Bean there. Done that.

It's been hanging over my head for too long now. My unreasonable desire to visit every Starbucks in Ireland. So I resolved to make the most of this blogging month and clear this thing up once and for all.

And I don't even like Starbucks anymore!

Anyway, a quick check of the store locations in ROI confirmed that the bux expansion across this land has seemed to have ground to a halt. Surely, with what seems like just two more stores to visit, I can achieve my goal.

So imagine my delight when my wife informed me that she was going to meet someone in the Lucan area of west Dublin. Aha!, I think. That's not far from Liffey Valley shopping centre, host to a *bux. I offered to drive my wife out to where she was going in exchange for my coffee excursion. She agreed as long as I took the three kids with me.

Now at this point I don't want to come across as melodramatic, but it was pouring with rain and there was no underground parking and the main car park was full so I had to park half way up the overflow car park and I had in tow with me a five, three and one year old (who was in a buggy with no rain cover - I can't believe my wife forgot to put that in the car!). After navigating several inviting puddles we made it to the mall. Now it's not a huge mall (like I said, I don't want to sound melodramatic), but I did traverse the length and breadth of the shopping centre, both high and low in search of my mediocre latte. The only way I was able to keep the three children quiet was to stuff their faces with chocolate. (I can't believe my wife forgot to tell me that the baby was too young for chocolate bars!)

Eventually I resorted to desperate measures and asked for assistance. I was told that the cafe was outside the mall and turn left. As I made my way in this pitiful pilgrimage an uneasy feeling started to develop in my stomach. My mind riffled through images filled away in my brain under folders marked 'Been there. Done that.'

Wait! What was the category of that folder?, I thought as I exited the mall and turned left.

Then I got visual confirmation.

Stink.