Today started off quite modestly. While sitting in the hotel lobby and waiting for things to get going, I stared at these book sitting on the coffee table in front of me. Guess which one interested me most?

No, it’s not the chick one. I mean come on, did you really think that?

Anyway, today is St. Patrick’s Day- and while I’m not exactly sure what this really holiday means, I still love it. I tried to explain the date to my Cape Verdean counterparts- and they didn’t seem to care. “Okay strange naval officer lady, whatever you say….” is what I read on their faces when I told them this. And how can I blame them- I mean, look where they live:

This is not your stock rain and cloud cover that would encourage a holiday devoted to sitting in a pub and making sarcastic comments to others. Cape Verdeans drink, but their disposition is a bit sunnier- as you can imagine given their natural surroundings.

So I had been enjoying the day in my brain as I expected I would.  I seem to be the only person in this country who has any interest in Irish culture, and that’s totally cool. I’d almost forgotten about this quasi non-holiday until I was walking around the city this evening, in search of a new sim card for my phone. Then I was given plenty of reason to really love Mindelo:

Nevermind my snazzy PT gear- I was up on a mountain today.  My Cape Verdean friend again thought I was nuts when we stumbled across this pub and I asked him to take my picture. “You don’t understand,” I told him “Dakar has exactly zero Irish pubs!”

He humored me and we went inside. The decor was pretty non-descript, but perfect in a way that a true Irish pub should be. It is there to provide chairs, tables, beer mats and beer. Irish pub. Perfect.  

One exception: they did have one wall devoted to notable Irish people. I’m not sure how many people in Cape Verde can actually identify most of the portraits, but I was again excessively pleased to spot my favorite poet, Seamus Heaney displayed prominently.

It’s been a good day, and I can add yet another thing to the list that makes me really like Cape Verde. As you can see, it doesn’t take much to please me- but tonight’s time in an African Irish pub really makes me wonder why Dakar hasn’t cracked the code on this one.

Sláinte!