Drinkin' Guinness and going to jail

Welcome to a lively review of day two in Dublin!

I woke early for a good shower and breakfast and then headed out to join a hop-on, hop-off double decker bus tour of the city. Riding on the exposed second level was a quick and effective way to wake up in the cold morning air! I took the bus around most of the city and got off at the St. James' Gate Brewery, the world home of Guinness.

The world home of Guinness has been outfitted with a seven floor museum/house of worship in honor of the pure and almighty stout. For a barely initiated drinker like myself, this was a bit over the top, but I'll give them credit for their serious dedication to the brew. As they proudly explain, there are five ingredients in Guinness: barley, hops, yeast, water, and Arthur Guinness. The fifth ingredient is what makes Guinness great. Did you know that Arthur signed a 9,000 year lease for the Brewery at £45 per year? And he only ever paid twice. Not a bad profit, from the looks of it.

My favorite floor was the one dedicated to advertising. "My goodness, My Guinness" "Lovely day for a Guinness" and "Guinness as usual" are just a few of their classic slogans. The ads are much easier to like than the beer itself, but after 6 floors of inundation, I was bound and determined to drink my free pint.

The seventh floor is a 360 degree lookout and bar where they reward you with the free pint. Watching the barwoman serve the Guinness was by far the coolest part of the entire visit. Their slogan these days is "Guinness: Alive Inside" and watching the beer settle down after being drawn, you can see why. It literally heaves with shades of caramel as the head rises to the top and the beer evens out to its rich brown color. After maybe five intense minutes, the barwoman returns to top off the glass.

Well let me just say that the Guinness here, for whatever reason, was much more satisfying and (almost) tasty compared to previous attempts. I had a seat in one of the low chairs overlooking the city and slowly gulped the "black beauty with the blond head". Luckily I had packed my little picnic lunch again because Guinness before noon was no easy task. It took me an hour but by golly I finished that pint, feeling as proud as if I had triumphed over a major challenge! To the victor go the spoils, they say, so I promptly swiped the pint glass into my backpack as a lasting reminder of my first (and most likely last) entire pint of Guinness.

From there I went to jail, but of my own free will to be sure! I visited the famed Kilmainham Gaol (Jail), a Victorian style prison from the 1800's. Built as a "reform" prison, it soon became overcrowded with men, women, and children during the Famine. A quote by George Bernard Shaw in the adjacent museum read, "If the prison does not underbid the slum in human misery, the slum will empty and the prison will fill." Many political prisoners were held there over the years as well. It was a powerful experience, to be sure. Not a nice place to visit, and you certainly wouldn't want to die there.

Luckily I was free to go and so I did, on to the Chester Beatty Library. The personal collection of a wealthy American man who donated it all to Ireland, the Library consists of precious, ancient religious texts of some of the world's great living religions. This was waaay cooler than the measley Book of Kells!! From the East, there were illustrated texts and holy items of Buddhism in its varied forms, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. From the Middle East, Chester Beatty boasts more decorated, ornate Korans than just about anywhere else in the world.

And from Christianity, Beatty managed to collect the oldest and most complete collection of the four Gospels known to exist (even the Vatican can't beat it!). Written on papyrus in Greek around the years AD 180-220, these tattered remains were a sight to behold. How did they survive?! There were some impressive Jesuit texts as well, including the edict written by the Emperor that ejected them from China. People come from the world over to study his collection, both amateur admirers like me as well as intense scholars.

Well, again I have to go but next time I can I will write about my day today, which I spent in Belfast. Tomorrow I leave for Galway. Until next time...