Kiss Me, I'm Irish
Holy geeze, so much has happened in the last 5 days!!
So, Saturday the 14th:
Train delays on the way to airport
Try to rush through security, with my checked luggage cause the woman at the check-in said it was cool
Security doesn't think so, so I miss my flight
Pay double what my original flight cost to change the flight to the next one
Arrive in Dublin, easily get to Eetu's house
Upon arrival, am told there will be a big dinner at his place, and then we're going to a birthday party
Sweet! So, I change, am introduced to the Dublin CouchSurfing community (alive and very well), and we head to a pub to have cake and some drinks. Then a club.
I try Bulmers, which is Magners - and delicious - and am forced to drink Guiness, cause apparently it's different in Dublin, cause it's original. Still tastes like crap to me. Awful. Regardless, solid night after a rough day.
Sunday, the 15th:
Sleep in. Woo hoo!
Head to Kilmainham Jail, with Eetu, who is a super awesome host and everyone should stay with him
- this jail is seriously cool, with so much history. I learned a LOT about Ireland/Irish history... it's seriously cool, and totally worth 6€! There were 5 revolutions and 2 wars to gain independence from Britain! Wild!! Also, the potato famine caused Ireland to lose half its population in the 1800s. HALF. Either from death or emigration. And people would commit petty crimes (men, women, and children), cause they would have a better life in prison than out.... the youngest prisoner was 5 years old, and stayed for 2ish months!!
We wander through Dublin, head to the oldest pub in the city (est'd in the 1300s!!!)- super rad. We ate in the library (I know, right?!) and I had a standard Irish meal: fish 'n chips
There's a free comedy night, called the Comedy Crunch, so we wander through some parks to get there. If you're coming to Dublin, go to the Comedy Crunch. It's super rad. And of course, the 2nd comedian made fun of Canada ... he had an awful tour of Halifax :s unfortunate, really.
Monday the 16th:
Wake up bright n early to hop on a PaddyWagon 3-day tour. We made our way across the country, from east to west, to Galway. It's cool to be on a bus tour, to see so much countryside and lil towns and such. Really cool. So, here were the stops along the way:
- Cong Abbey, in the town of Cong (pronounced Kong), founded in the 7th century. This was a monastery and church, both of which are surrounded by cemetaries, and really lovely forests. Things we noticed: the water is superbly clear in the streams/rivers; the monks made a lil house to catch fish on the river - such an ingenius design!; there is sooooo much moss on the trees ... almost more moss than foliage, because it rains SO MUCH in Ireland. Also, stood on the 'state line' between Galway and Mayo counties. It's cool, being in 2 places at once.
Side note: So many ruins in Ireland! Most of the land is limestone, so of course it was used to build everything. Over time, it's worn down, as it is a very porous rock and erodes quickly.
- Kylemore Abbey: super famous and wealthy abbey-turned-boarding school that both Madonna and her two children attended. It closed in 2010, but is very much a tourist attraction. Coolest thing: a Gothic mini-cathedral built by Mitchell Henry, the landowner, to commemorate his late wife. Seriously, a really lovely and pretty mini-cathedral!! The downspouts were angels instead of gargoyles. Oh, and we were served a delicious and traditional lunch of stew :)
We got to Sleepzone Hostel in Galway, on the west coast, had a nap, dinner, and of course, went to a few pubs. The Irish are very proud of their Guinness, and you're not in Ireland until you have a pint, according to our guide, T. So, the group of friends on the bus we made were from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Austria, Italy, and the US! Plus our Irish (and ginger) tour guide! We had such a great night out, visiting 3 different pubs, and dancing to live music. Galway is a grand ol' time, and it was honestly just SO much fun.
Tuesday the 17th:
Making our way to the Dingle Peninsula, in the south
- Dunguiare Castle: legend is, if you walk the right way 3 times around the castle, you will get your virginity back. Trick is, if you go the wrong way, nothin' happens. It's hard to get around, though. It costs money to go in, so we didn't, but basically, there are 5 floors in a tower: fish storage, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, entertainment room. It's a small but nice castle, on the water.
- Corcomroe Abbey: a ruined church used only at Christmas, full of history, including tombs and an effigy.
