When my sister and I were in Dublin years ago we attempted to go into Temple Bar.  We made it about three feet inside before the wall of people threatened to consume us and all that we held dear.  We backed out, found a less crowded pub and dined on potato cakes.

But this time… oh, this time…  Kristen and I made it!

The journey was not without its bumps in the road.  Initially we were going to eat at another pub, since The Temple Bar seemed super crowded (again).  We walked into a place (I can’t remember the name, but it was right across the street) and sat down.

After sitting down we realized that this wasn’t what we were looking for.  The place was quiet and fancy, and we weren’t in the mood for quiet or fancy.  We wanted nachos and  beer and loud music and a hundred people talking at the same time. 

Then, Kristen did something I will forever thank her for.  She said “let’s leave”. 

If she hadn’t said it, I probably would have stayed there, eaten, and not enjoyed my meal as much.  But we were strangers, we weren’t in town long, and we were looking for something different.  So we left.

We walked across the street to The Temple Bar, wandered in through the crowds, through the many rooms that I did not know existed, and managed to find a small shelf/table with 2 stools near the smoking area.  I can’t stand cigarette smoke, but sitting there, in a crowded bar (even with an occasional waft of cigarettes) it was the experience I was looking for.

We ordered nachos and a pint of Guinness each.

The nachos had some kind of seasoning on them, and came with small sides of guacamole and a cilantro salsa.  They were good nachos, but the nacho scene in Halifax has forever ruined me.  There could have been more cheese (and they could have layered the cheese and nachos instead of only putting the cheese on top).  Also, there were a lot of nachos (they’d broken up a bit, so it was much denser than expected), so we had to be stingy with the guacamole and salsa.  Pretty filling, though.

Of course, I’m finding it hard to complain when I’m writing about sitting in a pub in Dublin. 

Also, I finally finished my Guinness!

Yes, I took a picture to prove it.  Yes, I’m a dork.  Kristen was still working on hers when I took the picture, but she finished her drink too!  We are Guinness champions!