Dublin

I stayed with the bride and groom at his mom's house for a couple of days afer the wedding. The newlyweds were meant to meet up with the bride's family at the Guinness museum for a tour and a few pints to celebrate a family friend's birthday. I had a few errands to run, so I decided to skip the tour and wander Dublin.

I had been to Dublin before, about 5 years ago in the winter. I did touristy things like the Guinness tour, and this ghost tour, which is a double decker bus that takes you to haunted places in Dublin. This time I wanted to get to know the city a bit. I ran my errands and proceeeded to walk Grafton Street--the "main drag," as it were.

One of the first things I noteiced was that the quality of music you find on the streets far exceeds that you find on Pac Ave, downtown Santa Cruz. One young man had set up an amp and was shredding on an electric guitar. There were two solo violinists, and a trio that conisted of a guitarist, violinist, standup basist, and three part harmonies--very impressive!

There was, of course, the odd man convincingly dressed like a statue, but what I found most interesting was the pseudotalent to be found in the streets of Dublin. I witnessed more than one person shaping a dog out of sand on a plastic sheet. As people pass by, they are no doubt awed by the talent, curious about the source of the sand, and nostalgic as they lose themselves in daydreams of tropical beaches with crystal blue water, perfect glassy waves, the sun on my face....where was I? Oh, yes! Naturally, I would throw some money into the hat of an artist who gave me a moment's peace and warmth in a bustling, gray city. However, upon further inspection, I noticed that these "sculptors" were standing proudly beside their unfinished work, NOT sculpting. Taking a break, you might suggest, and to the uninformed eye, that's precisely what they were doing. Passing by a few such "artists" multiple times revealed that the dog was always the same, and that no progress ever seemed to be made in it's construction!

I wouldn't have noticed this, but for the keen observation my friend, Amanda, (the bride) had made of a similar artist--a "painter" whom she had seen on numerous occasions, working meticulously on the same section of the same painting that was unfinished in the exact same sections every time she passed by. He would even go so far as to lick his finger and "smudge" the work--a very convincing ruse, indeed! I, unfortunately, did not have the opportunity to catch him in the act. I suppose he and the sand "sculptors" deserve props for their ingenuity, and in the case of the painter, he's certainly saving money by not actually buying materials. As for the sandmen, I say that if you're going to stand around all day mooching off tourists anyway, you may as well produce some art!

At least an argument could be made to throw a coin or two to the pseudoartists' cleverness. Explain how you might justify making a financial contribution to a man dressed as a vampire. Oh yes, it's true. In Temple Bar, at night, we witnessed a man dressed as a creature of the night--pointy ears and all! He would stay very still and wait for someone to get close, then grab them and make like he was actually going to bite them! I couldn't believe it. The worst part was, people were drunk enough (yes, I'm giving them the drink's influence as an excuse. I cling to the hope that sober individuals would choose differently)to be entertained by this to the point that this man was legitimatly making money doing it! Unbelievable...I've never seen anything like it.

Never a dull moment in Dublin, it seems. Very cool city, but I'm no city girl, and I found myself overstimulated after a few hours of walking around. Stephen's Green (the city's park) made for a perfect spot for a nap on the grass--though I kept dreaming I'd wake up to a torrential downpour.