- Wishing Well: on the side of the road. You can actually drink the water! It's not a well, really ... it's actually a lil tiny pool from a wee river running to the ocean, with a lil rock shelter around it. BUT, there's a stone you have to stand at, turn around, and toss a coin over your shoulder. If it hits the water, your wish comes true... if it hits stone first, the opposite of your wish comes true. Too risky!
- Mini Cliffs of Moher: Real cool cliffs at the edge of the ocean, and it was super windy. Totally thought I was going to fly into the water and die. A good photo will prove it as soon as I can load!
- Cliffs of Moher: couldn't see a thing, as we were in a stratus cloud. That means fog. BUT, there was a cool exhibition, so I took a photo there ha! These cliffs are supposed to be MASSIVE. If you fall, it's a 700 ft drop, meaning you die. If you happen to survive, boats can't get to you, so you have to wait for a helicopter. So really, you die.
- Tower of O'Brien: on the Cliffs of Moher, a tower appears out of the mist/cloud. It's 2 storeys and really small. Probably a look out.
Stayed in Annascaul, at Paddy's Palace Hostel. Enjoyed a lovely meal at the Randy Leprechaun pub, which is attached, and had a grand evening of karaoke! Naturally, I sang 'I Will Survive'.
Wednesday the 18th:
Heading back to Dublin
- Killarney: beautiful lil town, but we only had an hour, so saw a church and a HUGE cathedral. Bought some souvenirs and delicious chocolate. Some people on the tour went horseback riding in a paddock (waste of money), while others took a horse drawn carriage through to a beautiful castle.
- Blarney Castle: toured the castle, kissed the Blarney stone, went into a cave and collapsed dungeon. Ate a lovely quiche in the stable yard. Pretty cool.
- Rock of Dunamase: huge castle ruins on a hill. So lovely and super cool!
- saw a huge rainbow on the bus back!
PaddyWagon tour over. SUCCESS. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY:
Board Game night at a pub with CouchSurfers. Played mafia with cards and no discussion (SO WEIRD) and got hit on by an Irishman. All is right with the world.
Thursday the 19th:
Tried to sleep in but woke up at 7:30!
Did laundry, showered, wrote a bunch of postcards, this blog took forever, and made eggplant lasagna!
Fly to Paris tomorrow, landing at 9am. YIKES!!
So, Saturday the 14th:
Train delays on the way to airport
Try to rush through security, with my checked luggage cause the woman at the check-in said it was cool
Security doesn't think so, so I miss my flight
Pay double what my original flight cost to change the flight to the next one
Arrive in Dublin, easily get to Eetu's house
Upon arrival, am told there will be a big dinner at his place, and then we're going to a birthday party
Sweet! So, I change, am introduced to the Dublin CouchSurfing community (alive and very well), and we head to a pub to have cake and some drinks. Then a club.
I try Bulmers, which is Magners - and delicious - and am forced to drink Guiness, cause apparently it's different in Dublin, cause it's original. Still tastes like crap to me. Awful. Regardless, solid night after a rough day.
Sunday, the 15th:
Sleep in. Woo hoo!
Head to Kilmainham Jail, with Eetu, who is a super awesome host and everyone should stay with him
- this jail is seriously cool, with so much history. I learned a LOT about Ireland/Irish history... it's seriously cool, and totally worth 6€! There were 5 revolutions and 2 wars to gain independence from Britain! Wild!! Also, the potato famine caused Ireland to lose half its population in the 1800s. HALF. Either from death or emigration. And people would commit petty crimes (men, women, and children), cause they would have a better life in prison than out.... the youngest prisoner was 5 years old, and stayed for 2ish months!!
We wander through Dublin, head to the oldest pub in the city (est'd in the 1300s!!!)- super rad. We ate in the library (I know, right?!) and I had a standard Irish meal: fish 'n chips
There's a free comedy night, called the Comedy Crunch, so we wander through some parks to get there. If you're coming to Dublin, go to the Comedy Crunch. It's super rad. And of course, the 2nd comedian made fun of Canada ... he had an awful tour of Halifax :s unfortunate, really.
