planetdan

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 :::

A Bonanza of Ireland Pictures!

We did lots of stuff. We didn't sleep or stay sober much, but we did see castles and villages and cliffs and pubs and leprechauns and harps and fairy bushes and all that celtic jazz. I can't thank Cherry Nut enough for the invitation, so thanks Cherry Nut. Thank you thank you thank you.

There isn't really any commentary on the pics, but here is a list of the things we did, and you can apply them to whatever pictures you want:

1. Stayed up for almost two days straight traveling and then walked the city of Dublin
2. Drank Bailey and Coffees at our first pub, called Pete's, where the soups of the day were Turnip Barley and Beef & Veg
3. Drank fresh Irish beers at a pub called Quay's and listened to a troubadour strum the latest hits by Coldplay
4. Saw the hotel that Bono owns
5. Had a sing-along or two
6. Saw the Book of Kells at Trinity College
7. Took pictures in a library where photography was prohibited
8. Drank lotsa Guinesses
9. Ate Fois Gras
10. Took a train ride across the country while experiencing the worstest hangover evar
11. Visited towns and villages like Limerick, Ennis and Howth
12. Did the Welchman Two-Fist
13. Drank at more than one pub called O'Donoghues
14. Saw Malahide Castle, where apparently no one was ever murdered
15. Slept at Dromoland Castle, where apparently no one was ever murdered
16. Learned to play snooker
17. Saw a doorway accessories store called Knobs and Knockers
18. Discovered that Europeans have their own equivalent to the Dollar Store, called the 2 Euro Store
19. Was serenaded by three Irish tenors, one who sang Danny Boy
20. Heard a jazz band massacre a Radiohead song
21. Saw the Cliffs at Moher where we wished for less wind
22. Swam at the castle pool
23. Took a steam with Kroggy
24. Drank 15 year old Irish Whiskey at the Four Seasons, and also partook of an authentic Irish Coffee
25. Spent way too much time in the Atlanta ~~armpit~~ err, airport

There was more, too. I'm sure bits and pieces will come back to me as time goes on.

::: posted by dan at 3:45 PM :: [ link ] :: (37) comments

Comments are Closed On this Post

37 previous comments:

I am boycotting looking at your stupid pictures since I didn't get to go. Sounds like you had fun tho'. Bitches.

PS Haven't you already seen a fairy bush?

By

brent, at 4:18 PM

Is that papaya supposed to represent the ice porpoise’s vagina?

By

Erik, at 4:32 PM

Dan! Do you know how fois gras is made? Farmers force feed baby geese with corn, shoving the feed into their tiny stomachs with long tubes. Then allow the stomach to digest for a few hours. Then they kill the sweet baby geese and remove their innards (stomach and intestines) shove that in a jar and bake it. Et Voila! The delicacy: fois gras!

I used to live in the Fois Gras Capital of the World, Thiviers, France. I had the privilege of touring their facilities.

Hope you thought it was super yummy!

By

JessicaB, at 4:52 PM

Oh how fun! Welcome home Dan (and K-mack and Cherry nut!)

By

Christine, at 5:29 PM

PS I LOVE foie gras as uncaring as that is.

By

Christine, at 5:32 PM

Now that looked like a fun trip. That would have totally been my kind of vaca. The art and architecture, gardens and landscape. Yep. Much better than where I was. Which was yucky.

By

Colleen, at 5:40 PM

foie gras sounds really gross.

By

Colleen, at 5:41 PM

I thought foie gras was the liver of said force fed baby geese...

By

Anonymous, at 5:57 PM

http://www.goveg.com/feat/foie/

I'm sad to hear you ate foie gras and then bragged about it on your blog. And I used to think you were sort of cool.

Torturing animals for our taste-bud pleasure just sucks and is unnecessary. Pretentious eaters.

By

Anonymous, at 7:13 PM

Do they have trailer parks in Ireland?

By

sweets-n-scotch, at 9:53 PM

Glad to hear your trip was good. I'm seriously going to have to go some day.

Hey anon, I don't believe he was bragging, just stating. And both jessicab and anon. I've already gone veg and been veg for a decade, the one thing I've learned is that freedom of choice works both ways. You don't want to eat meat and you don't want to be harrassed because of your choices, wonderful - me too. No one else wants to be harrassed for their choices either. Cramming your message down peoples throats (sorry for the analolgy) and being militant only makes people less receptive and it gives the whole veg community a bad rap.

By

Gwenhwyfar, at 11:46 PM

It strikes me as a little odd that someone who lived in the Fois Gras Capital of the world and toured their facilities doesn't seem to know much about the technical aspects of Fois Gras.

As most of us know, and is explained on the anti-Fois Gras website referenced earlier, the forced feedings are not done for several hours, but many days. Usually 14 for duckies and 28 for little gooseys.

I have no idea what is done with the stomach and intestines, but they are not involved in Fois Gras. Fois Gras is made from the liver that has been pathologically fattened by the forced feedings. In humans, a fatty liver is called hepatosteatosis. In ducks and geese, it is simply called delicious.

By

Erik, at 5:42 AM

In fact, we have 1 euro shops. These Irish bastards know how to steal the tourist by fastly building 2 euro shops when they sea them coming at the end of the street.

By

Eurotrashula, at 5:54 AM

it's official. cherry nut is hot!

as seen in day5 #9040 and 9032

yowza!

By

Anonymous, at 8:20 AM

There is such a thing as vegetarian foie gras. Making it involves force-feeding vegetarians then having their vomit float in the ocean for years. Looks like gallstones and has a slightly garlicky aroma.

You went to *two* Irish castles where no one was murdered? Not even a defenestration? How statistically improbable is that?

