Dublin, and Guinness, and trains, oh my!

No, I didn't almost miss my train! I'm just pretending. I nearly did...

I'm headed to Cork! Cork is situated on a river several kilometers from the Irish Sea. From what I've read, the town seems like an artsy town with many food markets (perfect for my budget). 

So much to tell! My stay in Dublin was full of exploring, hundreds of pictures, loud and drunk people, and a little bit of history. After I checked into my hotel, I crashed for three hours. My hotel room looked over a small alley. Out of the many back doors to the alley, one of them led to a small Chinese family residence. Several times, the distant laughter of kids echoed the alley walls while they played tag. Some may smile to this sight and sound but when you are trying to catch up on jet lag, the laughter sounds like banshees complaining about the knife wedged in their thigh. At last, I fell asleep.

I remember having my first Guinness in Chicago with my cousin about five years ago. Since then, I've loved the drink because of the flavor but rarely drank it because of the small "bite" ya get. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, last night, I wondered into a really nice pub. There was live music in a small corner and fortunately there was a screen broadcasting the performance because the corner was already crowded with people. At this pub, I had the real Guinness experience. The pint went down so smoothly and left a buzzed feeling where two of those in America wouldn't even come close to the essence because over here, the beer is so fresh.

The girl in the picture is Rose. Rose is from a small town 30 minutes from Barcelona, Spain. I met Rose just outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral. We both decided against dropping $9 to tour the building. So we sat and enjoyed the outside edifice while chatting about our travels. Rose had just finished up an 8-week volunteering adventure with the organization called, "WWOOF" (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). It's a chance to learn about organic farming. Volunteers work on organic farms (pretty much) anywhere around the world. In exchange for the work they do, volunteers receive food and accommodations and knowledge about organic farming. I'm so happy that I met Rose. This would be a fantastic thing to do in the future and an excellent way to experience other cultures.