Dublin’s Calling
Eleven in the morning might seem early to tour a brewhouse and enjoy a free pint, but not when you’re in Dublin. The Guinness Storehouse tour does a good job of telling you how amazing the most successful stout in the world is, and the point is driven home when the first sip of “black gold” hits your lips. After enjoying our beer breakfast amongst the expansive views atop Dublin in the Guinness Gravity Bar, we hiked back to the downtown area for lunch a popular vegetarian restaurant.
Having already found and enjoyed St. Stephen’s Green, Lauren and I set out see the other major park, Marion Park. It’s another beautiful landscape with flowers, ponds, and strikingly green grass. Everything was serene and peaceful until all of the sudden, a giant snake struck from a branch of the tree above us and landed right in my face. Lauren did nothing to save me as I jolted backwards and let out a loud gasp. It was fake. Someone got us good. We walked a little further and saw a man in the woods holding the string used to raise and lower the rubber snake. He told us to go sign a release form from his partner around the corner because we were on TV. His partner explained that we’d been had by a candid camera show called “Prank it Up.” We sat down within eye sight of the prank to let me heart slow and watch innocent people walk right into the trap.
Later in the evening we decided to grab a couple pints at the oldest pub in Dublin, the Brazen Head. Within a few minutes of sitting at the bar, a local Irishman invited us back to have drinks with him and his friend. Before we knew it, we’d chatted the night away with our new friends, Cecil and Olive, and Brazen Head was shutting down.
Tags: Travel
seanaboots
August 12th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
sean, i guess now you are down to only seven pairs of underwear after the snake incident. hope ya’ll are having fun. drink a couple of pints for me.
stephen
August 12th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Dear Sean,
As soon as you get home, you need to drop everything and get a job writing those Frommer’s Travel Guides. Seriously, I am completely riveted by the passion, humor and clarity of these little vignettes. I mean, this shit is freaking beautiful: “After enjoying our beer breakfast amongst the expansive views atop Dublin…”
Also, that is so crazy that you got punk’d in dublin. It seems a little suspicious though that lauren didn’t help fend off the cobra while it tried to maul you. Maybe she was in on the gag. Regardless, you need to send us the youtube clip of the anaconda attack whenever the show airs.
I hope you guys are having fun. Please keep doing these blog entries so I can live vicariously through you.
-Davis
August 13th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
11am is not early for beer – trust me! and i’m jealous about having a guinness straight from the source – sweet!!!!! man, i gotta get over there . . . continue the fun and can’t wait to hear more!
August 14th, 2007 at 12:33 am
wow, i think i have seen this “prank it up” tv show on some obscure channel very late at night…. so i will be sure to keep an eye out for you kids
August 14th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Sean and Lauren,
Sounds like you are already having fun!
Enjoy your trip and drink a few Guiness for me.
Remember your MacGyver lessons I gave you when you were 8, you never know when they might come in handy during your travels!
Frank