D150 -- Complimentary pint!

This morning we headed out to the very first Guinness brewery, where there is an interactive “storehouse” that lets visitors learn about the potent brew. I have to confess that the allure of Guinness is strong in my family, so I got a kick out of the trip, especially the goofy advertising that Guinness has used over the years. We learned that doctors actually used to prescribe Guinness for various conditions. The highlight was probably at the end, when we were provided a complimentary pint.

In the afternoon we met up with Meggan (McMahon) O'Grady, whom I dated in high school and have kept in touch with over the years. She ended up marrying a great Irish guy named Colm and moving to Dublin (her family is from VA). She now has a baby girl, Aisling, who is adorable. Colm joined us after he got off work, and we visited two different pubs before grabbing dinner. It was great to see Meggan so happy with her new family, and maybe one day they can come visit us in Austin.

On a whim, around 5 p.m. I walked into a travel agency that was next to the first pub we visited hoping to get cheap tickets to Cyprus. I have two cousins, Caitlin and Colter, who are house sitting in Cyprus this summer, and over Christmas they invited us to join them. I figured it would have been too expensive, but I decided there was no harm in asking. I think the travel agent thought we were on the lam or something when she heard that we'd only arrived in Dublin the day before yesterday and were anxious to get to Cyprus tomorrow. Once we explained the situation she was very helpful, and found one-way tickets on a flight leaving the next morning at 8:30 a.m. for a really good price. We decided to leave Dublin early and go to Cyprus as we didn't want to pass up the chance to spend time with family. But it was very last minute, and we booked the tickets without even knowing if we needed visas (luckily, we didn't). So after saying goodbye to Meggan, Colm, and Aisling, we headed back home to pack up and get ready for a very different climate.

-Tom