The cab driver gave the first hint that this is a different kind of country. Not that people in Amsterdam have what you'd think of as attitude, but they're kind of cool. No sense of cool here. Everyone is just right out there. I mentioned to the cabbie that I was a bit nervous about driving on the left side of the road, and for the entire rest of the trip he was explaining to me how I should handle particular situations. He also pointed out pubs and shopping areas (for the missus- actually he mentioned this even before we got out of the airport). The then mentioned that he had a crick in his neck and that it could be cured by a good grab and twist (he didn't say this, more kind of demonstrated) and that the wife was looking forward to doing so.
We got to our hotel, which couldn't be more convenient and centrally located, and amazingly, our room was actually already available. So up we went, down a surprisingly long hallway, to our very pleasant room. After a nice 3 hour nap, I went out for a walk around to see what's the deal around here.
There's a nice coffee bar just next door, and lots stuff all over- shops and pubs and official buildings and pubs and fancy restaurants and pubs. And pubs. A whole lot of people had to be concerned that they and their friends were not going to be able to get something to drink when the mood struck them, so they clearly made sure that this couldn't possibly happen. I needed to get a plug adapter, because I forgot, Euro or not, Ireland is not totally part of Europe. It's still (somewhat unwillingly) part of the UK and uses those weird UK plugs. So that was my big purchase.
Once Ronnie was up we made what can only be called a pilgrimage to the Guinness Storehouse, probably the best brewery tour where you never get inside the brewery. The brewery is right next door, because Arthur Guinness was stupid and/or clever enough to lease a huge decrepit downtown factory on 100 acres (or hectares, I forget which) for $1 per year for a term of (now hold your jealousy New Yorkers) 999 years. So the beer thing worked out pretty well and they use a different part of the complex for actual storage, so the old storehouse is now a self-guided tour and celebration of that stuff that is Guinness Stout.
It was actually quite a lot of fun- I'd recommend it. They illustrate all the processes and then teach you how to taste it, and then they have several bars where you get to see how a pint should be poured and get to enjoy it. I was really impressed with how they handled a massive number of people without the thing feeling crowded. Only the bar we chose was crowded. But I'd recommend it highly.
We then, and only because the taxi driver suggested it, went shopping. It was pretty pleasant, considering it was showery, as it was on and off all day really. The famed shopping street, Grafton Street, was pretty mall-like, but the department store, Brown Thomas, was very nice. Ronnie bought some pretty jewelry by an up-and-coming Irish designer. Then back to the hotel to rest up a bit and then to dinner.
Even though our systems were used to a completely different time zone, we got ourselves out to dinner, which was mediocre but certainly filling, and then we stayed for a round of Irish music. The music part was fine; it's impressive how a guy with a guitar and another with an accordion can fill a room, but they had dancers with them who performed every other song and they were really fun, especially to be standing right on top of them. You could feel the percussion as their feet hit the floor and it was a good time. The Guinness was pretty good too.
At this point, we were beginning to get tired and headed back to the hotel. For a trip with no expectations, it was off to a very promising start.
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