Normally, I edit photos in chronological order.  I very rarely deviate from that pattern, but I have this time.  I think it helped me to attack the pile of photos by going at them in an order that doesn’t highlight how much is left to go.  Thus, my first round of photos is from Dublin.  Those who read the travel logs, know that I passed through Dublin multiple times in my trip, so the photos literally span the beginning, middle, and end of my time there.  I will now be attacking other sections of the trip.  I’m attaching a handful of photos to this post, but these are somewhat randomly selected.  I rely on your collective feedback as well as my own second review to really cull the best of the lot any time I edit my photos.

Winter Skies

A view from Dublin’s Phoenix Park, one of the largest enclosed parks in Europe.  The cross was erected in 1979 for a visit by Pope John Paul II.  He conducted an outdoor mass here that was attended by more than a million people.  The frost on the ground is just a taste of the winter that’s coming for my trip in Ireland!

The Distance - Glasnevin Cemetery

One of those predictable (from me) cemetery photos – Dublin’s Glasnevin cemetery in the snow – apparently snow is not common for Dublin, but I saw plenty of it.  I’m just lucky like that!

Dublin's An Post

A view of Dublin’s main post office taken from O’Connell Street.  It was the last of the grand Georgian buildings built in Dublin and still serves as the main branch post office in Dublin and the headquarters for the Irish postal service, An Post.  The lady in red makes this photo for me.

Ridiculous River Liffey Panorama

While I certainly hope you will click through to see this and the other photos larger, this one demands it to fully appreciate.  This is a panorama beyond reason, one of many photos I took along the River Liffey on this day (the light and skies were exceptional).  It’s, if memory serves, six vertical images stitched together in photoshop.  It’s probably around 160 degrees of view of the north bank of the river.  The O’Connell street bridge to the right actually runs parallel to where I’m standing in reality.  Despite the inherent distortions, or maybe because of them, I really love this shot.

Bright Lights, Big City - Dublin's Temple Bar

From my last night in Dublin is this fisheye photo of a pub in Temple Bar.  Temple Bar is actually the name of a neighborhood, and not a specific pub, although I guess this one claims to be THE Temple Bar.  I really liked the color, lights, symmetry, even the people waiting along the sidewalk outside.  It’s my favorite of several shots I took that evening.

I certainly hope you’ll all check out the rest of the gallery and let me know what you like most amongst the lot of them!

Mark’s Dublin Gallery

I digress (nothing new)….

Yesterday is easy to sum up. I did precious little. It was supposed to be a partly sunny day, but I never saw the sun. Snow flurrries and gray, yes, sun, no. I figured that would make it by proxy museum day, except for one small problem, the main museum I wanted to see, the Louvre, is closed on Tuesday. That’s inconvenient.

So I figured I’d at least get in the musem d’Orsay. Dragged myself down there and was going to check my backpack, as I have at a ton of museums in the past. They asked what was in it. “Camera.”. They asked me to remove it and they’d take the bag. I explained that was the sum contents of the bag, camera and lenses. No reason to remove one thing. I don’t need the big camera for museums. With a few rare exceptions, I’m happy with the point and shoot. So, they wouldn’t take the bag and told me that I had to hand carry it… That’s a lot of weight on the hands. I wanted to cry. I managed two hours give or take before I gave in and left. I’d have totally lied about the contents had I known they’d refuse it! So there’s your warning fellow photogs!

I left and was crawling. I could think of nothing I wanted to do more than come back up here and have a late lunch. After that I wandered around Montmartre for a bit, got a few souvenirs and found a bakery where I got a massive chocolate chip cookie! Heaven! The only thing better would have been oatmeal raisin! So long since I’ve had one.

And that was yesterday. My Brazillian roommates left and were replaced by two more Brazillians. Seriously, the third set of my trip. I am seriously thinking there’s a message here. LOL

Today I tried to start early and managed a bit better but nothing like I’m going to need tomorrow morning. No sleeping through alarms this time. Planes wait for no sleepy passengers. Still, I didn’t have a lot of destinations on today’s list.

First stop was Père Lachaise Cemetery, reputedly the worlds most visited cemetery. It was established during Napoleon’s era in 1804 in what was then a site outside the city. Cemeteries inside the city had been outlawed. The perceived health hazard was the same thing that led to the emptying of the existing city cemeteries into the catacombes. At first no one wanted to go there but the city fathers seeded the cemetery with some of the city’s existing famous dead and it was quickly the place to go. It’s still an active cemetery. I saw one family tomb with a burial last year and there were a lot of burials but a quick scan showed one as far back as 1822 in that very tomb! I wandered here for a couple of hours. Though there are many famous dead, singer Jim Morrison of the Doors was the only one I sought out. I’m not a massive Doors fan but it had to be done.

