9000 Years
Anyone who has ever been to Dublin knows that the biggest tourist attraction is the Guinness Storehouse, a factory/museum devoted to the history of Guinness, the unique process of making it, and nostalgia from the last 250 or so years.
I went with Karen and what's turning into a great little group: Sara Lisa Lauren and Lauren. The building is newly renovated and completely interactive. They have a giant pit of barley to touch, a pure waterfall, and full size replicas of all the machines, barrels, transports, everything and anything related to Guinness.
My favorite tidbit: Arthur Guinness took a 9000 year lease on the property of the distillery and storehouse. NINE THOUSAND YEARS! That's Crazy! And they have the original signed lease encased in glass. My other favorite part was the advertising museum, where all of the company's campaigns and artwork are on display, as well as every series of holiday commemorative mini delivery trucks. I'm pretty sure it's like the HESS trucks here. One every year, available at a gas station near you.
The BEST part of the whole trip though was, hands down, when I got to start the brew. Every 90 minutes, one lucky person is chosen to go live on camera to the factory control room and start a new brew. I talked the lady into letting me do it! It was awesome. A huge crowd gathers, and we did a little interview, everyone starts counting down, and when the signal comes, I smashed a giant red START button. The best part is, in about a month, Guinness emails me and tells me where in the world MY batch was sent. It could be anywhere. Tanzania, here I come.
Twice along the self-guided tour route can you sample the goods. The first is about half way, where if you want, you can try a newly brewed half-pint. Really, I think it's just to relax at the half way point (7 floors of learning!). But when you come to the end, you arrive at the Gravity Bar, a glass-enclosed circular bar on the roof of the building, where everyone gets a complimentary pint. With enough light, you really can see that it's a deep red. This was the first time I saw the city from above. There are no extremely tall buildings, but perhaps they are on their way. What strikes you instantly is the abundance of construction sites and huge cranes. Every city has cranes in the skies, but there are so many here, they really stick out.
Saturday night, after dinner, my friend Sam and I went to a big club right in the city-center called THE GEORGE. It was great. We got there at 10:30 and left around 1. But even then, people were still first coming in. So next time, I will definitely start later. The music was good, but there could have been a little more variety. In any event, I can't wait to go back.
Today, Karen and I did some shopping. There are loads of department stores, and they all carry GAP brand clothing, but there are no GAP stores. Hmm. There was a store called EVAN'S...and apparantly I sell plus-sized women's formal-wear. Ahh Irony.
New city, new people, new things. It's wonderful.
I went with Karen and what's turning into a great little group: Sara Lisa Lauren and Lauren. The building is newly renovated and completely interactive. They have a giant pit of barley to touch, a pure waterfall, and full size replicas of all the machines, barrels, transports, everything and anything related to Guinness.
My favorite tidbit: Arthur Guinness took a 9000 year lease on the property of the distillery and storehouse. NINE THOUSAND YEARS! That's Crazy! And they have the original signed lease encased in glass. My other favorite part was the advertising museum, where all of the company's campaigns and artwork are on display, as well as every series of holiday commemorative mini delivery trucks. I'm pretty sure it's like the HESS trucks here. One every year, available at a gas station near you.
The BEST part of the whole trip though was, hands down, when I got to start the brew. Every 90 minutes, one lucky person is chosen to go live on camera to the factory control room and start a new brew. I talked the lady into letting me do it! It was awesome. A huge crowd gathers, and we did a little interview, everyone starts counting down, and when the signal comes, I smashed a giant red START button. The best part is, in about a month, Guinness emails me and tells me where in the world MY batch was sent. It could be anywhere. Tanzania, here I come.
Twice along the self-guided tour route can you sample the goods. The first is about half way, where if you want, you can try a newly brewed half-pint. Really, I think it's just to relax at the half way point (7 floors of learning!). But when you come to the end, you arrive at the Gravity Bar, a glass-enclosed circular bar on the roof of the building, where everyone gets a complimentary pint. With enough light, you really can see that it's a deep red. This was the first time I saw the city from above. There are no extremely tall buildings, but perhaps they are on their way. What strikes you instantly is the abundance of construction sites and huge cranes. Every city has cranes in the skies, but there are so many here, they really stick out.
Saturday night, after dinner, my friend Sam and I went to a big club right in the city-center called THE GEORGE. It was great. We got there at 10:30 and left around 1. But even then, people were still first coming in. So next time, I will definitely start later. The music was good, but there could have been a little more variety. In any event, I can't wait to go back.
Today, Karen and I did some shopping. There are loads of department stores, and they all carry GAP brand clothing, but there are no GAP stores. Hmm. There was a store called EVAN'S...and apparantly I sell plus-sized women's formal-wear. Ahh Irony.
New city, new people, new things. It's wonderful.
posted by Evan at 6:13 PM
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