Galway, the land of Irish luck (Part 1)

Out of the three cities I have visited in Ireland, so far, Galway is my favorite. Check out the pictures below and I will discuss after you view:

FYI, the swan to the far right is not headless... I managed to catch a pigeon, too!

Salthill (touristy area) off in the distance

In Galway, the sea gulls are selfish and actually respect other creatures! Here, swans and ducks can get fed in peace without the white trash (seagulls)!

Galway is situated along the Atlantic Ocean and boasts around 70,000 residents. Galway has a rich history. The term, "lynching" comes from here! More about that and the history, later. When I first arrived, I headed straight for my hostel. Although the Sleepzone has a few flaws, it is the best hostel I have ever stayed at. The kitchen area is crazy. There are three long tables with the food prep area next to it. I love it here because all of the hostel guests have access to pots and pans, dishes, silverware, refrigerator space, cupboards to use, I mean, this really is a nice facility. The two things I do not like are the wi-fi and the laundry facilities. Most hostels have wi-fi throughout the building. This place only provides it on the ground floor. I can understand this because if forces people to interact in their rooms and congregates everyone in the lounge areas; however, because this world is becoming more and more connected online, EVERYONE needs to be on their device so the lounge area gets congested and because there are so many people using the wi-fi in such a small area, the service is really weak and spotty, which makes it hard for booking tours, trains, and other hostels, and Skyping back home, etc. Oh well! Below are some pictures of the Sleepzone Hostel!

Dining area

Kitchen area

Kitchen area

One of the many lounge areas

Well, I am off to go on a pub crawl! I have a ton more things to say about Galway so keep on the lookout for Part 2! I took a two-hour walking tour with some amazing people and cannot wait to share photos and stories!

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. 

Cork with a side of photos

Cork is a large city nestled in a valley. I didn't realize that it was so the moment I stepped off the train, I vowed to climb up one of the high hills and wait for the sun to set. This is what I saw:

Tomorrow I'd like to sit at the bench and view the city at night. 

Here are some other pictures I took in Dublin:

The Mezz

Castle Hotel 

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. 

8:00a

My flight arrived in Dublin just before 5:00a. After I had my little internal celebratory moment of, "I'm f***ing in Ireland!!!" I climbed down from the high of finally visiting a different country and anxiously waited for the Irish security to let me the hell into their country... Within minutes, Mike (my flight buddy) and I made our way safely through security and to the city centre. I must mention, though... The security guard asked me, "Do you have any friends in Ireland?" I said no and he responded, "No worries, you'll make a few," and smiled. Flippin' awesome guy. Cannot wait to make these friends he spoke of.

Mike was a fantastic human to sit next to during the flight. We talked about work, school, our families, and other small talk which grew into fun, sarcastic remarks about Irish security. Mike has dual citizenship and mentioned having visited Ireland several times within the past several years. Chatting with him was refreshing and made the flight a quick ride. He also paid for the cab! Thanks, Mike!

8:00a... After Mike left for his hotel, I wondered over to mine, mouth hanging open and gawking at the majestic architecture. On the way, I noticed that most of the food businesses open at 8:00a. In Chicago and New York City, most of those places open before the ass crack of dawn . When I arrived at the hotel to drop my luggage off, the desk clerk said that places open at 8:00a so people have enough time to recover from their hangovers before going to work. Sometimes I think that Americans wake up way too early. As I hiked around Dublin (the brick streets can be brutal) between 5 and 6 in the morning, I saw many people stumbling around as if the whole city were still chugging down pint after pint. Love it. 

The hotel I'm staying at has such generous and kind employees. Check-in is at 2:00p but the clerk and one of the kitchen staff invited me to relax in the lounge and join everyone for breakfast at 8! After breakfast, I think that a stroll to visit the home of Oscar Wilde is in order. 

View from my seat just before landing

O'Connell Street

Mike!

Castle Hotel

2 more days!

I better not forget this lovely little book. 

I really want to see a dragon when I go to Scotland.

Oh, the things I'll do!

Here's the thing: visions of the places I get to explore keep passing through my head and I suddenly want them all.

I want to find field and walk around pretending I'm traveling through the Shire.
I want to sit at a dark wooden table and enjoy an Irish band playing in the corner of the room.
I want to glue my face to the scenery as I ride the train northbound to Scotland.
I want to introduce myself to a dozen locals. Per day!
I want to sit on a bank with my feet dangling in the river like Mr. Toad of Toad Hall while eating a sandwich.
I want to look up in the English sky and squint hard enough to see a dragon.
I want to sit in bed and think, "Hell yeah, I'm frickin' in Ireland."
I want to make a friend for the day and explore Chinatown in London with them.
I want my nose and taste buds to experience real coffee.
I want to make a hilarious face at the Queen's Guards and watch them do nothing.
I want to walk by where Shakespeare produced his plays.
I want to see thousands of picture-worthy moments.

And I want this trip to one day be a great bedtime story for my kids.

Additionally, I want to safely come back home.