Ireland: Love at first sight

I'm in love with Ireland! Maybe it is just because this was my first stop on the journey and the excitement of being here just makes everything seem so much better. Regardless, I love Ireland and feel so at home here, especially in Dublin because it reminds me, in some ways, of Chicago. It is a big city, but not so overwhelming like London (like how Chicago is not as overwhelming as New York). Even though it is big and filled with tourists, it still feels really homey and cozy. People are friendly and diverse. There is the stereotypical view of the Irish people being drunk a lot, and I've found that to be kinda true, actually. But they are a jolly people and most embrace the stereotype and fully admit to it without shame, which I kinda like.

(See previous post for first activities in Dublin)
After a much-needed nap in the park, we went to the Guinness Storehouse to see how the famous beer is made. At the end, we got a free pint and a beautiful view of the city from the very top of the storehouse. Called it an early night and headed to our host Peter's place in the south suburbs. After a long flight and a long day, even a half-deflated air mattress on the floor was comfortable enough to sleep on. However, before hitting the pillow I realized that I had somehow managed to lose my American phone on the first day. The last I saw it was on the plane, so it is likely that is where I left it, or I could have lost it at any of the various other places we went that day. I was bummed, but in good spirits so I wasn't too upset. Can't change it now, and not the worst thing I could have lost. I still have a European phone to make calls, so I was only planning on using my phone for internet. Now I can only use internet where I can get to a computer, so expect less frequent and longer posts than I had anticipated. Oh well. Time to sleep and not worry about it.

The next morning, we woke up early to catch the bus to Galway in Western Ireland. It's a quaint tourist town, but among the locals, everybody knows everybody. It has a historic looking shopping street, pretty churches, and a pub on every corner (of course). We dropped our stuff off at a hostel and immediately hopped on a bus to see the Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs of Moher: WOW. They have been nominated for one of the new natural 7 wonders of the world, and with good reason! I cannot even describe to you the beauty and vastness of the cliffs, set right next to the picturesque rolling hills filled with sheep, cows, and little stone houses. There were various established 'viewpoints' along the cliffs, but they seemed very limited, so we decided to walk a little ways to see if we could see any more. We came across a sign that said "Please do not go beyond this point." Without hesitation (and because we were not the only ones to do so), we ignored the sign and continued to hike along the cliffs. Lesson learned: Always go past the sign that says, "do not go beyond this point." As we walked further along, the views became even more stunning than from the other side. We hiked along for about an hour, stopping a few times to snap pictures and then sat on the edge  for a while and breathed in the fresh air. It is moments like these that make all the hard work, money, and hassle to travel all so worth it. I wish I could have shared that moment with all of you. Pictures to come, even though, of course, they cannot do it justice (You can see a few photos that Becca took on her phone on my facebook).

Headed back to Galway for the night where we found our way to a local pub to have a pint with the locals and enjoy a live band playing traditional Irish music, or "trad." Galway is supposedly known for having great trad, and this place was quintessentially Irish. Walked around the streets of Galway for a little while with some new friends (it's a small town, so it doesn't take long to get from one end to the other) and they showed us where all the locals go after a night out: Supermacs. It's basically a glorified fast-food court that is open late for all the locals to come grab some greasy food after a night at the pubs or clubs. It was packed to the brim of teenagers and college students ordering cheeseburgers, pizza, and chicken and chips. We ate our fill, and then headed back to the hostel for a good night of sleep (in a real bed!).

Woke up this morning, grabbed some breakfast, and now sitting at the hostel in Galway (abusing the free internet!) and trying to decide what to do with our day before heading back to Dublin this evening...