After the cemetery got old, I moved on for one last sunlight stroll near the Eiffel Tower. I was looking for one of those views you see photos and paintings of where the towers base stretches across the skyline over a Paris neigborhood. It’s possible I missed it, but I’m convinced that view is not possible from the ground but would be from the upper stories of one of those apartments with a view! Darn!

From there, one last Seine walk to the Louvre museum. Wow… Without a map, I would surely be lost there still. I got lost repeatedly WITH a map. Much like the British Museum, it would take multiple trips and I would live to find an actual guided tour as I did my second time at the British Museum. Anyway, I did get an audio tour and did a highlights tour included on it. So saw Mona of course. She says “ciao!” to you all. After that some aimless wandering amongst the paintings and then wrapped it up with near east antiquities highlighting Iran since I distinctly doubt I will see anything closer than that in my lifetime as far as Iran goes.

This was over three hours later when I left. My feet had nothing left in them and I gave up the ghost. I took a walk through the city streets to get to Madelaine metro station so that I wouldn’t have to switch trains to get back to Montmartre. A nice walk and saved me some connecting train stress!

And here I am back at the hostel. I had some “street food” I got and brought back. Not really made on the street, but they have these little food shops along the main street. A few have a tiny dining area, but many don’t. They all have counters on the street so you can order take away. What I got was a hot dog in name only but was good. It was more like two hot dogs wrapped in a toasted baguette smothered in cheese and a dollop of ketchup. That and the last of my chips should tide me for breakfast in the airport tomorrow morning!

Today’s humor. I had another magic golden ring appear in my path. This one was the slowest yet. I totally saw the whole maneuver as she tried to plant it and pick it up in one go. If I were the mean type, I’d just say thanks I must have just dropped it and walk off with the ring. But hey, I wouldn’t have the heart to do that.

And tonight I had someone at the hostel who thought I was from Spain and said he couldn’t detect an American accent. Ha! Too weird! He actually said I could pass as being from “the continent”. Too weird! I think it would take more than a month for me to shed my deep south accent (I wouldn’t even try). But it’s not the first time travelling here and elsewhere that people have had trouble placing it. I’ve no explanation for it and I’m seriously too pasty to be a spainard.

Alright, signing off from Paris. With luck, next stop back in the States!

Had a not so restful sleep last night. Whoever is in the bed above me has a real chain saw snore. I also suspect sleep apneia (sp?) based on the abrupt cessation of snoring followed by stirring and the restarting the snoring. I typicallly sleep like a rock, but that’s if I get to sleep before the offender starts which was not my luck last night.

Still, I got up at a decent hour this morning and it was a lovely partly sunny day as the weather forecast had predicted! Not just plain old sunny, but sunny with massive giants of clouds, full of texture – perfect for photos. The sun came and went as the clouds passed, but I made the most of it.

I first visited Sacre Couer, the massive moorish domed basillica whose doorstep I am calling home for the next few days. Quite a climb, but worth it. You can ride a train up, but then you miss the photo ops! I went inside and it was quite gorgeous. No photos allowed, so just take my word for it or go yourself.

I would have climbed the dome, as I’m want to do visiting massive old churches, particularly ones that are already sitting high above the city. But the ticket machine wanted exact change and I didn’t have it. I decided this was easy enough to return to it’s so nearby so moved on. In retrospect, I’m kind of glad I couldn’t go up. Not sure my body would have made it through the rest of the day!

Next stop was Notre-Dame Cathedral. It was bathed in sunlight and I examined ever inch of it as I wandered down the river side. And then I went inside… Wow! I’m still partial to Westminster Abbey, but this is definitely it’s Parisian cousin. Fantastique!

I had a quick lunch in the square in front and then put on my walking shoes mentally and stood in line to ascend the towers. Oh my, I was NOT prepared. Up and up and up those spiral stairs that never seemed to end. Gasping for air, I finally exited…. Mon dieu! The view was worth it. I know it’s terribly cliché, but I had to do the whole gargoyle overlooking the city picture with multiple subjects and angles. I’ve seen those photos plenty of times, but no one else in the group I ascended with took a one until they saw me doing it. I guess they missed the memo in the list of things to do at Notre-Dame?!

From there. I steeled myself. I felt I had to repeat my walk along the Seine from the evening I arrived. This time sun would be striking those lovely buildings! It was exhausting after all the added walking, but well worth it. Again, I walled from Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower. And if that wasn’t enough, I then made my way over to the Champs Elysee and checked out the triumphal arch. Again well worth it, but I had sincerely reached the limit of my walking, pretty much around 5 hours,including the ascent at Notre-Dame. At least. I lost track, so I’m not 100%.

