Closed for the Holidays

It's December 26th, which means... well, not a lot for those of you reading this from the States. Here in Dublin, however, today is St. Stephen's Day, which means... well, it's another day when everything in town is closed. And by everything, I mean everything.

As you may have surmised, I stayed in town over the holiday weekend and I have to say, I've never seen a place shut down so completely. Stores were closed, which is a given, but there wasn't anyone on the streets. It was like a ghost town. Even the homeless panhandlers packed up their stuff and left for greener pastures.

Walking around the city over the past two days was one of the strangest experiences I've ever had. In the states, you can always find someone out and about, and can always count on a 7-11 or Store 24 being open to provide you with those last minute essentials you need. But here, that's not the case.

What was even more amazing than the last two days, however, was Saturday night. My buddy Ernest and I went out to Temple Bar to grab a couple of pints since neither of us had any other plans for the evening. Now, Temple Bar is always jam packed. I've never been there when you didn't have to push through the drunken crowds in order to get into one of the hundreds of completely packed pubs. It's a fun time, if you're in the right mood.

But on Saturday, even Temple Bar was quiet. The Porterhouse, a local joint that features great beer and live music, was essentially empty. There were maybe 30 people in the whole five-story pub, and the only tunes were the best of '80's hits being pumped through the sound system. All in all, not the most exciting night I've spent on the town.

Speaking of nights out, I'm sure I'll have few better ones in the coming days, as I'm meeting my sister Paula in Barcelona for New Year's. Hopefully, I'll remember to post.