Blimey! I mean, Blarney!

Don't you hate it when you type a long email, paper, or BLOG POST and you lose all of your work? It happened to this guy.

I was on my way to Galway, but now I have arrived! People say that Galway is beautiful and full of traditional Irish culture. More about that in the next post. Honestly, I'm actually pleased with how great this trip is going, so far. Dublin was a wild ride and a great time to get acquainted with Ireland. I honestly think that getting my own hotel room was a necessary way to organize my belongings, manage my itinerary, and relax. Cork was a bit smaller than Dublin and exciting in its own way. Here are a couple more pictures from the city:

During my stay in Cork, I had several ideas on what I could do for fun. My original idea was to take a bus to Blarney Castle and magically be granted the gift of eloquence after kissing the Blarney Stone; however, at my hostel, I read about a shop that rents bicycles for the day for around 20 euros. I always thought that biking would be a fantastic way to see the seaside and further explore the country. Then I remembered that people drive on the left side of the road... I chewed on the bicycle idea for a while. Honestly, the idea of attempting to follow the road rules here still thrill me... next time, for sure. Finally, I dismissed the idea and opted for the bus ride to Blarney. Perhaps I'll be braver in Galway.

Let's talk about Blarney! The Castle, built in the mid-15th century as a medieval stronghold, really was not much to see; however, the grounds made up for the low wow factor. Apparently the word, "blarney" was made up by Queen Elizabeth I when she visited the castle. When she entered the grounds, she exclaimed, "This is all blarney!" After paying 12.50 euros to enter, I made a beeline for the start of the line or "queue." The line started just outside of the castle. It seemed like that the majority of the visitors were American because all I could here were loud and obnoxious know-it-all remarks about Ireland, traveling, and of course, the Blarney Stone. Maybe it would be the same if I were traveling with other Americans ;) God, do I want to move to Europe, already. Not Ireland, though. I've been hearing that Prague, London, and Berlin are the places to be. Anyway, The line started outside the castle and went through all the way up. There was not much to see inside but I did get catch some great views of the grounds. 

Kissing the Blarney Stone was pretty awesome, despite the thought that millions of people have already kissed it. And to my knowledge, they do not wash it when the doors are closed... 

The castle grounds were so beautiful and surprisingly litter-free despite the many visitors. Below are a few pictures from the grounds:

Blarney House built in the 1800s

The loch!

I have a ton more pictures on my other camera but have non way to upload them :(

Back to Cork. I really enjoyed myself while staying there. Even though there is not much to do, I did see a huge list of events during the summer, most of which did not occur during my stay. Just like any other social and outgoing extrovert, I did meet some great people!

Pictured above is me with two guys I roomed with at the hostel in Cork. Jan (on my left and pronounced "Yon") and Mario are from Germany and decided to take a 12-day trip to explore Ireland. Mario works in a lab at a hospital and Jan is an automobile engineer. Funny story. After I got back from Blarney, I found my four-person hostel room cleared out (there were three loud, drunk, and messy Swiss guys in there when I arrived. Would have been crazy with them but I was so tired from Dublin!). On two of the beds sat hiking backpacks. I was so tired that I ignored the packs and took a nap. 45 minutes later, in walk Jan and Mario. Ever nap so deep that you wake up not having a clue of where you are? I was so there. I woke up demented with no idea where I was and who these two guys were. They started laughing hysterically at my reaction! I actually do not remember the first five minutes of our conversation because I was so out of it. Later, the guys shared that I had an exhausted, startled, and horrified look on my face. Regardless of this incident, we got along and spend the rest of the day and evening at the hostel's bar and listened to an older band who played some rock and the blues. As the night went and the beers consumed, they asked if I wanted to join them on their little adventure to Killarney and the Ring of Kerry. Sadly, I did not accept due to it costing around 200 euros to change everything. 

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I booked everything including train rides, lodging, and the ferry ride from Belfast to Liverpool before I came to Ireland. I read on another blog that hostels are very good about canceling 24 hours before with a 90% refund; however, transportation costs go up every day, much like it does in the States. I also booked everything prior and printed out an itinerary if customs decided to ask in detail where I am staying at. This also gave me a huge peace of mind but a tiny bit of regret. I find that most solo travelers such as my new friends, Mario and Jan and recently acquainted, Jess (from Australia), plan everything on the fly. Next time and with several more euros in my wallet, I will be doing the same. 

Until next time! Tomorrow, I will be posting some FANTASTIC shots of Galway.