Eat, Drink

Eat and Drink
(Ith agus Ol)



OK, finally here are some of those pictures that we promised. Honestly, food has been something of an issue for us. In the overwhelming rush of Dublin there were almost too many restaurants...if you're currently in the Grafton Street/Trinity College area. But by 6 or 7PM after you've already made two or three trips "downtown" it's hard to motivate yourself to head down yet again in search of food and craic. One night we simply gave up looking for a non-existent pub (recommended by a clueless desk clerk at Albany House) and just bought some packaged bits at a local convenience store and ate in our (wifi-free) room.

Galway, too, presented a different problem. No problem finding food here so long as you like it fried. That is, the many downtown pubs dominate the scene and the other choices (mostly pizza and burgers; there's even a McDonalds, and an Irish knockoff McDounnagh's or some such) are pretty weak.

But the smaller cities like Kenmare, where we are now, seem to have a wider selection of nice places all located in the small city center. And the B&B's have all provided substantial and delicious breakfasts of cold and hot food (included in the room price). Here are a few pics of the typical B&B dining room layout and a few other food-related things.

Typical B&B twin bed layout. Unfortunately wifi and windows are both rare.

The dining room. Meals are served from a bucket but there's plenty for everyone.

And here are some of our fellow guests. We really hope to keep in touch.

Well, of course I'm messin' with you.  ;^D

In truth, the B&B's that we've stayed at (three so far) all provide delicious and filling breakfasts that hold us well into the afternoon of exploration. Here are three pics from Maura's dining room at the Villa St. John in Athlone.

Hey Dean, I finally did find an excellent microbrew in Ireland. Fitzgerald's pub out in Doolin, a tiny burg near the Cliffs of Moher, offered this excellent dark and bitter porter. (Getting there was a bit exciting as our huge tour bus navigated down a steep and narrow lane off the highway. You should have seen the little cars all hug the house sides in terror as we rolled by.) Other than this one beer it's been all Guinness (pah!) or Beamish stout (OK) or Galway Hooker (a pretty decent pale ale).

Mike