football

So I can’t stay awake last night at 6:30 pm, Dublin time.  The idea here is to not sleep at all during the day so i can just have one solid night sleep and wake up at the begining of a Dublin day and go to sleep at the end of a Dublin night.

SO i go out for a walk: keep moving, fresh air, see some more of Dublin, etc.  (peg had a different jet lag philosophy and was already asleep.  I stumble upon a park, a touristy shopping district, some pubs, a bakery in which i purchased a scone.  And then I heard it.

A roar from one of the pubs, with people spilling out of the front, screaming and yelling.  i say to myself, “Self, i really can’t miss this, whatever it is.”  And sure enough, what the whole world says about Europeans and football (soccer to us USA-types) is so true.  These people were off the hook.  One notable exceprtion was that i was just as into it as they were.  I mindlessly hand over my 4.55 euros and buy some sort of stout that was not Guiness at this particular pub, and start yappin’ away with the soccer fans, screaming away with the good plays and barking at the bad calls.

Interestingly enough, this is the Euro 2008 tournmant and this was a really big game: France vs. Italy.  Unfortunately, Ireland didn’t make the tournament, and neither did England (which is rare).  So everybody’s  got to pick a team.  This was an all Italy crowd.

At the half-time whistle, I finished my drink, said goodbuy to all my new friends and pushed on, only to pass out asleep back at the hostle for the best 11 hours of sleep I’ve gad sice I left Washington, DC.

Today we see the Guiness brewery and find out if the Guiness here is all its crached up to be!  Tomorrow we head out of town on our bikes.  Cheers!