The Most Expensive Pub Crawl: UK & Dublin

It’s difficult to talk about England, Ireland, and Scotland without mentioning pubs. It’s a part of their history and culture. So, this week in the "How Did I Get Here?" series I’m talking about the pubs I visited on my 5-week journey throughout the British Isles.

The Curlew in Dorset, England.In 32 days I visited 46 pubs in 8 different cities. It should be noted that I went to many of these pubs more than once. This became the most expensive pub crawl ever. This wasn’t my intention at the start of my vacation but it truly is what made my trip so memorable.

Pubs throughout the UK and Ireland are not just a place where you stop in for a pint. They are the town square. You meet old friends and new, share stories, debate, and support your local teams. Even though pubs and pub culture is slowly dying, it is still the heart of the cities and towns that they occupy.

Greyfriars Bobby's Bar in Edinbugh.I was a single woman travelling alone and I can tell you I met some characters. I met 71 people on my trip, only 13 of them were woman, and almost all of them I met in pubs. I should mention that I’m an old man magnet, which was fine with me because they had some of the best stories.

Here is my “best of” list for the pubs I visited on this trip:

• Best Pub/Bar name: The Nice and Sleazy, Glasgow. This technically is more of a bar than a pub but what a great name! They are known for their live music. Glasgow was the only city I got lost in on my tour of the British Isles.

• Best Bartenders: The Foggy Dew, Dublin. These guys took very good care of me and I would check in with them once a day. They kept me away from the weirdos and even gave me a Foggy Dew t-shirt on my last night in Dublin. Which I somehow lost before I made it back to my hostel.

• Most difficult pub name to pronounce: Uisge Beatha, Glasgow. Pronounced "oos-ga BAY-uh," this place is known for it's whisky and the bartenders don kilts. I met a lovely man named Angus there who shared his knowledge of Glasgow with me.

• Best story behind the name of a pub: Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, Edinburgh. The story goes that John Gray, an Edinbugh policeman, had a beloved Skye Terrier named Bobby. In 1858, John Gray died and was buried in Greyfriars churchyard. His loyal dog Bobby visited his masters grave every day for 14 years, until his own death. They also have a fabulous ploughman's lunch.

• Most ornate pub: The Philharmonic, Liverpool. This isn't your ordinary pub, it's very posh. Apparently, the men's bathroom is something to see. The bartender, Dave from Texas, offered to let me see it if I came back the next afternoon. I didn't get a chance to go back. According to my "Let's Go" guidebook, "John Lennon once said that the worst thing about being famous was not being able to get a quiet pint at the Phil."

Here is the full list of the pubs I visited on my amazing pub crawl.

By spending time in the pubs and immersing myself in pub culture I learned more about the cities I was visiting than I could from a guidebook. The locals are the best source of information about places to go and things to do.

There was only one time when I felt slightly insulted. I was at a pub in Inverness, Scotland when two locals came over to talk to me. They said that I must be "common." I responded with, "Um, no! Thank you very much, but I'm certainly not common." They were actually commenting on the fact that I was drinking a pint, a full pint.

This was the 3rd week of my trip and I had been drinking full pints everywhere I went. It was a bit late to find out that as a woman I should be drinking a half pint, a full pint is unlady-like. I explained to these "gentlemen" that I was not going to wait for service twice for the same amount of beer, lady-like or not.

Oh, there is one more memorable pub on my "best of" list:

The pub that changed my life: The Rat and Parrot, Holland Park, London. This pub doesn't exist anymore, it's now called The Mitre. But this is where I met my husband. Yes, I met my husband in a pub in London. 

This is The Rat and Parrot pub in Holland Park, London. This is where I met my husband.The series of events that led me to finding this pub, coupled with the difficulties my now-husband and me had in getting to know each other, are quite astounding. It may make you believe in fate. Or some other fantastic occurrence.

Come back next Monday for the full story of how I met my husband.

Read Part I: How Did I Get Here?

Read Part III: How I Met My Husband

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Here we are at the last weekend in August and it stills feels like we never had a real summer. I think it’s actually time to embrace autumn and put the shorts and t-shirts away and pull out the sweatshirts. I mean, the cider mills are opening!

Weekend Roundup

1. Yates Cider Mill - This lovely cider mill in Rochester Hills is my favorite in the area, I've been going here since I was a kid. So line up for your cider and donuts and take a walk on the trail. Opens August 29th.

2. Michigan State Fair - I haven't been to the State Fair since I was a child but the smell of malt vinegar on french fries always brings back those memories. Rides, livestock, food, and entertainment. August 28th through September 7th.

3. 4th Fridays with Ford - Enjoy concerts in Campus Martius througout the day topped off with a showing of the movie Purple Rain at dusk. August 28th.

4. Hockeyfest 2009 - Hockey season is right around the corner and this interactive festival will get Detroit Red Wings fans excited. August 28th & 29th.

5. Leon & Lulu's Artists' Market - I absolutely love this store and this weekend they are showcasing local artists. There will also be entertainment and skating waiters! August 30th & September 1st.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

How Did I Get Here?

Well, before I can tell you how I got here you need to know how I got there.

On Loch Ness in Scotland.I remember sitting in the Berry Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport and seeing the sign in the departure lounge that said London. British Airways flight 202, Detroit Metro to London Heathrow. "This is my flight. I’m actually going abroad!"

The terminal looked like it should be in Beirut. I mean, the duty free shop wasn’t even open. Actually, nothing was open and it looked like this terminal hadn’t been used in years. My flight was the one lonely flight leaving the terminal. It was a ghost town.

Trinity College, DublinBut each time I looked up at that sign, I smiled. “I’m on my way to London! Me. I’m going to the UK for 5 weeks.” Seriously? Even though I was 33, I felt like a giddy schoolgirl going on her first date. How did this happen? How did I get here?

