had this summer. We also visited
the famous Cliffs of Moher, which were less sunny and less warm, but still a majestic
sight to see. The experience is made all the better as you hear the different
legends surrounding it, like the legend of the Hag’s head or the Golden city.
