Yes, I got pooped on... By a pigeon in the Dublin train station but let me get there. I met up with Ryan and Charles at about 10 and took them to The Mercantile. On our way, we took a different bridge than I normally take and ended up at a large Church. The name of the church is Gaelic and I don't remember. It starts with an A. it was beautiful- I think I'm enjoying such places because it's so interesting to experience and walk through buildings that date back to 900-1000AD. As Charles would say, it's like jumping into a page of history. At this church, they had tons of old relics on display but but most notably, the gravestone of what is believed to belong to a bishop in the 9th century. This stone has been used to be a source of luck placed next to the town's water well, then a source of luck when rubbed by businessmen, but it has gone through so much. People tried to steal it by carriage but under the weight of the stone, the horses legs broke and it was returned to the church. People tried to smash it but it wouldn't break. It is believed that the ghosts of clergymen protect it and so it will always stay at the church. You're supposed to rub it for good luck.
After this, we made it to breakfast where we met Michael, the waiter I had the previous day. Not going to lie, I have a bit of a crush on Michael. From San Diego, went to Ohio U, lived in Chicago for a while, and moved to Dublin on a whim where he's developed a rather charming Irish accent. (swoon.) Until he moves to Ghana in a few months to teach English. (superswoon.) I had authentic beef stew and, now that Charles and I are Irish soda bread connoisseurs, I believe the best is at this restaurant.
We talked about American football and how great Chicago is until we left. We went to the Dublin castle again to take a chance to see the gardens which commemorate fallen police officers.
Then we went to the Mecca of our journey- the Old Jameson Distillery.
Ryan spoke with the guy at the front desk to let him know who he was and we were able to get discounts and the guy gave us pointers about the tour. We had about a half hour to kill, so we relaxed in the bar there. I had a Brock and Salt- similar to an Irish coffee but more like an Irish latte. Ryan had a warm Jameson and sugar. If these drinks are any indication, it's pretty cold in Ireland. We went on the tour, which is really put together well, and ended up concluding our tour with Jameson and cranberry- delicious.
We decided to not spend the extra night in Dublin and take the train to Galway. Galway is known for being kind of a party town and not too many tourist attractions. There's nothing you 'need' to see in Galway but it's supposed to be a great time. So, we grabbed our bags and headed off. We got to the train station, got our tickets and grabbed some food. With pigeons around us, I suppose I should have been more aware of what was about to happen. I open my sandwich, eat about 1/3 of it when... Plop...
"Oh, my God. That did not just happen."
Right on my head. In an effort to casually transfer his shame to me, the pigeon kindly made sure he got it on the hood of my jacket an my backpack too.
As you can probably assume, I loved my life at that moment. We had 15 min until the train. With my tiger-ninja like reflexes, I grabbed my shampoo and towel and ran to the train station bathroom where I proceeded to take on the role of "that girl" and washed my hair in the sink during rush hour. Soooo gross but my other option was traveling with poop in my hair. Ryan has a picture. Pros of backpacking: always being prepared to be shit on in a train station.
So, when the guys were able to stop laughing, we got on the train and left for Galway. Our train ended up being extraordinarily late but we were able to get settled and make our way to a little restaurant named McSwiggin's where I ate chicken curry with rice (Manisha, of course I had to have Indian food. ;)) and the guys had their meat and potatoes stuff. It was great. Walking down the main strip of bars on our way back was interesting- college town: to the extreme. Loud, drunk, fighting guys and nearly-naked, wasted girls (I swear, I rarely saw girls wearing pants. Just short skirts or jumpers that cut off at their upper thigh.) As long as you're ok with that situation, it was actually kind of great to see Galway in full swing. We ducked into a less crowded bar than the ones we were recommended. It was a lot of fun. I'm on a Guinness kick this week- I don't even prefer it ever but when in Ireland do as the Irish do and grab a pint, I guess. It was a lot of fun. There were tons of hen and stag parties (bachelor and bachelorette). I was lucky enough to meet a (wasted) 21-yr-old guy when I was getting drinks. It was his brother's stag party and he was the youngest of the group but made it the longest. He kept assuring me that it was a pleasure to meet me and that he's extremely faithful and would love to visit Chicago... His name was Darrough, though- that was the only cool thing about him. We left shortly after that.
The next day, we went to the Aran Islands. We rented bikes and went around the island. I'd say the ring around the island is about 8 mi, give or take. It was stunning. Every little detail- the people, the bikes, the trails, the experience- was perfect. I'm so fortunate to be traveling with two great guys. They're very different but they compliment each other very well. It makes the whole situation easier for me. Charles is a very kind-hearted person, easy-going, encouraging and always smiling. The only time he looks distressed is when he talks about his wife and kids. It's obvious that he misses them and this is a two week trip for the guys but he's still able to have a good time. Ryan is well-planned, put together, sometimes funny and very much a great guy to travel with.
We were able to get to the other side of the ring, including exploring, in about 2 hours, I think? However, we realized we were running out of time when we needed to get to these amazing cliffs and back to the ferry in about an 1:15. The walk to the cliffs was about 15 min from the bike dock. So, we booked it. We ended up running up the hill to make good time. (Ryan B- if you thought 30min level 20 on the stairmaster was hard- woah, boy.) Luckily it went by quickly and we were able to get to the cliff's edge in 7 min, give or take. It was spectacular. These views that I can only compare to something out of a CGI heavy movie, like Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean, were so expansive and beautiful, it's too hard to put into words. Ryan made the comment that if this were in America, there would be guard rails and protections everywhere. Here we were about 200m above the ground with nothing separating us from a ride down the smooth face of the cliff to the jagged, crashing mess below us; it was amazing. I have about a million pictures which don't nearly do it justice.
We booked it back, grabbed some celebratory beers for the ferry back and enjoyed it. The ferry and bus through Connemara were also stunning. Especially after watching some sort of sailing regatta pass us. That night, we went to dinner at The Western Bar where we were all so tired and done for the day- but wow. Great day, indeed.
This morning, we met for breakfast and to plan our day. Even though I've been doing research for weeks, it's refreshing to have someone as perfect as Ryan who has all of the answers that you don't even need to talk. So, I'm on a bus to Limerick with them now finishing some writing and being quiet for a bit. It's nice. I'm on vacation and just going with the flow. If I learned anything from yesterday, it's that I can deal with stepping to the edge of a cliff, look at the angry sea, see the beauty of it and still have an extraordinary day.
Banquet at Bunratty castle tonight and hopefully a bit of exploring the streets of Limerick. Staying at the Best Western - Pery. Update again soon.
Sounds like you're having a fabulous time!!
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