transient travels

Out of the blue my cousin Kathy emailed me a fact: when you drink a pint of Guinness, you should drink seven sips so there are seven rings around the glass when you are done. Apparently,  an Irish person will only see between 5-7 rings after finishing the pint.

I told her I would have to try it.

I fell in love with Guinness in Ireland, I know cliche. But before I went, I didn’t like it in the U.S. and I didn’t really discover why until I returned from Ireland. It was because the preservatives added to keep it fresh for its journey back to the States, got in the way. When I went to Ireland and tasted how it is meant to taste, in its purest state, I came back with a better perspective and now, I taste the preservatives but I am able to distinguish them from the real thing and after a few sips, they go away – it’s a mental thing.

While in Ireland, my sister Jenny and friend Bryce visited Lisa and I. We took a trip up to Dublin and yes, we went to the Guinness factory.

It smelled of hops, as you would suspect, and in the background was the sound of a constant waterfall of beer, flowing through the bronze-like pipes that carried the creamy stout.

Once we reached the top, we entered the sky bar which overlooks the entire city. It has so many visitors that people actually sit on the floor to enjoy their perfectly poured perfect pint.

My grandfather lived across the street from the Guinness Factory before he moved to Birmingham England where my mom was born.

I am told you could see the gate from his house.

That is me and Jenny, she is the taller blur.

We walked up and down his street so many times but we couldn’t find his house. However, we did take pictures of a gaping hole between two buildings where it looked like a house once stood, because it would have matched the correct street number.

The rest of this weekend was comprised of hopping around to fancy pubs and restaurants with Bryce’s well connected uncle and girlfriend. You remember, when we met Nicky Wallace and had a fabulous night at Lillies Bordello.

I failed to mention that we stayed in the Landsdowne Hotel on Pembroke Road. The night after Lillies Bordello, Lisa and I made plans to hit the hotel’s pub only to find that it was closed. However, the man working the desk kindly decided to open it, just for us. We bought him and ourselves Guinness and talked about our night, our trip, our experience studying in Ireland, our families.

He also let us know a little secret about the pub – it is the place that Bono goes while in Dublin because it was low profile enough for him to sit and enjoy a pint. Our new friend even pointed to the seat he always chooses. I can’t verify that as truth, but I’d like to think that I shared a pint in a pub that Bono frequents.

Unfortunately, that is the closest I will get to Bono aside from a giant concert where I stood many rows behind the stage at the Boston Garden. Last night, I could have had a second shot – while I sat in my apartment getting over a cold, U2 was playing at the Somerville Theatre for some very lucky people in Davis Square.

I wish I could report on that today.