The Gravity Bar

It not being possible to visit Dublin without doing the Guiness tour, we behaved like good little tourists and went. If you enjoy looking at posters explaining the brewing process, plastic hop plants and seeing shrines to the founders of Guiness that would be more appropriate for the founding fathers of America, then this is the place for you. Of course, the adventure begins and ends in the gift shop and it only cost 14 Euros. That's almost twenty dollars.

It wasn't a total waste, though. The tour ends in the gravity bar which has a spectacular view of Dublin. A pint of Guiness for each tourist does make up for a lot.


It wasn't until a few days later that I learned Guiness no longer makes beer at the plant. No where in the presentation do they mention this tidbit of information. The acres of old brewing buildings are empty.


The shamrock design in the beer was a nice touch. I drank Guiness almost every day while in Ireland and no place else did the shamrock thing. I kept hoping for it each time I ordered a pint, but was continually disappointed.

By the way, the Irish prefer Budweiser. We were horrified. That's swill that's made in Van Nuys and stinks up the surrounding neighborhood. We tried explaining to Bud drinking pub patrons the error of their ways, but it fell on deaf ears. Drinking Budweiser in Ireland, heresy!

At one pub, a Mandarin speaking waitress misunderstood what I was asking for when I requested a Black and Tan. I got Guiness with black currant syrup in it. It turned out to be serendipity. It was good. Weird, but good. After that, I was ordering it on purpose. I brought home a bottle of the syrup so that I can make it at home.

After the tour, we went to a dinner in a pub and of course, ordered more Guiness. It was so cold and rainy that I was wearing a heavy lined rain coat over a winter coat, plus a sweater, gloves and knit scarf. The young female patrons were wearing short skirts, low cut, strappy tops, high heeled sandals and no wraps of any kind. They would go outside to smoke in the cold rain and somehow not collapse from hypothermia. I really wanted to get a picture of me bundled up next to the nearly naked wet girls just to show the contrast, but it didn't happen. I guess the guys like the way the cold girls looked or otherwise the girls wouldn't bother with such nonsense. The things girls have to put up with to attract guys.