The Goodness of Guinness

GRATITUDES: We started the day a little later than usual ... but feeling more rested ... with one small Irish breakfast (aka " a fry"). This includes bacon (more like ham), sausage, flat mushroom, fried egg, homemade baked beans(to die for!) and a toasted sourdough served with tea or coffee! We added a waffle with maple syrup and mixed fruit ... and .. it comes with fresh cream. I guess they only use their fresh cream for whipping ... not for coffee! Dang it! Other than the lack of cream for my coffee, the meals here in the UK have put our American food service industry to shame. John always wants to lick the plate!! 😛 Oh ... and I found a display of the allergens they list on the menu that I was talking about yesterday! They assign each of them numbers. So cool.

As a social worker, I can't even express how it warmed my heart to see, instead of paid advertising on the sides of the city buses ... a message fostering the embrace of diversity and promoting inclusivity! Wow! A whole city loudly proclaiming notions of social justice!!

We thoroughly enjoyed a 7 floor tour of the St James Gate Brewery & Guiness Storehouse. It's the most popular tourist attraction in Dublin ... boasting1.8 million visitors in 2017. At its peak ... the brew house employed 8000 people ... these days only 800! It's currently the 4th pr 5th largest Guiness brewery in the world. Nigeria has the largest! 

Apparently Arthur Guiness signed a 9000 year lease for the premises in 1759! We also learned that Guiness contains twice the hops of other ales ... and ... it is the addition of nitrogen that give it the thick creamy head! (30 million gas bubbles in every pint).
I enjoyed my first pint of Guiness. John helped me with it, but it was very good! And ... in Irish when you raise your glass you say "Slotcha" which means cheers ... and an invocation of health and well-being! I don't know if I spelled that right ... but that it what it sounded like!

Oh ... and I had my first 'toastie' at the Storehouse made with Guiness mustard mayonnaise. John tried the Hot Roast Beef sandwich with Guiness carmelized onions and horseradish mayonnaise. So dang delicious ... gobbled it up enthusiastically while swaying and tapping toes to the music played by a live Irish band ... ! I think we have some video!😍

GRINS: The DoDublin Hop On Hop Off bus is great fun. We were stopped at a light and the driver launched a sing-along! I posted a wee video to capture the feel of it!! 🤗

FUN FACTS: The police are called the Garda ... not the police. "Dockers" ... are known to be really tough men who used to work on the docks! And there are Subway sandwich stores everywhere here ... but ... not a McDonald's in sight. You'd think with the name McDonald there would be some roots here in Ireland. So interesting to see some franchise stores but not others!

Oh my ... there are so, so many buses: tour buses, sightseeing buses, air coaches, city buses. Buses, buses, buses!! 

The tram is called the "Luas" ... which means 'speed'! We took a trip on it today to get oriented because we have to take it to get across the city by 6:30am for our early morning tour to Galway! 

We learned that the harp is oldest Irish musical instrument. And the Samuel Beckett Bridge is shaped just like a harp ... going over the river Liffey (the "An Life' in Irish). The Guiness Company was not granted permission to use the harp for their logo ... so not to be dissuaded... they just tipped it sideways and used it anyway!! 🙃

GROANS: We were hoping to take a tour of the jail but they were booked up. I guess it wasn't meant to be!  So ... what's a traveler supposed to do when there are no more sights to see? Go to the pub for oysters and Guiness! 😉

GAHS: I just realized that we haven't shared much of the architectural sights around Dublin like the cathedral here. There are many old stone churches (kils) and buildings here to enjoy.

And so ... we shall say good night for now. We are calling it a night so we can get to sleep soon and be early birds tomorrow for our tour! I'm hoping we can sit at the front of the bus ... 🤞🤞🤞

As John and the Irish would say : "Top of the evening" ... and/or "Top of the morning!" ... depending where you are when you read this! 🧡Okumaya devam et