Bill Was Here

On the news this morning I heard an interesting statistic: If Germans were allowed to vote in the American election, over 75 percent of them would vote for Barack Obama. Indeed, everyone I've met — from friends and colleagues to shopkeepers and random people in my travel — tells me to vote for Obama as soon as they discover that I am American.

But still, there's another American politician that the Europeans enjoy talking about. Not W of course. They get angry when they talk about him. They get excited when talking about Bill Clinton.

What's interesting is that I rarely hear about Bill's policies or political legacy. Instead everyone wants to point out where Clinton ate, drank, slept, and partied. I'm not sure how many times he traveled to Europe during his eight years in office. But it seems that everywhere I go, Bill Clinton was there too.

Bill Clinton was in Berlin. Yup. He made a speech at the Brandenburg Gate. But I also saw were he had lunch. Of course he visited London and Brussels, but do you know what hotels he slept in? He even visited the small German city of Aachen. Naturally he had a snack there too.

In Lisbon I saw the cafe where he was serenaded by one of the city's most famous Fado singers. He ate pizza on the same piazza as I did in Naples. I also know where he had pasta in Rome. There's even a story about a coffee shop in Amsterdam where he smoke some hash with Christopher Walken.

As a matter of fact, from the balcony of my apartment I can see the Petersburg Hotel, where he stayed while visiting Bonn.

Most recently, this trend continued in Dublin. The tour guide on the hop-on, hop-off bus pointed out a restaurant saying, "Clinton ate a steak there." Later in the weekend, one of the locals at Sheehan's Pub wanted to take us to a place where, "Clinton drank a pint."

Seeking an Authentic Irish Pub

In just about every city I've ever visited — from Tampa, Florida to Bonn, Germany – there is an Irish pub. So, was only natural that while visiting the Emerald Island I needed to check out a few Irish, Irish pubs to see how the rest of the world compares. "Are dark paneling, stew, Celtic music, and Guinness on tap all you need to make an authentic experience?" I wondered.

Each night in Dublin Kevin and I visited a pub or two looking for an authentic experience. Surprisingly, this task was more difficult then you might think. Being new to the city, we found ourselves mostly on the beaten path. This meant that the pubs we visited on Friday and Saturday were filled with tourists, not locals. Hearing Italian on one side and German on the other — while making Dublin feel like a popular international destination — certainly did not create a sense of authenticity.

After spending two day walking around the cit we had a better idea of where to head on Sunday. It was our last chance to find the pub of our Irish dreams.

I'm happy to report: We found it.

Even though Sheehan’s on Chatham Row just off Grafton Street is not far off the beaten path, the place was filled with locals. We sat at the bar and made friends with two regulars and the staff while waiting for a table to eat our meal. Before we knew it, someone was buying us a round and we got swept up in an argument about which Dublin neighborhood was tougher.

We eventually got a cozy booth in the corner. Our quite meal was punctuated with banter between another couple we befriended and the crowd at the bar. We even got to meet an old-time Irish T.V. star who popped in for a drink between sets of his stand up act at a near by theater.

The cherry on our Sunday: Kevin was invited behind the bar to practice pulling a pint of his own!

Newgrange and Knowth

Kevin and I woke up bright and early on Sunday morning. Our plan: a day trip to Boyne Valley to tour two Neolithic monuments. Older then the pyramids in Egypt or Stonehenge, the megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth are certainly worth visiting.

Based on the difficulty finding information about how to get to the Valley, I'm assuming that most people either drive their own cars or take a packaged tour arranged through Dublin's tourist office. Convinced that I could get their on public transportation, one of the front desk clerks at our hotel* offered to help. She found and printed out all of the bus schedules that we needed.

Via Bus Eireann, Ireland's national bus service, we went from Dublin's main bus station to Drogheda. For four Euros per person, the express bus took about half and hour. On the east coast of Ireland, this industrial and port town is about 35 miles north of Dublin. From Drogheda, we planned to transfer to another bus, which was supposed to take 10 minutes to get to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor's Center near the village of Donore, in the County of Meath.

It was 9:00 AM when we arrived. The second bus, however, didn't start running until 10:15. We joined another pair of tourists — a very nice young couple from Naples — and took a taxi instead. The taxi was only 15 Euros for the four of us.

The taxi delivered us to the visitor center just as it was opening. This was a good thing for us. Since access to each of the monuments is by guided tour only, the number of visitors each day is capped. The number of expected visitors last Sunday was even more then usual since the admission fee was waved in celebration of Heritage week.

From Brú na Bóinne we took a bus to the site of Knowth a few kilometers away. At the site of Knowth is one large mound surrounded by a few smaller mounds. These mounds are over 5000 years old and were built by Neolithic farmers as tombs. Around the base of the mounds are carved curbstones and the top provides an amazing view of the valley. The tour of Knowth lasts about an hour, though I think the very interesting tour guide could spend an entire day showing visitors the site.