I moved from Chicago to metro Detroit in September of 1999. And, as I mentioned before, I didn’t really get out of my circle. Bloomfield, Troy, Birmingham, Bloomfield, Troy, Birmingham.

In early December of 2002, I talked with some of my friends about this. Or, actually, they told me that I don’t really go anywhere. I was in a rut.

Then I went to a lavish Christmas party. At the party there was a Motown band, Santa Claus, Suzy Snowflake, and psychics. Actually, there were four psychics offering readings.

I got a reading from all four of the psychics. Two of them mentioned my lack of going anywhere, that I didn’t venture far from home. I know, they could have said this to anyone, but they said it to me. And I was already thinking it myself.

The last nudge I needed happened on New Years Eve 2002. An older friend of mine, who didn’t know me very well, also mentioned that I should travel. Of course, he meant New York City, but it put the wheels in motion.

The next day I made my New Years Resolution for 2003: I needed to go somewhere. I immediately started researching online. I had decided to go to the UK & Dublin for 3 weeks. There were so many cities I wanted to see and so much I wanted to experience, I didn’t know if I would ever get to do this again. This was a once in a lifetime trip.

Picadilly Circus, LondonI finally figured out that I couldn’t fit all of my chosen destinations into 3 weeks. "Ok, maybe I’ll go for 4 weeks," I thought. I told this to my parents and my dad's reaction was, “Your life is a vacation! Why do you need a 4 week vacation?” That sealed my fate.

I went back to the computer and bought the ticket. Five weeks it is, then!

That was January 16, 2003. My trip was scheduled for March 25 to April 29th. It may take me forever to make a decision but when I do, I make it happen.

I looked at that sign that said London one last time before boarding the plane. I still couldn’t believe that I was going on this fantastic vacation.

What I didn’t realize then was that any decision you make, whether big or small, can change the course of your life.

I didn’t know that I would never see my Grandma alive again. Or, that I would meet the man I would fall in love with and eventually marry. The course of my life changed as soon as I stepped on that plane.

Read Part II in this series: The Most Expensive Pub Crawl: UK & Dublin

Read Part III in this series: How I Met My Husband

At Dick O'Dow's with Ronnie James Dio

"Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name."

Yesterday was one of those days for me. It was a rough one. And I did just want to go somewhere where everyone knows my name.

For me, that place is Dick O’Dow's in Birmingham, Michigan. I started hanging out there in 1999 and the owner, bartenders, and managers are not just staff; they’re my friends.

Dick O'Dows Irish Pub in Birmingham, Michigan.And that was exactly what I needed to take a break from my worries. But who would have thought it was actually going to be my husband whose night would take a turn in a great direction.

As soon as we walked into the bar, my husband spotted him. It was one of his rock gods, one of his heavy metal heroes, Ronnie James Dio.

Now, I wouldn’t normally let my husband talk to celebrities when they are out enjoying themselves. I think that is one reason so many sports stars and rock gods like the place. Nobody bothers them.

But, the manager and our friend, Tom, asked my husband if he would like to be introduced. Of course, the husband said yes.

Dick O'Dow's slogan is, "A drink comes before a story." Ronnie and my husband shared many stories. They talked and talked and talked. At one point I went over to save Ronnie and asked him if my husband was chatting too much. Ronnie said no, that it was he who was bending my husband’s ear.

They talked about the band Rainbow and Ronnie’s time with Black Sabbath. Ronnie told him that he has total respect for Ozzy Osbourne as an artist. They talked about cars and how Ronnie owned some real shitty cars for a celebrity. His favorite car was a Mini Cooper S 1300, the old version that you don’t see around here much but are plentiful in England.

Turns out they have a mutual friend and they talked about that. They wouldn’t stop talking! Ronnie said the economy was also affecting his business and remarked that AC/DC couldn’t even fill The Palace of Auburn Hills last weekend.

Ronnie said that he loves Birmingham and he likes my little local pub, Dick O’Dow's, as well.

Needless to say, my husband was over the moon.

My husband, me, my brother, and Ronnie James DioIt was a great night out and Ronnie was amazing to both my husband and me. He offered to buy us a round of drinks and we declined. But the fantastic thing was that he didn’t just say goodbye when he was leaving. He hugged us and kissed me on the cheek. He said, “God bless.” Truly, a class act.

I am a regular at Dick O’Dow's because of the staff but I also meet the most incredible, down to earth people there. And celebrity or not, Ronnie James Dio, fits into that category.

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Woosh! And there it went. Summer is almost over, can you believe it? Did we really have a summer this year? I’ve already seen autumnal plants out at the stores and before we know it we’re going to be carving pumpkins and singing Christmas carols. Come on, you know it’s true.

So, we better enjoy the sun and the last days of summer while we still can.

Photo by Mark MooreWeekend Roundup

1. Selfridge Air Show - This open house and air show will have dozens of aircraft and technology displays and the featured performers are the USAF Thunderbirds. Best of all, it’s free! August 22 & 23.

2. Michigan Renaissance Festival - Travel back in time to the 16th century and enjoy jousting, food, and entertainment. August 22nd through October 4th.

3. Armada Fair - Billed as the best little country fair in Michigan, it offers a tractor & truck pull, a petting farm, and carnival rides. Now through August 23rd.

4. 99.5 WYCD Beach Bash at Ford Field - If country music is your thing, this is the place to be. This is the party before the Kenny Chesney show. August 22nd.

5. The Village of Rochester Hills' Back 2 School Bash - Bring new school supplies and non-perishable food items for a chance to win Village gift cards and other prizes. There will also be a 25 foot rock wall and other family friendly activities. August 22nd.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!