Sep 1, 2010 - Gobshite

Today may not have been the most eventful day of the trip, but I quite enjoyed myself for the whole of it. We heard some great Irish stories along the way and my favorite one centered around a guy named Cornelius O’Brian who built a castle overlooking these huge picturesque cliffs in Scotland because, as Murf told us, “he really liked boobies.” If anyone could relate to this tale, it was yours truly. The truth was that this guy Cornelius fancied himself quite the ladies man and when he got put in charge of some land in Ireland he decided...

Jun 19, 2010 - Day at the Salthill prom; Night out in Galway

Today was a good day. I started the day with an "interview". I got up early, agonized over my limited clothing options, and took a 10 Euro taxi ride out to Taylors Hill, where the interviews were happening. A lovely woman named Michelle invited me in, and we chatted for about 5 minutes about a lot of stuff other than my qualifications and then I was sent on my way. So, probably does not bode well for the job, which, to be honest, I don't really want anyway because it's a waitressing job. Those of you who know me, will know that I'm not...

Jun 17, 2010 - Galway

Well, unfortunately for me, the effects of the recession here are much worse than at home. I've spent two weeks looking for work, and haven't had so much as a nibble. There are so many local people out of work, that it's not surprising no one wants to hire foreigners. Several places I visited wouldn't even accept a c.v. because they get hundreds of resumes for a single job posting. So, it looks like I could be coming home a month early. The last month has just been a steady drain on my bank account, which had already suffered from too much...

Jun 13, 2010 - Day 3 - Donegal to Salthill

Dale: Well…slept in a little today. The night before we told the Innkeeper, Liam, that we’d be ready for breakfast at 8:15, and we woke up at almost 8:00. Needless to say we got ready in a hurry. After breakfast we headed south from Donegal toward Sligo, eventually making our way down to Westport. This portion of the ride was OK but nothing special. And, after spending Friday in Dublin and Saturday driving across the middle of the country, we were dying for some good scenery. Well…as soon as we left Westport going south toward Clifden…we...

May 18, 2010 - Street with no name (aka, what's your sign?)

After a week of hoping the volcano wouldn't blow, we were lucky enough to leave for Dublin only a few hours late. First stop at the airport was the pub for a few pints before boarding. We met a couple from the U.P. of “that state up North” to chat with. We got settled in on the plane and realized that economy class should be renamed “sardine class”. Oh well, better have another pint! After “dinner” or something like it we decided to try and snooze although we only have 4 hours before landing. Bobb did a great job with leading me through the...

May 10, 2010 - Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park

I spent a lovely day wandering through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The two parks together are larger than the Principality of Monaco. It's a bit of the English Countryside in the middle of the city. The weather was absolutely beautiful, bright, and sunny. While I was taking photos in the park, I was approached by a middle aged fella who offered to walk me to the Peter Pan statue. I foolishly figured it would be nice to have some company, but given my traveling track record (remember Gropey Grandpa, Lia?) I should have known better. We...

May 2, 2010 - Galway Area

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