You can call me anything just don't call me late to Dinner

Today we visited the Kilimanjaro jail, which was a very humbling experience. Paired with what I learned yesterday, I have a much better idea of the history here in Ireland that's not to say that 3 hours or tours can cover 100 years of history, but I do feel more knowledgeable about the "world" I'm in.

So that's the reflection part.... After the jail we went to the Guinness Store house. Being the beer nerd I am, I realized I was more inclined to tour at my own pace. After pouring my own pint and being called a "natural" I thought my trip to Ireland was complete. Turns out I still have some more things to learn! 

Since I was so slow in the tour I was separated from the group this was not a problem and in all honesty was almost to plan. After the storehouse, I had some time to kill so I went to Ireland's oldest pub - The Brazen Head, this was a very cool and authentic place where I was able to find my own place at the bar. After a half of pint or so I asked the local; " So are you from Dublin" and sure enough I had two friends for the next 3 hours. We talked US and Ireland travel, football, driving and politics for what seemed like hours, I was ready to ditch my dinner plans and see what else I could learn from these locals over a few pints! It wasn't until I told them I had to go after this last pint that things got funny. First off one guy took a call outside and didn't return back to the bar for his newly poured Guinness. While the other local and I made small talk he looked down at a new text on his phone and the with the next big swig of Guinness, both of them were gone. I thought it was just a case of when nature calls but 10-15 minutes later the bartenders were pretty adamant that "my friends" weren't coming back! I had to convince the waitstaff I had no real ties to these guys and they were just new acquaintances but nevertheless, I felt terrible for the waitstaff. I waited around some more time hoping they would return and cover their tab but I soon realized I was already late for my 6:00 dinner appointment so I cashed out with a generous tip and ran across town to the Boxy in Temple Bar to salvage the night having a great dinner with the Leadership group and some undergrad students from CO as well!

Long story short - the locals had some great knowledge and stories to share but you can never be too sure of who you are dealing with until sometime it is too late..