After a nap I went in search of some dinner and ended up at this Asian restaurant on Wexford st called Pad-Thai @ Shine. An Asian eatery and lounge on the first floor of a larger bar upstairs. I ordered a Guinness and surveyed the menu, choosing a spicy beef dish with veggies and some steamed rice. It came served on a plate which held the rice and a smaller bowl for the main part of the dish. Most chefs that want to add presentation will garnish with crushed parsley or the like, this chef sprinkled chewy cooked onion flakes around the plate which I put into the dish. The food was excellent. It had a great flavor, and great spice.
After eating I ordered a Bulmers (known in the states as Magners) and waited to hear from Cathy. I met her down in the Temple Bar area which is rather touristy but fun. It’s so touristy in fact that they pay guys to dress up as leprechauns and wonder around to take pictures with tourists. Thankfully I had avoided this area altogether up until now. We had a drink or two in a bar called The Quays (pronounced keys), meanwhile there was a band of travelling Spanish musicians outside playing for a crowd. We checked them out for a bit until I decided to head back for a shower. Cathy stayed in Temple Bar realizing she forgot her wallet at the bar. I met back up with her a while later and we headed to this bar called the Purty Kitchen. It was at this bar that I heard/saw, hands down the BEST cover band in my entire life. This band would start a song, improvise 2 or 3 different songs in the middle of it before going back to the original song. For example they started with 7 Nation Army by the White Stripes, then they broke into Relax, Don’t Do it (from the 80’s) while keeping the bass line and drums going, after that they went into You Spin Me Right Round, and then finally finishing the original song. You may be wondering how that works but trust me they made it work; In fact during their first “mash up” they threw in Brittany Spears “Hit me Baby One More Time”
Cathy’s friend Warrick met us at the bar and after a round or two we left for another place. We then headed across the river to Sin E, a smaller, more eclectic bar with two floors. The main floor had a bar and a decent sized sitting pit and played mostly old 50’s tunes. Downstairs that Spanish band we saw earlier in the day was jamming out downstairs so the three of us headed down there to soak that up. These guys were incredible musicians. Switching instruments, improvising etc…
At this point I was hurting a bit from my last two nights of unrelenting alcohol consumption and revelry as was Cathy still feeling Tuesday night. We left Sin E, walked back across the river and headed to a burger place called Ricks. Warrick said I had to try one of these before leaving Dublin. I ordered a chili burger meal with chips (fries) and it was ok. Not the best fast food burger but nowhere near the worst. When our meals were done we parted ways. I headed home to rest the dome.
Unfortunately if you’re staying at the Jackson Court Hotel you should probably stay out until Copper Face Jacks closes since the thump of the bass can be heard throughout the hotel. So going to bed was not easy but it did happen eventually.
The next morning I was awoken rather unsympathetically by the sounds of hammers knocking out porcelain tiling. The room next to mind was being renovated and they decided today to get an early start. So I decided to finally take up the hotel on their free Irish breakfast. I walked in, sat down, grabbed some OJ and within a short period of time a plate of egg, sausage, Irish bacon and beans was bestowed upon me. I ate up and went back to my room to attempt some extra sleep thanks in part to finding the ear plugs I had on my flight over, low and behold they did the trick.
When I woke up again I set out to find a coffee shop with WIFI so I could give you guys something to read and laugh about. I found one around the corner from my hotel and sat down with my camera and computer and started uploading pictures and writing. I ordered a cappuccino and an apple crumble and sat there working and relaxing for a good almost 3 hours. At this point I was hungry for some real food. I texted Cathy but never heard back from her. I walked up to the kebab shop I went to the day before for the special lamb kebab plate and soda for 6 euro’s…not bad. Finally I heard back from Cathy around 8. She had a big case come into work and had to stay late and would have to go into the office in the morning. Sad to say I wouldn’t get a chance to see her before I left but Warrick was in the area at a bar called Mess RS Maguire’s.
I showered, packed up everything; triple checked it all and headed out to meet Warrick at this bar. This place was like nothing I had seen before; 4 floors. Of course there are multiply floor clubs but this was no club. I met his old roommate Catherine and their friend Dameon. We had a beer and then Warrick brought me to a party on the Northern side of Dublin almost on the outskirts hosted by a coworker of his. It wasn’t a huge party but it was fun and low key and the ratio for once was actually in the males favor. I went outside for a smoke and met Neely, Jean, Sarah and Flannery, four local girls. Of course the second they heard my accent they started in with all their stories about working in Boston for a summer or two and how much they wanted to go back, etc… We had some laughs and such. Eventually Sarah informed us she had to head back into town and that the others were going to Wheelans, a bar on Wexford st. near my hotel that I had not yet been to.
Warrick said he was gonna stay at the party but last minute jumped in the car. We headed into the city center, got dropped off and walked a ways to the bar. Once in the girls totally ditched us, figures as much. Warrick and I bumped into some friends of his so we all hung out on the top floor looking over the dance floor. After a long set of electro stuff the DJ turned to rock and we all started getting into it. After some more drinks we found Jean who took us down to the dance floor where all started getting crazy, dancing and everything. The lights came on around 2:45am and I looked at Warrick and simply said “Copper’s.” We took off down the street for one last hurrah at Copper Face Jacks. Thankfully if you’re staying at the hotel you get in for free, so we walked up to my room, I dropped off a few things and we headed into the club.
We made our way to the bar while Gold Digger was playing and I just got in the zone. We went to the back area for a smoke and on the way back towards the front of the place I saw her. She was short, cute, dancing up a storm but the look in her eye said she wished she was around someone with rhythm, especially considering every guy that tried to dance with her she kinda pushed away or gave the cold shoulder to…(insert triumphant horn lick (dum duh duh dum). I started dancing by myself; we made eye contact and then started tearing up the floor for a bit. After a few songs she went back to her friends and I wandered some more. At this point Warrick said he had to take off. I thanked him for everything and informed him if he ever came to Boston he would be taken care of. He assured me if I ever come to Sydney (which I will one day) that I would be as well. Right after he took off, the music stopped and the DJ talked for a moment before the last song. Mr. Brightside came on as the last song. I walked back over to her grabbed her by the hand and went back to it. We chatted for a bit as the lights came on and then some more outside. Her name was Caoinhe, interesting name indeed. We kept chatting outside and I could sense some chemistry was beginning to brew but her friends were calling for her to bounce. She gave me her email we took a picture and she disappeared into the sea of cabs and faces like a ship going off into the sunset. I stood around outside for a bit soaking it all in for one last time.
I returned upstairs for my bags, checked out and hopped into a cab for the airport. Slightly intoxicated, somewhat tired, a bit sad but happy that my final night in Dublin was a good one. I made my way through the airport and finally onto the plane. As the plane touched off I reached into my shirt and kissed my chai (a Jewish thing for all you goyem out there) as if to say let me get to Brussels safely, let’s have a good time there and thanks for the good time in Dublin. And as the white and grey of the clouds devoured the lush green landscape of Ireland it dawned on me that I fell hook line and sinker, head of heels in love with Dublin. The culture, the drinking, the brogues, the football, the rugby; and although these several things don’t completely define Ireland or Dublin as a whole I vowed that I will most definitely return someday soon, even though I know that Warrick will be gone, and Cathy probably won’t be around. I’ll probably never hear from Anya, Claire or Caoinhe or see Broderick or Shay ever again but regardless the few people I did meet here are the characters that shaped this first part of my journey through Europe.
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