By

Anonymous, at 10:01 AM

Looks like Cherry Nut had a friend in 9154.

By

callmekidd, at 10:54 AM

Gwenhwyfar, this is the same anon poster who was hating on the foie gras...i'm simply stating my opinion. this is a public blog that allows a forum for others to comment. therefore i am exercising my right to comment.

i didn't say dan (or anyone for that matter) shouldn't eat foie gras. i'm saying i think you suck if you do. that's all.

p.s. listing eating something on a trip is like bragging. notice he didn't mention eating celery or peanuts.

neener neener neener :)

By

Anonymous, at 6:47 PM

Forget Paris...I think there is a Bachelor in Ireland!

By

molly, at 8:15 PM

I love how everyone ignores the fact that animals are a few steps below us on the food chain. I don't care how it was made if it tastes good. If it was the liver of say old people or something I'd be upset.

Dan, I love how everyone uses your blog to voice that they are smarter/cooler than everyone else. Oh, wait... I just did it too...

By

the other sarah, at 9:16 PM

Dan, you would make a great poster boy for AA! Seriously, I am still willing to be your sponsor. I don't feel threatened by alcoholic homosexuals.

By

Anonymous, at 10:05 PM

hey wait a minute.. That is Jackson/Hartsfield armpit, not Atlanta!! I know, I live here, well not in the airport, but in Atlanta. It's the armpit of the world thank you very little, we are proud of the fact that it smells really bad and is scury to walk through it. I mean, come on, check out our new slogan. http://www.atlopen.com/, every day is opening day here in the Atl, what ever the hell that means.

By

TracyD, at 9:29 AM

O, forgot to mention that Atlanta spend $3million on that slogan and "song" that goes along with it and it SUCKS!!

By

TracyD, at 9:33 AM

Great pics! Cherry Nut looks good. Do you have any pictures of her naked? I’m sorry that what rude. I apologize. I'll never ask again. How about topless??

By

Nate Dogg, at 12:08 PM

But seriously, Dan, some top notch photography in that bunch. 8895 is very pleasing to me.

By

callmekidd, at 12:44 PM

I went to Amsterdam at the same time you were in Ireland - also thru Atlanta.
When you were in Amsterdam, did you stay at the Best Western Eden ? I looked at your Amsterdam pictures, and the bedspread was the same...
I know, weird thing to notice...

By

Lolly, at 2:52 PM

We did stay at the BW Eden!!! Fancy huh?? Perhaps you slept in the same bed PlanetDan once slept in. Such a small world!

So...next time your in Ireland, it was room 205 at the Dromoland Castle, 312 if you are at all interested in my accommodations. Probably not.

By

Kristina, at 3:05 PM

So, Sarah wouldn't mind being chomped by a gator since she's lower on the food chain than him? Good logic!

Cons: Fois gras is sad.
Pros: Fois gras is used on Iron Chef all the time.

And, geese are mean. Ducks are cool, though.

By

Not a Vegetarian, at 5:42 PM

At least the goose's liver was worth something. When you die of alcohol poising as a result of your uncontrollable lifestyle of which you are a prisoner, your liver will be worth absolutely nothing because you will have ruined it. Sad.

By

Anonymous, at 9:19 PM

How much weight did you gain with all that beer?? Your tummy is looking a wee bit poochy Dan. You are a lucky guy to have a great friend that will take you half way across the world with her. Great pictures..why so many of that cliff? What happened there? Jill

By

Anonymous, at 9:49 PM

Are ya'll done talking about the foie gras yet? Because I want to hear more about fairy bush. Pretty please ... with a cherry nut on top. :-)

By

elkit, at 10:38 PM

If memeory serves, nobody cared for the fois gras, if we had been served turtle poop soup, I bet it would have been mentioned as well.

By

Kristina, at 9:27 AM

oh, wow. it looks like you have fungs.

By

Roba, at 9:39 AM

With friends like Jill - who needs enemies. But you are looking a wee bit heavy now. I like my mens a little soft though

By

Anonymous, at 9:35 PM

Day one (specifically picture 8752) did they force you to wear really thin green sweaters when you got off the plane or do you really own something that sheer?

By

Anonymous, at 9:40 PM

That green sweater was regrettable. It seemed opaque when I put it on. Turns out it's not. Oh well.

And Roba, I hope that is a typo of "fangs" and not "fungus".

By

dan, at 11:07 PM

Hehe, yes, fungus it is..

By

Roba, at 1:20 PM

I know what foi gras is and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Furthermore I have been to places like France and have been to tours of the foi gras farms. They are treated much better than you think and better than US chickens and turkeys. I had a personal tour and the ducks are dumb they eat what they want until the last month where they do feed by tube but I witnessed it in person and the ducks are not unhappy at all. They are like goldfish in that they love to eat and yes their liver is expanded but they are not treated badly. At least the farms I have seen in France. I commented to him that he could sell more as he had room but he replied," I am happy with my fixed amount I do every year and when they sell out they gone". Maybe US duck farms with our capitalistic tendencies over cram the ducks per square feet and that should be changed, but to outlaw them is NOT right!

Foi gras should be available to anyone whom wants to eat it. The ducks if treated like the farms I visited in France are not treated in humanly. I feel we should make every efforts in making sure all duck farms treat their ducks correctly but not ban them at all! The ducks I witnessed are treated like royalty and only their last month do they get fed twice a day with a tube and believe me they are not suffering.

I will make every effort to educate people that foi gras is a great food and that the ducks are not treated badly! I think ignorant people are taking it to the extreme and should be ashamed at your tactics and misrepresentation of foi gras!

By

Al, at 4:34 PM

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