January 1, 2008 was a momentous day in France. It was the day that the "Defense de Fumer" ban in the restaurants, cafes, bistros and all public eating establishment went into effect. Hallelujah! It's safe to say that I'm an obnoxious no smoker - and that's a hard thing to be in Paris because everyone smokes, considering I'm the foreigner and I'm in their country (you know, when in Rome...) The popular bar located four doors down from our apartment on rue Saint Dominique, O'Brien's Irish Pub, was always rockin' and rollin'. And they always had loads of people, young people, watching the football (rugby) games on the 4 large screen TV's placed strategically in the bar area so no matter where you sat, you had a birdseye view of the action. It always looked like so much fun.
My heart was beating with anticipation when I finally took my first step inside. It was so great to cozy up to the bar, raise my hand to order a brewsky (or two or three ...) and know that when I went home that night my eyes wouldn't be blood red, I wouldn't have to hang my underwear out the window to air it out, and that I could go to bed without first washing the stink out of my hair. O'Brien's had just finished their remodel and the whole place looked great and was packed with fans of football who were cheering on their local team favorites. And with the dollar being worth close to nothing, the reduced prices for drinks on Thursday nights is a welcome enticement for further patronage. And just think, such a short "commute" home ... only three doors away. No designated driver needed, thank you very much.
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