Failte Eire

For more than a week now I have been in Ireland. I arrived to an appropriately foggy and rainy Dublin. The taxi driver got me pretty close to my friend's apartment and I walked from there. On my walk, I was watching this van taxi fly around this winding side street and I was impressed by how fast he could drive and still make these turns. I was looking ahead of where the van was going and I noticed there was a very dark figure crossing the street. Before my mind could make the connection THUD! The van hit the dark figure crossing the street that happened to be a middle aged woman. I was quite impressed by the fact that after being hit by a van going 30 kilometres an hour, she got up relatively easy and just kept walking. That's an Irish woman for ya! The taxi driver looked around for a minute said he was sorry and then just kept driving. With that, I knew I was in Ireland.
For my first couple of days, I was in Dublin. I saw Iron and Wine saturday night and they left a little to be desired. It was perfect weather so I was able to read and enjoy St. Stephen's green in the afternoon. I saw the National Gallery of Ireland and was able to learn a lot about Irish painting and Polish as well. There was a fascinating exhibit on Polish art for the last 100 years (I think i need to make a visit to Poland. I have heard Krakow is cool).
Anyway, the main part of my trip was going to be my drive through the country. My initial desire was to see the whole country but I realized quickly that I would have to settle for the middle and south.
My first day was spent in Glendalaugh and the Wicklow National Park. St. Kevin's 6th century monastery is nestled in the middle of the Wicklow Mountain range and two lakes. It is a beautiful area called the Garden of Ireland. (I took tons of pictures and will have those on a link to your right). I did a nice hike to get a good view of the lakes and hike one of the ridges of the moutains as well. That evening was my first experience with a hostel and it was thankfully uneventful. (This is going to be a long entry so bear with me).
The next day, I drove to Cork. I decided to go to Cork to be near the south where I would hike one of the peninsulas jutting into the Atlantic. Cork was a dirty city. Around every turn, I thought I was going to be jumped by a knacker (not sure how to spell that but it is a young person who wears a track suit tucked into his socks and will beat up anyone in their way, kind of gangster type but not exactly the same). While I was in the hostel there, the owner had to throw out a belligerent drunk who was locked in the bathroom for quite a while with a girl. Other than that little episode, I slept alright. At least he wasn't in my room.
HIking the Sheap's Head peninsula was absolutely beatiful and peaceful. Wicklow was nice but quite crowded. I only saw two other people on the trail in Sheap's Head. I climbed a few couple hundred meter peaks and took lots of pictures (links on the left). That evening, I drove to Killarney.
Killarney had the nicest hostel I stayed in but by that point I was quite sick and my whole body ached and I was having trouble sleeping because hostels are no place for a good nights rest. I called a B & B in Galway and made a reservation so I didn't have to stay in a hostel another night. I have been reading Thoreau's Walden and have been thinking a lot about how much I need to be comfortable. I am a long way from Walden Pond. Either way, I needed a private bed and a locked door in Galway. I biked the Gap of Dunloe with a girl called Audrey from Quebec. We had a good bike ride and a boat ride to finish.
Late that night, I finally made it to the last stop on my trip, Galway. I had a better night's sleep in Galway. The lady who ran the B & B was truly Irish. She met me in the middle of Galway and let me follow her in to where her B & B was located cause she was afraid I might get lost. Her breakfast was wonderful that morning and with a full stomach I set out for Connemara National Park. It happened to be closed but it was a nice drive. I spent the rest of the afternoon in Galway. I stumbled upon a special demonstration by the Irish Army in a Cathedral that was to honor those who were lost in the Great War. Hearing the bagpipes in an Irish Catholic Cathedral could not have given me a truer sense of Irish Culture.
By the last day, I was finally getting used to going 100 kilometers an hour on the wrong side of a one lane road that winds more than Missouri roads and is in worse condition, thats not including the small roads. I think it is a miracle I made it back to Dublin alive. I have a few more days here, but they will be spent a bit more relaxed than the last few. I am going to see an Irish folk artist tonight and I am pretty excited. If any of you made it to the bottom, well, I am impressed.