A Week On The Lam

So after the ol work crew left I was left with another week in Ireland to dispose of as I wished. this was a good thing but perhaps a bit chilling at first not because I haven't traveled on my own (obviously, ha) but because it had been some time since the days where if you wanted any human interaction you had to initiate it with new and strange people.

I decided to stay in Dublin a couple more nights after they left because I didn't really feel that I had done the city justice and you never want to leave a rock unturned as it were. Or, as Kevin and I would say: "You never sausage a place." Get it? Good. Anyway moved over to a cheaper and much smellier hostel that did have free internet and some pretty hot French girls who I couldn't talk to because I am a typical American who knows only English. Wah. So I hung out and took myself on a walking tour of Dublin seeing St. Pat's Cathedral, Christ Church (not the Oxford college), a few of the national museums, a William Butler Yeats collection at the national library, and so on and so forth. I ended up sitting in the park a good bit of the day and reading because it was so lovely. Seems when the Irish see sun they skip work, class, whatever and sit in the park and drink beer. Pretty good plan I thought so I joined in.

Liverpool - Chelsea was on that night so I went to Fitzsimons and got kicked out because I didn't buy a drink. Come on Mr Bouncer Dude give a bro a break, fo real. So I left and went over to see Chris at Temple Bar again. Good game and when it was over met up with Tienne (Swede from a few nights back) and we had a good walk round eating ice cream and reading about local concerts in Dragon the nicest and also gayest bar in Dublin. Good night and sweet sweet ice cream (she somehow ate 4 scoops in the same time it took me to eat 1).

Next day got off my ass and headed for the coast. Did a 16k return cliff walk and a 8k or so walk around Greystones. Took the Dart down to Bray got off and went at it like old times. Since my friends had left I had reverted into money saving mode and relying on the trusty PBJ I got through. However, about 2/3 of the way done I was exhausted--could be due to the lack of physical activity or lack of nutrients so I bought a bag of apples and had a couple. Enough fuel to get home to another PBJ. Beautiful country and coast, seems wild and free.

Headed to Galway next day for what was to be the remainder of my stay in Ireland. Checked into the Galway City Hostel (highly recommended) where I stayed for the next 4 nights. Met some great people from all over. Argued with Aussies, Irish, and Germans. Partied with Italians, French, and Americans. Good times. Had some organized tours to the Cliffs of Moher which are 8k of cliffs on the coast that are a sheer 200m above the water. It's great because there are no guard rails. Took a trip to Conemara which was a sleep fest but showed the rugged uninhabited side of Ireland from when everyone died or left due to the potato crop failure. Met a cool Kiwi lady on the Burren walk which looks like the moon and hung out with her that day. Good stories good times. Hope I can be 35 and take 18 months to travel. Looks good so far.

Mainly Galway is about the pubs though and the university and the people. Great live music, beautiful bay and beaches (cold water), and a refreshing sense of home. As we all know Ireland is the 4th richest country in the world based on GDP and Galway is the fastest growing of the cities. Even though there are ass holes who tell you to fuck off when you are having a chat in the blues bar the mood persists and you find others who buy you drinks and want to know everything about you and why you do what you do. Good times, good runs, good Guinness. The black gold runneth over. Out.