What's the Crack?

Two weeks ago Gio and I flew to Dublin to stay with our friend Carlotta (yes, the same girl I visited in Rome last summer and Provence last fall-she's always giving us new travel destinations!), who is working on the second semester of her master's degree in Ireland. We were able to fit a lot in to our four days together, including a visit to see the illuminated manuscripts in the Book of Kells at Trinity College (above).

The River Liffey at dusk

Our first day Gio and I went on an organized trip to the Cliffs of Moher, where we got to see the Burren with a beautiful oceanic backdrop, Bunratty Castle (for all of 25 minutes), and the Cliffs complete with a harpist, a castle, stunning views, and a disconcerting quantity of pesty winged insects.

Burren

We may have gone beyond the "do not cross" signs.

Just a little ol' Irish green.

I like to imagine that this rock face is frowning
at all the people who blew off the cliffs.

One of my absolute favorite stops on our Dublin walks was St. Stephen's Green, where one can peacefully meander amidst babies in strollers, ducks vying for breadcrumbs, and abundant greenery far and wide. In Italy trees and greenery-let alone community parks-are hard to come by, since most gardens are hidden behind the massive doors of palazzi and people are more inclined to congregate in a piazza where wine and espresso are within immediate reach. Thus, you can imagine my pleasure at wandering through and taking a precious moment to appreciate this lush landscape.


We spent one day doing the obligatory round of churches, including St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church. It was refreshing to see different styles of architecture and design from those of Italy. However, hearing that St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest church in all of Ireland made Gio and I, well-versed in Italian churches and having visited St. Peter's in Rome several times, laugh because we thought it to be so small! We learned that when St. Patrick came to Ireland to spread Catholicism, he used the Irish shamrock to explain to its people the idea of the holy trinity. Way to know your audience, I'd say. Here's a picture of the choir in St. Patrick's, boasting the flags of the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick.

We had a couple really fun nights out, including one at a house party with some of Carlotta's new friends from University (where I won a dance off with a 40-year-old Dutchman dressed like Tony the Tiger), and one at the Auld Dubliner in Temple Bar where we boogied down for hours with predominantly English people and feisty cougars.

Auld Dubliner

And what would Ireland be without some local food and a pint of Guinness (or three)? We sampled a few delicacies, including a full Irish breakfast and traditional Guinness lamb stew (with mashed potatoes on top-simply brilliant!).

Gio and I couldn't resist a tour of the Guinness factory, despite the fact that we both despised the stuff prior to our visit. It's true what they say, however, Guinness really is better in Ireland! We grew to appreciate the strong taste and the frothy foam, not to mention the success of the label. The design of the factory was fascinating, appealing to all the senses, and we even learned to pour our own perfect pint.

Waterfall inside the factory

One last pint at the airport before flying home!

I realized I have yet to explain the title of this post. In Ireland, instead of saying, "What's up?" it's customary to ask, "What's the crack?" Despite its seemingly illicit insinuations, it originates from the Irish craic, meaning news or gossip. It can also be used instead of "cool" or something similar, as in "That's good crack." Try using that next time you see a friend; you'll get hilarious looks and sound extremely well-traveled. Or like a crack-head.