St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin & Back to “Fallasland”

Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day from Dublin, Ireland!!! (well actually I’m back in Valencia, but only about fifteen hours removed!)

Yesterday was a long day. Dublin’s parade was a two hour long extravaganza with several bands from the U.S., groups from around the world, and elaborate and colorful floats and flags. I even ended up next to a Dubliner, but I could hardly make out a word he said to me. I made it to the parade route about two and a half hours before show time, but where I was became a crossing zone, so the cops told me and those around me that it would be best to move. After waiting for a while in that location, it was a bit frustrating to have to move somewhere else, already four of five people deep. After the parade concluded it was near stampede as people tried to make there way out, as people just stood blocking the way out. If you don’t like people, a St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin might not be for you.

After the parade I made my way over to the area of the Guinness’ St James’s Gate Brewery. I stopped in a O’Brien’s for lunch (equivalent to a, maybe, a Subway in America, though they had them there too). Then I made my way over to the Guinness Storehouse, where they have a five or so story high tour of what makes Guinness Guinness. I had never tried it before, so I was a bit afraid the tour would be a waste of time if I didn’t wholeheartedly enjoy the free pint at the end of the tour. But I also figured it was something unique to Ireland, as much as the Blarney Stone or St. Patrick, so either way it would be worth it to check it out. And, since it was St. Paddy’s day, bands from the parade performed, there were free samples of Guinness (in addition to the free pint at the Gravity bar, overlooking Dublin) and samples of foods with ingredients including Guinness. I thought it would be a madhouse, but it wasn’t as bad as would be expected for Ireland’s national holiday. But it did seem like a madhouse in the store, when I was purchasing some pint glasses the woman next to me bought 230€ worth of stuff. Crazy woman. She must have been drunk.

I think I wrote Guinness about 4293 times in the above paragraph. Moving on…

So this morning I got up at 4:30 to catch the AirCoach bus to the airport. I nearly missed it since I was waiting at the stop directly in front of the hotel. The stop to get on to go the airport was about a block up the street. I made it though and, as you can see, made it to Madrid and Valencia without a hitch, unlike Saturday. I’m super paranoid about my passport now, so I was checking for it every five minutes. The woman at the RyanAir check in desk remembered me from Saturday. I guess I’m memorable when I run around like a chicken with its head cut off.

So Fallas seems to be in full swing here. Fireworks and firecrackers go off every few minutes. There’s a fireworks display tonight, or should I say tomorrow morning, at 1:30 AM. Maybe I’ll take an hourlong nap and check it out. Dublin drained me.

Tomorrow and early Friday morning is the big day and finale for Fallas. I’ve read that this year’s winning ninot (the structures that will be burnt tomorrow night) is the Nou Campanar falla, which, I’m guessing, is in the Nou Campanar neighborhood. The budget for its creation was 900,000€. Almost one million euros! Just to be burnt to the ground tomorrow night. Loco!

Ok, now for some photos from Dublin.

Click the link below to continue to view photos from Dublin on Saint Patrick’s Day.

The kids in the front row were real brats. They kept taking the green hairspray they had and sprayed it all over everything. It even got on the camera of the guy in the black pants and navy blue hat. They also gave the finger to a woman who stuck her tongue out at them.

Leprechauns arriving

One to many beers in the morning

I would if I could for a better view

Sunnyvale, California police officer

Maryland, front and center

Stole the officer’s hat

The People and the Spire

Ireland’s president (a mostly ceremonial position)

Older than America

The Guinness Waterfall (It’s just water flowing, not Guinness)

In (I believe) the 1950s, Guinness dropped these bottles with notes in them in the Atlantic for people to find along the shore. They’re still washing up to this day along the coasts of the Atlantic.