Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Ireland Dids and Didn'ts


Sorry for the long delay in posts; it's been hard to get on a computer in Amsterdam.
Looking back on Ireland, I think I accomplished most of what I had hoped to when I landed there. There was a list of things I wanted to see/do. Here's the final tally and analysis.

Things achieved:

-Fish and chips in an Irish pub (had as my last dinner)

-Extended conversation with multiple native Irish

-Guinness tour (unbelievable experience)

-Get in touch with some of my roots (didn't get to Meath, but gained a much greater appreiation for the way Irish culture influenced my own)

-Get comfortable with being alone (more on that in another post to come)
-See a ton of the city (helped in part by a free 3 hour walking tour)

-Befriend fellow travelers (will be meeting up with some later in the trip) and strangers different from me (I had a blast every night, including with Canadians and frat bros)

-See Irish mountains, cliffs, and beach (done thanks to Howth and the gravity bar at the Storehouse)

-Book of Kells (saw before my flight on Sunday; everything it's cracked up to be but probably not worth the steep price of admission; the experience is pretty short)

-Learn more about the struggle for independence from the UK (done, thanks to the walking tour and a visit to Kilmainham Jail)

Things unachieved:

-Kilkenny, Cork, Galway, or any place beyond the Dublin suburbs (not enough time)

-Limited spending (pints are expensive)

-Avoidance of gingers (the place is like a post-apocalyptic dystopia in that regard)

-Showering on a daily basis

All in all, a very successful leg of the journey.

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