Alas, I had to see for myself that this is not a nightmare come true, but a harsh price reality. Just as vacationers arriving at Crimean resorts become convinced of the deep chasm between the service and the pricing policy of local health resorts. The same can be observed in today's Ireland, this "Celtic dragon" that has lost a bit of its agility but is still dynamically straining at the traces, which created a semblance of an economic miracle in the 1990s. Along with the prosperity that fell on people's heads and into family coffers (and within just one decade) came creeping inflation, previously unheard-of expensiveness, and involuntary hoarding.
Judge for yourself. Just one telling detail. With the zeal of neophytes taking up the fight for a healthy lifestyle, the Irish introduced a smoking ban on March 29 in workplaces, public transport, drinking establishments, and restaurants. From now on, if anyone dares to cross the line enshrined in the law, let them fork out, you won't believe it, as much as three thousand euros. Even in cleanliness-obsessed New York, you'd pay less for dropping a candy wrapper on the lawn. And all because "prosperity has come to the family"...
So don't say you weren't warned. Especially since if not all, then many roads today lead to Ireland, this peculiar park of the Celtic period, which is turning at an uncontrollable speed into a pan-European tourist attraction. Last year, the increase in visiting guests was 4%. This year it will exceed six. The hotel business has entered a phase of rapid warming: the number of beds in Dublin alone will soon grow by 15%. The capital's hotel "Buswells", which I had liked even earlier and which underwent reconstruction in 2000, almost nestled against the parliament building (the Dail), must be experiencing its third youth, like other inns that give temporary shelter to weary travelers laden with cameras.
Local optimists, probably by virtue of their duties, claim that as soon as the number of seats and beds grows, hotel rates will fall and this will please the wallets of potential visitors. Hard to believe. The consultancy and analytical agency "Forfás" last year pointed to the exceptionally high value-added tax and indirect taxation, which contributed to an unprecedented rise in all prices in Ireland. Transport tariffs, rental costs for housing, and retail prices for alcohol and tobacco have also "gotten heavier". The greed of restaurateurs and owners of similar service establishments has manifested itself in all its unbridledness. The result was disappointing: on average, consumer prices in Ireland are 12% higher than in other eurozone countries.
The head of Forfás, Martin Cronin, was not afraid to predict: "It is quite obvious that Ireland's too rapid entry into the group of the most expensive European states could pose a serious threat to maintaining the pace of economic development it has achieved in recent years." But maybe the transition to a single currency is to blame? At home gatherings and in office smoking rooms in many EU countries, voices of disappointed consumers were heard, for whom the introduction of the euro instead of, say, the familiar drachma or even the German mark turned out to be a powerful left-right hook to the household budget. Apparently, the Irish are no exception - superficial observers assumed, but they were mistaken.
The bill presented for an overflowing cart of groceries collected by BBC correspondent Shane Harrison from the shelves of the "Superquinn" store in a northern suburb of Dublin did not differ much from the figures on a similar receipt last year. Although on the whole, price tags had to be rewritten. The reason, the deputy director of this supermarket chain, Eamon Quinn, is convinced, is transport costs, many goods are delivered from abroad, as well as the noticeably increased wages of Irish workers. The swollen wallet, which, in the words of Shukshin's Yegor Prokudin, burns a hole in the pocket, forces one to spend more, consequently creating pressure of effective demand in the market. Where are prices to go except to crawl along the curve upward following the appetites of the nouveau riche?
In the popular Dublin pub "Maguires", overlooking the banks of the River Liffey, a pint of Guinness has climbed to 4.1 euros. Rather expensive, admits manager Kevin Marren. No, it's not about the euro, he shakes his head. It's about taxes and duties imposed not by the EU headquarters in Brussels, but by the native government of the Irish Republic. For example, a half-liter can of Guinness beer costs 2.09 euros here, while in France only 1.32 euros. Fergal Quinn, executive director of the Superquinn chain, gives the most illustrative example: in France, for a bottle of sparkling wine, the state takes 6 euro cents for itself, while in Ireland you need to count out 2.05 euros. Feel the difference! The same explains a piquant detail: sunscreen somewhere in Saint-Tropez, on the scorched, toasted Côte d'Azur, costs half as much as on the island, which is stingier with sunny days. A certain Frank, caught by my English colleague on the way out of the supermarket, complained about the high VAT on alcoholic products. And jokingly concluded: "Perhaps it's time to move to Saint-Tropez."
The only thing the euro has brought with it into everyday Irish reality is an acutely jealous feeling: aren't we overpaying? According to Dermott Jewell, who heads the Irish Consumers' Association, "many Irish people have become more scrupulously studying price tags and thinking about what costs what."
Of course, the reference to taxes hardly consoles those who are forced to compare their own life with that of their neighbors, once again becoming convinced that all are equal, but some are more equal than others. And yet, do not shift from foot to foot if your path leads to the far west of Europe, to the land of castles from mossy gray boulders, neatly trimmed emerald-green hills, ecologically pure and well-prepared food, Celtic mystical detachment and simple-hearted folk humor. Feel free to pack your travel bag, but remember: Ireland, like most states in the sublunary world, is a country of contrasts, and you will see that this is not a well-worn cliché.
By the way, in 2002 half of the growth in Irish exports came from one product — a miracle elixir in tablet form that affects male potency. There will be no problems with Viagra; it cannot be called scarce, but you won't find contraceptives in this child-loving country with a lantern in broad daylight, let alone at night, no matter how hard you try. In Ireland, which is far more devoutly Catholic than Italy, this diabolical invention is not recognized, because it contradicts the original and highest purpose — procreation. However, the traveling public, if it does go to Ireland, does so with a different set of expectations and anticipations than to Saint-Tropez or Ibiza. By the way, for the third year in a row, in the annual globalization index compiled by the American magazine "Foreign Policy" and the consulting firm "A.T. Kearney", Ireland ranks first. For what? For "maintaining the highest level of economic ties and human contacts with the rest of the world." In short, Ireland is in any case worth the trip, but just don't say later that you weren't warned...