Driving on the left side of the road is only part of the fun when you’re an American in the British Isles. The manual transmission is also on your left. So between these things and the fact that most of Europe was never built for cars in the first place (i.e., narrow roads), Kevin has been having his own adventure. (I offered to share the driving, of course, but he says that would stress him out more than doing all of it. I’m torn between being annoyed and relieved.)

Drove into Dun Laoghaire, which is a seaside suburb of Dublin, and found our B & B without a problem. The friendly proprietor gave us suggestions for places to get dinner, adding that the Italian place down the street is good but the staff there “drive him spare” because they insist that some swill is Jamison’s whiskey. (“I’m sixty-three years old,” he tells them, “and I’ve been drinking Jamison’s for thirty of them and I fookin’ know what Jamison’s tastes like.”) Ended up eating at a place called Daniel’s where the cook/owner — Daniel — chatted with us at the end of the meal and ended up giving us an impromptu lesson on the Irish election system.

Dropped off our car in Dublin the next morning and made our way toward Trinity College. On the way I made a very embarrassed Kevin take a picture of me at a Starbucks. (My first latte in a week! In Dublin!) At the college we saw the Book of Kells – slightly underwhelming but only because they only let you see one leaf of it (guess they don’t want hundreds of grubby if enthusiastic hands per day pawing a medieval artifact).

Dublin is one of the oldest cities in Europe but after bonking around the busy streets for half an hour, I wondered if I’d enjoy it. When visiting a new place, the fun is in the stories that live there. So wandering around with no idea who has been here before gets old fast. Plus its hard to take photos when your view is inevitably the back of the tourist in front of you.

Lucky for me, they have this ingenious thing here in the UK called Hop On, Hop Off bus tours. These double-decker buses, which run in most historically significant cities and towns, give riders a guided tour while stopping at various places along the way. Pay once and for two days, you can get on and off the bus whenever you want. Call me a geek, but this is my idea of a perfect intro to a new city. We sat on the top level (no roof) and rode the tour twice around. Remember the dog in How The Grinch Stole Christmas, riding at the front of the sleigh, ears and tongue flapping in the wind? C’est moi.

No visit to Dublin would be complete without a stop at the Guinness Storehouse. The whole brewery is huge, like 6 city blocks. Visitor Center is this cool exhibity-thing built in an old warehouse with all the exposed brick and whatnot. I got a Guinness t-shirt and a free pint in the Gravity Bar, which is the highest point in the city so the view is pretty amazing.

Kevin wanted to tour the old prison, which I admit to being curious about (as well as a bit skeeved out; medieval prison – yikes). We arrived half-way through the last tour of the day so the staff didn’t charge us (nice of them). The main room inside is apparently the darling of the American film industry and has been in several movies, including Wolverine but alas, no Hugh Jackman sighting to report.

Went for dinner at a little bar and decided to get out of our porter comfort zone and have cider (and oh yeah, some food). By then it was getting late, so we headed toward the train station. Ambled through the trendy Temple Bar district and managed not to get delayed by more booze on our way. In the station, we found a rolled up poster someone had left on a bench: “Captain America’s Cookhouse & Bar, Dublin.” We took it as a good omen.

Next day we caught the ferry to Holyhead, Wales, and I am happy to report that Kevin did not lose his lunch. He is, however, rethinking his grand plan for us to spend our golden years touring the world on a sailboat.