Next we took another shuttle bus to Newgrange. Built in 3200 BC, this kidney-shaped mound covers an area of over one acre and is also surrounded by curbstones. The most famous portion of this tomb is the 19-meter passage that leads to an inner chamber. The chamber's corbelled roof, which has never been reconstructed, is perfectly watertight.

The tomb is perfectly astrologically aligned. For five days around the winter solstice, the first rays of morning sunlight illuminate the passage and chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes if the sky is clear. During the tour, visitors enter the passage and get to see a recreation of this amazing event. A lucky 50 people are selected by lottery to be in the chamber on the solstice. Applications are available at the visitor's center.

* Angelina from the Ripley Court Hotel was an amazing help. She went above and beyond for us!

Getting a Cultural Fix in Dublin

Back in college I claimed that a semester-long class on Ulysses was enough of Dublin's culture to last a lifetime. Yet, while doing some research before leaving I got myself excited to explore the city that was home to so many great artists and writers. William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw: the list goes on and on.

Saturday, which was dedicated to exploring Dublin's culture, started at the Huge Lane Gallery. The gallery is now home to the Francis Bacon studio. Bacon was born in Dublin and spent much of his early years in the city. The studio, moved here from London in 1998, was donated to the museum after his death in 1992.

The exhibit started with an interesting interview with the Bacon in which he speaks about his need to work in chaos. Next was a look at a reconstruction of the studio, complete with walls used to test paint colors, stacks of books, and used rags. The studio exhibit concluded with some photos of Bacon at work in his studio and a room with six original works. Overall the visit provided a wonderful glimpse into the artistic process. Entrance to the gallery is free and the visit takes about 30 minutes.

I had planned next to visit the Dublin Writer's Museum, which is directly next door to the Huge Lane. However, leaving the gallery the skies looked too nice to go back indoors. Instead I decided to walk over to St. Stephen's Green to see the Peoples Art exhibit.

Peoples Art 2008 is a chance for aspiring visual artists to show their work. Taking place over three weekends — one in June, one in August, and once more on September 19 - 21, 2008 — the gates around the park were lined with a variety of pictures. Mostly paintings were on display and they ranged from the safe (flowers and seascapes) to the abstract.

After wandering past the art that hung on all four sides of the park, I went in for a much-needed rest. My picnic was cut short, however, due to the downpour that started not long after entering the green. Thankfully, there was a shopping center on the corner of the green and Grafton Street. Here I found three book stores. That provided more then enough activity to wait out the rain.

The next stop on my Dublin tour was Trinity College. Founded in 1592, the college is the most famous Irish university. Alumni of the college include Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde. The Library is home to the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels and the New Testament. It is regarded as one of Ireland's national treasures.

I skipped the official tour and instead chose to wander on my own. My main intent was to find the theater's box office. Once there I purchased tickets to see Beckett's "Waiting for Goddot," which was being preformed by the AC Production. After a dinner of fish and chips, I returned to the college for the play.

Beer School Session 12: Guinness Rules

Our first stop in Dublin: the Guinness brewery. The tour gives visitors an overview of the ingredients used, the brewing process, and a short history of the company that makes and distributes this world famous Irish stout.

The Guinness Storehouse, which is the official name of the Guinness factory tour, received its name because it was the location on the company's fermentation original plant. Here is where the brewery originally stored the beer while it was fermenting.

In 1988 the building was re-purposed and the interior was remodeled to resemble a pint glass. The Guinness “experience” is a fun, highly designed, interactive museum that is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Dublin. It’s worth the visit — even if the 15 Euro entrance fee does seem a bit excessive.

Don’t expect an authentic brewery tour. This tour is nothing like seeing a working brewery in action. (For a great tour of a brewery in action, visit the Cantillon brewery in Brussels.) Instead you’ll learn about the beer’s production and history.

In the entrance space the 9,000-year lease that Arthur Guinness signed securing his right to the property is on display. The first exhibit shows visitors the four ingredients used to make Guinness: barley, hops, water and yeast.

Next is information about the brewing process. Followed by a history of the Guinness family and the growth of the company. And finally, the tour ends at the top of the building at the Gravity Bar where you get a complimentary pint. The Gravity Bar also offers a 365-degree view of the city.

Erin Goes to Ireland

Hotel reservation, check. Flight confirmation, check. Addresses for the Guinness factory, check. I just finished printing out all of the paperwork for our next trip. Now all I have to do it throw my rain jacket in a bag and I'm all set.

Tomorrow morning I leave for a long weekend in Dublin.

Since I only am allowed 13 pounds for a carry on bag (and I'm not checking any luggage) the computer is staying home. That means I wont be blogging for a few days. Expect lots of Irish inspired posts when I get back.

Tìoraidh!