Finally Saturday came, meaning it was time to take my tour to Giants Causeway.  It’s a hexagonal formation of layered basalt due to volcanic a long time ago.  But as I’ve figured out with these tours at this point, they make you see other things too.

Game of Thrones is shot in Titanic Studios (right next to the museum I was in earlier in the week) and also throughout a lot of Ireland that we visited on this tour.  I’ve only seen one episode, but a lot of people were really into it.  So now I can say I’ve been where Game of Thrones is filmed at least. Continue reading You know nothing, Jon Snow! →

So I’m used to hostel breakfasts which are just toast, maybe some cereal, and tea. The hotel breakfast had all those things, plus juice, and fruit, and yogurt, and croissants, and you got to order something (so I got scrambled eggs). It felt weird, being waited on.

But anyways, my room is situated so that I actually get a pretty nice view of the Irish sea. Continue reading History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake. →

There are really only a few things to see in Kilkenny, so I figured I might as well get up and see them.  I went up to see St. Candice’s Cathedral and Black Abbey.  Unfortunately, they were both closed so I just kind of walked around like an idiot. Continue reading I want to take shelter from the poison rain →

As much as I wanted to do Ring of Kerry and Dingle, I decided to skip them and just move on.  So I rose bright and early in Killarney and got on a bus towards Cahir.

After a couple hours on the bus, I arrived at Cahir Castle.  It was, of course, raining.  The guy at the desk let me stow my bag so at least I didn’t have to carry that around, and then I walked around the castle. Continue reading Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. →

Sadly, it was time to finally leave Galway this morning.  I relaxed a bit in the morning and took the 9:00 express bus to Limerick, then transferred to the bus that took me to Killarney.

It’s kind of a cool little town.  Lots of shops.  Lots of restaurants. Lots of pubs.  All more or less copies of each other, expanding out down a few different streets.  I circled through everything this evening but just decided to go to Tesco and buy some things to make for dinner. Continue reading For everything that’s lovely is But a brief, dreamy, kind delight. →

Work was annoying yesterday, so I decided to take an impulsive trip for a break this morning.  Maybe I’d bump into Kate Winslet. “Board the Bus to Bunratty” doesn’t exactly have the same alliterative, romantic quality as “Meet me in Montauk” but it’s what I have to work with. So I got up a little early to take the 7:05am bus to Bunratty, which is just over 2 hours away.  The destination of choice: Bunratty Castle.  Because if you don’t make spontaneous trips to castles when in Ireland, then what’s the point. Continue reading Have fun storming the castle! →

Providing updates during the week isn’t really that interesting.  It’s like my regular life, except strangers sleep close by that might steal my things.  So here’s your typical day. Continue reading Standing in the sunlight laughing Hide behind a rainbow’s wall →

I’m ending my 3-day tourism run with a tour to Connemara National Park.  Bought some nail clippers and finished my left hand before they broke.  So I went Dr. Jeckel & Mr Hyde all day. Continue reading The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper. →

After another relaxing day of work, jumping hostels and getting settled in I decided to finally hit the touristy trips.  My main concerns right now are my fingernails, which are growing uncomfortable and I can’t find clippers at any of these convenience stores.  In other news, my beardcation growth is substantial and it’s now at the point where it will become increasingly ragged.  I’m going all Paul Bunyan on Europe. Continue reading Boys I ain’t never seen nothin’ like a Galway girl →

The last couple days I’ve spent working and relaxing in Galway, striking a balance between toiling away on my computer and strolling through the quaint streets. The slower pace and smaller city is more to my liking, making cameos on the edges of tourist pictures as I sit near the ocean eating a Gelato (probably the best 3€ I’ve ever spent). Continue reading If I ever leave this world alive I’ll thank for all the things you did in my life. →

I survived Dublin on St. Patrick’s day.  Let me preface this Bridget Jones-style by listing what I ate:

– Bowl of cereal
– Banana
– 1/2 pear

Pretty stupid, eh?  My rationale was that Guinness is basically a meal.  So I had a lot of meals. Continue reading One by one they were all becoming shades. →

Stepping off the ferry, I could almost smell the locals’ hatred for what the rest of the world has done to St. Patrick’s day.  Not that they don’t enjoy the holiday, but it isn’t a reason just to get hammered.  Even I couldn’t help but cringe at some of the tourist ensembles (most of whom I assume are college students here on break). Continue reading Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy. →