The Temple Bar area of Dublin is a wonderful place for walking, filled with shops and bars, and a fair amount of (strangely?) pharmacies, with their bright green cross shaped flourescent signs.

But, as we discovered, the Irish have a different concept of what should be found in a pharmacy. For example, there were often shelves and counter displays of sunblock products and sunglasses. Odd, we thought, for a country where sunshine and warm weather are not the norm. Possibly, it is wishful thinking?

What I was looking for though----cough drops and aspirin---proved elusive. Finally I found something called "Dispirin", which seemed like our familiar aspirin, but with a flavoring added.....just in case you want to chew them?

. The concept of the "cough drop" was difficult to get across, but after being told there was no such thing, I spotted some displayed below the cashier counter.

Even in our country, where products and stores go by familiar names, it can be difficult and time consuming to locate exactly what's needed. Vacation time is precious, and it's much better to be prepared for the little health issues that could come your way. And if you are prepared----you'll probably never need them.