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On the Road ... Tour de France
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Ireland redux
The last time I wrote about the Irish I was working on an absurd lack of sleep.
Now that I've returned with my wits far more about me, I'm proud to report that the Irish are, by and large, a wonderful people that happen to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We've spent the last three days here and I don't think I have a complaint, well, other than the country's serious lack of true two-lane roads. We drove from Dublin, which is on the island's east coast, to Dingle on the west coast on Monday and only about half of the way was on roads that could comfortably fit two cars going in opposite directions. But less-than-desirable driving conditions are hardly unique to Ireland -- as I learned during a recent drive through the streets of Valencia, Spain. Still, the inconvenient roads were well worth it, especially since I wasn't doing the driving. Although Dublin is truly one of Europe's must-experience cities, it isn't exactly what I had dreamed about when I thought of visiting Ireland -- it's a city, a charming one, but not all that unlike Europe's other metropolises. I wanted stone fences that penned in sheep grazing in green pastures, dramatic cliffs that fell into the ocean and pubs that pour the tasties pints of Guinness in the world. The Dingle Peninsula is where one finds such images of Ireland. We spent the last three days hiking through the greenest hills and drinking the smoothest pints. I've even managed to keep up with the World Cup. France kept my slim hopes of winning the office pool alive by beating Spain in the Round of 16. At night, many of the local pubs are alive with musicians playing until closing hour. Most of the ones I heard were much better than I had expected they would be as they stick to pretty standard Irish fare. Record companies won't be sweeping into town anytime soon, but these guys know their audiences and stay well within themselves. Despite being a town heavily trafficked by tourists, the locals seemed happy to greet us with smiles and, at least outwardly, welcomed outsiders to discover how beautiful the place they call home is. But in a town of 4,000 people and 53 liquor licenses, who wouldn't be happy. posted by FreeSanJose at 1:38 PM  
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