I took the metro back to Montmartre and then found an Internet shop. I have two hard drives with me. One is to copy all my camera cards over to rather than buy a million cards. The other is a backup of that. Both have card readers built in so I can just plug in a card and copy it straight over. The “backup” drive has two partitions and I can only access the smaller partition with the card reader. I need a pc to move files off to the second partition. I had a chance in Connemara to move off some of it, but it was painfully slow, I’m guessing because their PC was Linux and my hard-drives are formatted for windows. Anyway, long way of saying, I spent over an hour and 5€ to get things squared away. I’d done the math today and figured out even if I filled all the cards with me and that drive, I’d either run out of space or have to rely on having only one copy of some of my photos before I left. Yikes! Anyway, all good now!

And now for the odds and ends section. Number of people who roused my ire today by grabbing my arms to try to stop me, three. One was clearly some sort of street scam, the others were shop keeps. The number of magic “golden” rings that appeared at my feet, two!

The first one I had on my nice face. I try not to be unapproachable which gets me a lot of moments with homeless preople and scammers, but the alternative is to be sealed to the world, not acceptable. Anyway, this guy approaching me appeared to find a gold ring in my path. He reaches down and picks it up to offer me and asks if I speak English. What do you say when you don’t know what languages they speak? I knew something was up but no one else around so he wasn’t distracting me from someone else’s actions. He then proceeds to tell me he thinks it’s real gold but it was in my path so my luck. I keep trying to push it back at him but finally take it and start to walk off. Of course, he then asks if I can spare some change so he can eat. Sigh… No… I said I had nothing on me which would be more fair than to say all I have is a 50€ on me… There were several attempts finally I manage to get him to take his ring and his luck with him and move on. An hour later, the same story starts with a woman approaching me. This time I clearly see her putting the ring down as quickly as she picked it up. Literally street magic! You had to be wise to it to see it. I didn’t give this one a chance to continue, just held up a hand as I sped past and said “non!”

And the last of my funny moments. And this one is on me. While walking along the waters edge taking photos of the Eiffel Tower, I met a guy who appeared to live in the house boats moored there. Keep in mind, I’d been walking around four hours. Instead of bonjour what do I hear erupt from my lips?! Not hello or hi, oh no. “Hola!”. Oh my… I would have said that at home anyday without thinking, but I was personally mortified as neither do I look like I might be from Spain or Mexico, nor am I in either of those places. Oy vey!

Ah two more days to fill. One must be museum day, but it looks like both will be nice days. Tomorrow appears to be a repeat of today while Wednesday will be clear and sunny. Torture! Museum days are always selected by rain! Le sigh! I’ll make do somehow! LOL

Until next time!

This morning, I had a real lie-in. I’m talking past noon here. And this was with pushing myself back to sleep thru a room-mate clicking snooze, every 10 minutes for like an hour. One side of me said I could sleep in all I wanted in less than a week. The other side said shut the hell up. The verbally abusive side won.

I finally rose to meet the gray day and over lunch contemplated what I would do with my day. I thought about museums given the weather, but I would have a limited time and hated to commit to a museum with over half the day gone. Then it hit me, the catacombes! It was on my list, and a gray day wouldn’t make a whit of difference.

I got there and there was a long line. Maybe everyone was following my lead!? I stood in line anyway and was in about 10 minutes before they closed the line! Whew! Would have hated to stand there 45 minutes for nothing!

They were simply amazing, no other word for it. The catacombes were originally mines and the first bit had exhibits on the subject that a geologist would love. The vast crowd was after bones. I half read enough to get the gist of it and know that after a disease broke out near an old city cemetery that was discovered to be the source, it was decided to use the old mines as a repository of the bones and all the city cemeteries were emptied. At first they were just tossed in but later they were stacked in designs and patterns. Not quite as artful as the Capuchin church in Rome, but this place made up for it in sheer volume. I’m not even sure the tour includes it all, but I never in my life thought I would see so many of the dead up close like that. It was a ways down, around 140 steps down and 90 steps up on the way out. The tunnel was warm but damp complete with dripping water in places, quite the atmosphere, eh? The steps down were not so bad but climbing out, gravity reinforced who wins.

After, I figured I’d go up the Eiffel Tower this evening. The view with the city lights was everything I expected, but quite cold. I could only handle it for so long before I decided to call it a day. I just might go back up if there’s a particularly pretty day before I leave.

And then back to the hostel. I took a moment to get a better look at Sacre Couer, the massive moorish looking church. I’m literally staying on it’s doorstep. Really pretty lit up, but my feet said no to going further up the hill this day. Definitely on my list before I go, as is a visit inside Notre Dame.

I’m still no Paris fan, but my heart was a little less hard after a good rest. Today’s only casualty was a few instances of aggressive shop keepers grabbing me by the arm to try to get me in. I think the look of death worked. Maybe it’s a culture thing, but grabbing me crosses my lines. I’m trying really hard to remember if that ever happened in Egypt. So far, those were the most agressive verbally at least. And I know I remember being followed, but if I was grabbed, I blotted out the memory. I hope I can again!

