Dublin, Ireland is a lovely and loud, busy and boisterous town. It’s a city with a rather gloomy history, one that has rallied to become a tourist Mecca.  And it’s a capital town that clearly has full-blown drinking problem, not that anyone is complaining.

We arrived in Dublin around 3pm on a Wednesday, where the hustle and bustle of the day was in full force. The first thing I noticed was the plentiful bounty of buses on the main thoroughfares, dozens of coaches transporting people from Point A to Point B.

The second thing I noticed were the abundance of pubs, eateries and combo bar/restaurant/nightclubs.  This town knows how to throw down.  Irish folks were drinking and singing Irish tunes at 3pm just as loud as they were at 3am.  Quaint, narrow cobblestone side streets are lined with posh stores and coffee shoppes perfect for shopping and kibitzing.

We caught one of Dublin’s aforementioned hop-on, hop-off buses to get our bearings and the lay of the land. With 24 stops throughout the city, you’re never far from home, but it’s easy to get hopelessly lost.  Good thing the Irish have a decent sense of direction and can point you where to go — even when they’re drunk and disorderly.

Since museums are free in Ireland (and as commonplace as the afore-aforementioned bars), tourists can spend days on end familiarizing themselves with the back-story of Ireland. I can now discuss the history of peat bogs with the best of ‘em.

When I quizzed a young server about being from Dublin, she said, “Aye, I’m a Dubs.”  And then proceeded to tell me all the great places to go and party my ass off.  I was more inclined to walk next door to the Thai foot massage place.  Thanks to the endless uneven cobblestone streets, my hoofers were hurtin’.

Dublin, a city that’s steeped grandeur … and liquor.  And the world’s smallest showers.  More on that in my next blog.