For spring break this year, Ellora and I decided to travel to Ireland. Going there, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I know it wasn't the magic I experienced.
Getting there was very very rough. I lost my passport on the plane and had to wait for an hour in a cold steel room with tears streaming down my face before they found it and we could finally go see Dublin. We stayed at Portland BnB, a delightful place, albeit loud (it was close to the road). The next morning, we woke up to the smell of a real Irish breakfast, a fried egg, toast, cereal, sausage, bacon, black pudding, and a fried tomato. Yummy!!!
We went into town, completely unsure of what we were going to do that day. The first thing we did was go into Eason which is the Barnes and Noble of Ireland. I bought a book. Then we decided to do one of those double decker bus tours that lets you hop on and off at different locations. We went to Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Zoo, Trinity College, and Oscar Wilde's statue. All were wonderful. The best part of the bus tour, however, were the very funny drivers who would tell you about little locations. It was also wonderful because all of Wales was in Ireland for the rugby tournament the next day so everywhere we turned people would be dressed in hilarious outfits supporting either Ireland or Wales. I got flashed by a guy in a huge green, white , and red (Welsh Colors) afro wig who was also wearing a tight red spandex suit. It was hilarious. That night we went to a wonderful Italian restaurant and enjoyed dinner, wine, and tiramisu.
The next day we woke up very early to get to Cork by train. The train ride was lovely. Ireland is so green and magical. And occasionally old Celtic ruins dot the landscape. We arrived in Cork before lunchtime dropping off our stuff at the Shannon Bells bnb. We then found our way to the Blarney Castle. It was so old and...old. It really was a castle. But I got to kiss the Blarney stone making me now eloquent, and I saw the first of seven rainbows on top of the castle. Ellora and I met some funny Canadians there and we spent the rest of the day hanging out with them going to lunch, Indian food for dinner, and the Thirsty Scholar for a drink. They were so much fun to hang out with, at least understanding each other.
The next day Ellora and I just wandered around. I got more books at Eason and we went to two movies, In Bruges with Colin Farrel, and The Accidental Husband with Uma Thurman and Colin Firth. The first was very good, the second was cheesy but enjoyable, I'm just happy that we sneaked into it instead of paying. That night we went to a great Irish restaurant, but I was feeling very sick, so we went back early and read.
Zoom, we were on a bus to Galway. Galway was my favorite of the three cities. It was right next to the ocean and had these little cobblestone streets, old stone bridges, colorful buildings, and a friendly atmosphere that you just can't get many places. Even though I was still sick, I was stupendously happy. Ellora and I got food and then went for a long walk through Galway, Salthill, along the ocean where we saw two more rainbows, and back to our BnB called the Seashore Lodge which was run by a very talkative dotty woman in her fifties or sixties.
The Cliffs of Moher! The Cliffs of Moher!!!! The most beautiful place I have ever been in my life!!! The Cliffs of MOHER!!!!!!! Not only was it spectacularly beautiful, but it was splendidly windy. It was so windy, I fell into the wind overlooking the cliffs, and felt like I was flying. Well, I was. I wasn't using any strength to hold my self up, just to keep the wind from knocking me down. We went to a couple of other cool places to, like the mini cliffs of Moher, a 5000 year old tombstone, and a large underground cave where we got to know what total darkness looked like. But the best part of the day was THE CLIFFS OF MOHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were back in Dublin eating dinner at a nice bar and getting ready to fly back to Budapest. It was sad leaving Ireland, but I was excited to get home to see Kim and Stephen who were already waiting at our apartment for us. We got back late and exhausted, but happy. A few days later Shannon came and now our apartment is bustling with the sounds of creaky floors as everyone tries to not make too much noise getting around. Well, back to class.