Monday the 16th:
Wake up bright n early to hop on a PaddyWagon 3-day tour. We made our way across the country, from east to west, to Galway. It's cool to be on a bus tour, to see so much countryside and lil towns and such. Really cool. So, here were the stops along the way:
- Cong Abbey, in the town of Cong (pronounced Kong), founded in the 7th century. This was a monastery and church, both of which are surrounded by cemetaries, and really lovely forests. Things we noticed: the water is superbly clear in the streams/rivers; the monks made a lil house to catch fish on the river - such an ingenius design!; there is sooooo much moss on the trees ... almost more moss than foliage, because it rains SO MUCH in Ireland. Also, stood on the 'state line' between Galway and Mayo counties. It's cool, being in 2 places at once.
Side note: So many ruins in Ireland! Most of the land is limestone, so of course it was used to build everything. Over time, it's worn down, as it is a very porous rock and erodes quickly.
- Kylemore Abbey: super famous and wealthy abbey-turned-boarding school that both Madonna and her two children attended. It closed in 2010, but is very much a tourist attraction. Coolest thing: a Gothic mini-cathedral built by Mitchell Henry, the landowner, to commemorate his late wife. Seriously, a really lovely and pretty mini-cathedral!! The downspouts were angels instead of gargoyles. Oh, and we were served a delicious and traditional lunch of stew :)
We got to Sleepzone Hostel in Galway, on the west coast, had a nap, dinner, and of course, went to a few pubs. The Irish are very proud of their Guinness, and you're not in Ireland until you have a pint, according to our guide, T. So, the group of friends on the bus we made were from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Austria, Italy, and the US! Plus our Irish (and ginger) tour guide! We had such a great night out, visiting 3 different pubs, and dancing to live music. Galway is a grand ol' time, and it was honestly just SO much fun.
Tuesday the 17th:
Making our way to the Dingle Peninsula, in the south
- Dunguiare Castle: legend is, if you walk the right way 3 times around the castle, you will get your virginity back. Trick is, if you go the wrong way, nothin' happens. It's hard to get around, though. It costs money to go in, so we didn't, but basically, there are 5 floors in a tower: fish storage, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, entertainment room. It's a small but nice castle, on the water.
- Corcomroe Abbey: a ruined church used only at Christmas, full of history, including tombs and an effigy.
- Wishing Well: on the side of the road. You can actually drink the water! It's not a well, really ... it's actually a lil tiny pool from a wee river running to the ocean, with a lil rock shelter around it. BUT, there's a stone you have to stand at, turn around, and toss a coin over your shoulder. If it hits the water, your wish comes true... if it hits stone first, the opposite of your wish comes true. Too risky!
- Mini Cliffs of Moher: Real cool cliffs at the edge of the ocean, and it was super windy. Totally thought I was going to fly into the water and die. A good photo will prove it as soon as I can load!
- Cliffs of Moher: couldn't see a thing, as we were in a stratus cloud. That means fog. BUT, there was a cool exhibition, so I took a photo there ha! These cliffs are supposed to be MASSIVE. If you fall, it's a 700 ft drop, meaning you die. If you happen to survive, boats can't get to you, so you have to wait for a helicopter. So really, you die.
- Tower of O'Brien: on the Cliffs of Moher, a tower appears out of the mist/cloud. It's 2 storeys and really small. Probably a look out.
Stayed in Annascaul, at Paddy's Palace Hostel. Enjoyed a lovely meal at the Randy Leprechaun pub, which is attached, and had a grand evening of karaoke! Naturally, I sang 'I Will Survive'.
Wednesday the 18th:
Heading back to Dublin
- Killarney: beautiful lil town, but we only had an hour, so saw a church and a HUGE cathedral. Bought some souvenirs and delicious chocolate. Some people on the tour went horseback riding in a paddock (waste of money), while others took a horse drawn carriage through to a beautiful castle.
- Blarney Castle: toured the castle, kissed the Blarney stone, went into a cave and collapsed dungeon. Ate a lovely quiche in the stable yard. Pretty cool.
- Rock of Dunamase: huge castle ruins on a hill. So lovely and super cool!
- saw a huge rainbow on the bus back!
PaddyWagon tour over. SUCCESS. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY:
Board Game night at a pub with CouchSurfers. Played mafia with cards and no discussion (SO WEIRD) and got hit on by an Irishman. All is right with the world.
Thursday the 19th:
Tried to sleep in but woke up at 7:30!
Did laundry, showered, wrote a bunch of postcards, this blog took forever, and made eggplant lasagna!
Fly to Paris tomorrow, landing at 9am. YIKES!!
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