Before going out to party like it's 2003, we headed into Dublin for some more touring. Unfortunely, it ended up being another colder, rainy day.

To combat this, we went to a pub (a fine solution for most things) and tried the day's carvery (lunch buffet). Roast beef, three kinds of potatoes . . . good stuff. It was talking to the staff there, however, that I realized I was having an easier time understanding people in France than in either the UK or Ireland.

As an afternoon indoor activity, we headed to the Jameson's distillery, where we learned many times over that Irish whiskey is distinctive in that the malt is not smoked and the alcohol is distilled three times (as opposed to Scotch, smoked and distilled twice, or bourbon distilled once). The tour concludes with a tasting session. Apparently Bri got to be one of the tasters who all managed to choose an Irish whiskeys as their favourites. I came close to enjoying my sample of the stuff, which is to say I only wished I were drinking beer part of the time.

The drink of choice this New Year's Eve would be martinis prepared by Darren in his new shaker (Bri's thoughtful gift). We made it to Earth (Drogheda's other club) in time for the countdown, and were there for . . . a while? Laura was the star, taking shots and drinks from all sorts of people, breaking hearts and taking names.