Of course like almost all my adventures, they all begin with an oddity. Due to problems with Iberia's check in process (See Part 1 for more airport drama), our flight to Ireland on March 13 was closed. Of course Katie and I wouldn't have this since Iberia was at fault. They staffed three out of eight check-in desks for over a hundred people waiting on line. Of course, Katie and I weren't the only ones who lost their flight, others were in rage throughout the line, kicking over the ropes and poles between the lines. But after about two hours of being pushed around to different desks we found a manager who tried his hardest to find a connecting flight for the evening but with no luck. However, he did put us on a flight the next day (which was surprising since everyone else told us nothing was available until March 17) and gave us a voucher for a swanky hotel in Madrid (with free meals and wine).
Of course since we missed our first day in Dublin we had to make up for lost time when we arrived. We quickly unpacked and headed to the Temple Bar to start off our night in Ireland. The Temple Bar area is very much like Sol or for those in DC, Adams Morgan. There's nothing like hanging out with a bunch of drunk Irish. You kind of feel like you are going to be swamped in an angry mob. The next day, though short on time, we made it out to the Guinness Storehouse. I suppose it used to be a storehouse but now it was a massive seven floor museum in the middle of the brewery. It was grand fun and we got a free pint of the black stuff as we peered out from the Gravity Bar, which features an almost 360 degree view of Dublin.
After Dublin, we took the long train ride to Killarney in the southwestern part of Ireland. A quaint little town with many youth enjoying the festivities of the St. Patrick's Day weekend. The next day we did a tour of the Ring of Kerry and enjoyed the landscape and picturesque sights. It was a rather long day and I was glad to party up into St. Patrick's Day that evening. The next morning we nearly got stuck without transportation when I found my account empty. Luckily Katie had some on reserve and we left Killarney to Galway.
Galway was a hell of a lot more livelier than Killarney and we arrived I'm sure everyone we encountered was drunk. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. We later found ourselves entangled in the madness and found celebrating St. Patrick's Day on St. Patrick's Day was getting rather expensive and when we had to resort to plastic, we made our exit. The next day was an all-day tour of Galway, much like the Killarney tour except this one had an abundance of sun (unlike that persisting perpetual cloud ). Sweet glorious sun. The Cliffs of Moher + Sun = crazy delicious. We also saw some caves and drove over underground rivers.
Unfortunately we had to drop Cork and the Blarney Stone due to a scheduling conflict, so we headed back to Dublin to get to the airport. With empty pockets and wallets, we just roamed the town, took a look at the historic Trinity College, picked up souvenirs, and of course took pictures. No issues on the plane ride home, which was a relief.With no money, I'm staying here for the rest of break but hey my 21st birthday is on Saturday and American University is at the Big Dance so there's plenty to do. I can even watch my hair grow (two months w/o a haircut and counting).
Hasta Luego,
Chris
PS: I was recently offered a job with the State Department and if all goes well with the security clearance, I should be starting this summer. I would like to thank Dave, RJ, and Noah and anyone else who helped get my official transcript to the office. I'll be the first to admit I miss my brothers. Way too much estrogen here.
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