Justin has, how should I say, a strong affection for Jameson Irish Whiskey. And when I say strong affection I really mean that he once told me he wished he could marry it. Needless to say, the first stop on our whirlwind trip was to the Jameson Distillery, and you can imagine how excited Justin was. After a trip to the gift shop, a drink in the bar and learning that he could have his very own bottle of Jameson engraved with his name, I think he was in heaven. Another feat crossed off his bucket list. After leaving the distillery, and after a quick run-in with a very affectionate leprechaun, we made our way to the Guinness Factory, another one of Justin’s favorite creations.
I can’t say that we saw the inside of the factory, because we didn’t. I can’t even say we had a drink in the bar because it didn’t happen. Due to our lack of a foreign cell phone and our terrible planning skills, we became well-accustomed with the sidewalk and the front door as we waited outside the factory for two hours for our friends Tim and Jon-Erik. Craving a pint and some good Irish food, we gave up and headed to a local pub, only to find out that they had also been waiting for us the whole time. Inside the factory. At the bar. Maybe next time, Guinness Factory. We finished our first night with a trip to the Hard Rock and the purchase of a sparkly, rhinestone-studded green cowboy hat, ready for St. Patrick’s Day.
We heard rumors and had numerous people warn us that “they don’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.” Let me just tell you that whoever thinks that is beyond confused. With more than a million people in the green sea that was the streets of Dublin, I’d say that they celebrate it better than anywhere else in the world. We purchased our leprechaun top hats and our Ireland scarves and headed to the parade, which was, in itself, a unique and unforgettable experience. We spent the day journeying through the Temple Bar district with countless pints of green beer, an endless desire for Irish stew and kisses for everyone, Irish or not. This was a trip that so many will never have the opportunity to make and something that I would have never done by myself. I will always be thankful to Justin for making it happen. I feel extremely fortunate to have found someone who also has a strong sense of adventure and a serious case of the travel bug. Although, it’s also slightly frightening because we’re both full of ideas and up for anything, and before you know it we’ll be stuck in our car at the top of a mountain in the middle of a blizzard because we thought it was a good idea at the time. Justin does come prepared though. You’ll never find him without his camping toilet paper and fire-starter sticks (which come in handy more than you would think).
So, today I am going to live vicariously through my pictures from last year, put on my Ireland scarf and hope that Louisiana knows a thing or two about green beer. And while we can’t be there in person, I’ll make sure to have Jameson and Guinness in stock when Justin gets home so my lover of Irish drinks will be well-equipped to make his infamous Car Bombs and feel like he’s right back in Temple Bar.
I believe in luck, and the engraved ring that I wear on my right hand is a constant reminder of that. I bought it when I first decided to move to Louisiana, and while it’s now a little bent out of shape and scratched all over, it has brought me nothing but the best. I’ve been blessed with all the luck and all the love in the world...what better day to celebrate it than today!
No comments:
Post a Comment