Guidebooks are notoriously inaccurate. That’s one of many
things I’ve learned throughout my travels. They incorrectly state the opening hours
of main attractions. They give many sights an undeserved build-up. They unjustly decry others as not worth
visiting. Guidebooks also make or break reputations.
Countries have reputations as well. As I researched my long
weekend in Ireland, one travel guide conceded that Ireland is one country which
evokes high expectations. The travel manual was correct in this supposition.
After five months in Wroclaw I was ready for a change. My vision of the Emerald
Isle certainly qualified.
A friend and I decided to spend a few days in the country. The shock began shortly after arrival in Dublin. The reception at our hotel was a pub’s bar. This was convenient. However, it was also the beginning of sticker shock. I enjoyed a couple of ales as I waited for my friend’s arrival. Each was almost 5 Euros.
You don’t get more
for your money either. One is expected to pay through the nose for services of medieval
quality. On buses you’re expected to have exact change. The fare depends on your destination. Bus drivers are far from patient. Attractions
and food are also far from cheep.
Ireland has a reputation for friendly locals. We had a mixed
experience. On the street, many will offer to give you directions. The natives can be downright abrasive when
acting in a professional capacity. We got lost on our way to Kirkham Jail. Some
off-shift construction workers offered to help us find our way. We tried again to board public transport. Company employees yelled at us when
we failed unwittingly to join an unnecessarily single-file line.
Our guidebook highly recommended the Guinness ‘Storehouse’
as a top attraction. It was one of the stupidest sights I’d ever seen. I’ve
visited actual breweries before. This exhibit displayed computer generated models
of the beer’s elaboration. The company attempted to sell you something at every
step of the process.
That evening I returned to the hotel’s reception-bar. Some Brits
asked if they could join me as they polished off a bottle of wine. We discussed
pubs and culture in Ireland and UK. Prices have generally skyrocketed in Ireland since it joined the Eurozone. My British
acquaintances informed me that UK is now less expensive in many cases. I also asked them why so many pubs are going
out of business. They pointed to a generational divide. My parent’s generation went to the local pub
to see friends. ‘You have your Ipads’ one of them told me. They mentioned the
economic situation as well. The era of easy credit is over. Going to a pub is
an unimportant luxury.
We headed for Cork after two days. The guidebook asserted that
the city was of interest. It turned out
to be a boring version of Pasadena. After ringing the bells at the ‘Four Faced Liar’
clock tower there was nothing left to
do. The guidebook negatively described Ireland’s famous Blarney Castle.We decided to go anyway for lack of a better idea.
It turned out to be the best sight we saw on the entire
trip. For some reason, the day was light on tour groups. It isn’t just a castle with a famous stone. We enjoyed walking its extensive grounds. I’ve
read that there are more impressive sights in Ireland’s country side.
Maybe the guide books were partially correct. Perhaps we saw the wrong parts of Ireland. Its reputation may be defined by the countryside.
But, that is not the Ireland I saw.
My flight back to Poland was full. Mostly with emigrants returning
to visit their families. A middle-aged Polish lady joined me as I looked up the night bus schedule near the airport. She explained that she could barely speak English
as she bought her ticket from an automat. She’d worked in an Irish factory for
8 years. We spoke Polish as the
communist-era ‘Jelcz’ bus lumbered through early morning Wroclaw. It was so
normal. Almost relaxing. I didn’t need a guidebook. I was home.
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