paris, day six - dublin, day one

On this day, we had to get ourselves and all the associated luggage to Dublin. Step one of that process required us to wait in a huge parking lot for a bus that went to Beauvais airport... let's just fast-forward ahead six hours and say that there is a reason Ryanair tickets are cheaper than a tank of gas. We did get to the hostel (oh yes, you read that right: my first hostel experience!), and that's all that counts. The place, Ashfield house, could not be more centrally located - it is literally steps away from the O'Connel bridge. However, Susan and I did not make it to the room without having a huuuge disagreement about the currency rates. Don't worry, we've made our peace, but our quarrel gave me a unique chance to explore the city alone ;)

I walked along the Liffey all the way to the port, taking in the city that is clearly getting a major facelift. Actually, it's more of a full facial reconstruction. You can see how thoroughly the developers are sweeping through the old muck to build modern steel-and-glass buildings. Yes, some of the city's charm will be lost in the process. I thought about this over a pint of Guinness in a pub that was made authentic enough to attract a tourist like me. With an Irish band playing in the room, I reasoned that in today's world, a tradition may not carry on unless somebody found a way to make it profitable. On a flip side, should customs disappear if they're not making money? "Real" pubs do not bring as much cash, and they are getting harder and harder to find - does that mean that we should let evolution take its course? I don't know. Jumping ahead, I will say that most of our euros sunk into the gentrified district of Temple Bar, a Disneyland version of Ireland. In fact, some of our cash now belongs to totally American institutions. Burger King comes to mind; there are three of them within a block radius of the O'Connel bridge. Yup, when I'm eating a Whopper, it's hard to think green pastures and leprechauns.