European Adventure

So i went in search of dinner on my own last night and while i was scouting places out, I found a pub called paddy's that served irish breakfast all day. now i had seen signs for irish breakfast before but always imagined they were just big honkin meals, like the irish version of the grand-slam at dennys. This meal went beyond my hopes and dreams: two fried eggs, 2 pieces of canadian bacon (but they don't call it canadian), 2 heavily spiced sausage patties, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, soda bread, tea (if you wanted it, i had Guiness instead) and thick cut round chips (fries). Pleased as i was, the actually was NOT the reason why Ireland is awesome. You see after i chatted with the bartended about the relative merits of guinness and bulmers and inquired as to why an irish bar would serve bud and coors light, another 60something gentleman (i use the term loosely) sai hi and we struck up a conversation, of which i understood about every other word b/c of his thick accent and occassional use of gaelic. After i gleaned a few nuggets of wisdom from his rambling story (incl. "dont complain, EXplain" and "throw the cat in with the pidgeons") i finished my massive meal and was about to pay when he pulled out the 11 euro and paid my tab. i tried to tell him to stop, but he said "are ya gonna make me??" to which i declined, shook his hand (left "b/c its closer to the heart" says he) and exited with a smile on my face that i just could not wipe away.

And that is why Ireland is awesome.

Thanks to this good fortune, i did not feel too guilty about paying for 2 pints of guinness at the Spanish Arch :-)