Oh tonights humor, the two room-mates, I’ve met are from Brazil (the second set in the trip, someone trying to tell me something!? Anyway, they were previously in London, where they went to learn English. Their English is well ahead of my Portugeuse, French, and Spanish! LOL. But of course, I throw out a word here and there I need to explain. At least with these, I’ve suppressed my “y’all” moments unlike the last ones! Anyway, tonight, they informed me that I talk very fast. I busted out laughing and told them that people from the southern US have a reputation for slow talking!

Morning came too fast. I woke 20 minutes before my alarm and lay there trying to get that last bit of sleep to no avail. I probably could have slept later, but having come VERY close in the past, I just can’t do it anymore Still, one hour after the bus left I was checked in and through security. Two hours to kill… To rub salt in the wound, the flight was delayed. I wasn’t surprised, the fog was quite thick and still was when we took off. The delay was due to the incomng flight taking longer.

Getting here, I went through a lite version of pasport control. I guess because I was coming from another EU country. I mean lite as in I filled out zero and they only glanced at my passport. Wait, I may not have done much more when I went to Italy. LOL

Getting from the airport wasn’t as easy as others told me. That or I am half asleep. The train was straightforward. Finding the connection to the Paris Metro at Gare de Nord, that was the confusing part. I finally found it, fed my ticket into the gate and had some jackal jump the turnstile in front of me trying to use my ticket! Well, he got in but I steamrolled over him to make sure I made it through the same turn of the gate. The look of shock on his face was worth it.

A few stops later and I was in Montmartre… My thoughts on Paris just from that exposure (trains to here) was cesspool. I try not to have kneejerk reactions but that’s where I was. I had (and have) seen more grafitti than I’ve seen anywhere else. And were not talking pretty murals here, most of it is ugly tagging. I think I saw a Parisian grandmother standing in her garden tagged by the local hoods.

After getting settled in I headed out. Took in a little of Momtmartre which didn’t help my opinion. Crowded, rude… I’ll stop before this turns into a gripefest…

I eventually made my way to the metro with the intent to find my way to the Eiffle Tower. I needed to change stations and somehow missed the correct turn and the next thing I knew u was past the gates. Dang! How did this happen!?

Well I was at the station for Notre dame Cathedral so I figured i’d have a look and walk the River Seine a while. Actually at this point looking at the map, it didn’t appear so far to the tower.. Right, I did walk it but I don’t recommend it for anyone who is not anxious for cardio, particularly in the winter when sitting down isn’t enticing.

So I do have this to say for Paris. At night, when the grafitti mostly fades into the shadows, and the lights come up, it’s fairly pretty. For the only time really on this trip I accutely missed my tripod. I can make do without it, but this is a city it would be outstanding to have on hand.

I did eventually get to the Eiffel tower and it is awe striking. I would have gone up but the top level was closed. Hoping just because it was so late. I’ll try again.

On the way back, I more or less got my bearings with the metro, navigating the stations, by no means to say I know the routes, etc yet. Nor will I probably know much of it in five days from now.

I’ll try to take in Paris at face value for the test of the trip without baggage from today, but I’m definitely getting the feeling at heart, this city and my rhythm are not in sync. Just as some probably visit cities I love and don’t love them, I am not enamored so far by this one. There’s still time.

Yesterday I awoke to a gray and misty wet day.  I immediately recognized it as a classic museum day!  I set off after breakfast for the national museum.  I had been once before weeks ago but I was suffering from a sinus infection and didn’t enjoy it fully or really look at everything,  so it was a natural start.  It was much better this time.  I almost feel I should have re-done the whole thing, but instead, I focused on taking in the details on all the finds from the gold hoardes.  I also checked out an exhibition on the excavations at Tara, knowing I’d be there today.  I’m sure I must have walked through there before but had no memory of it at all.

I spent hours there before deciding to move on.  I planned to take in the Natural History Museum which is nearby.  The museum itself might not interest me, but it’s apparently become renowned as a museum of 19th century museums as it’s not been updated in well, quite some time.   There are signs all over advertising it.  I don’t just mean street signs, we’re talking flash vinyl outdoor adverts.  So, I walk up and there’s a sign it’s closed.  I thought maybe for the day or afternoon or something.  No, the guard told me a section of the ceiling collapsed and it’s closed indefinitely.  Ah, would be nice to remove the signs saying to come see it, eh!

Defeated on that point and really over the urge to see any museums, I just did some aimless wandering.  I stopped by HMV and got the new CD from Codeine Velvet Club (side project of the lead singer of the Fratellis) as I discovered unlike the other albums I wanted to get here, it would actually cost me more to import that one than to buy it here.  Why, I know not!

After dinner, I had it in mind to find somewhere for some live rock music.  I found a place that sounded promising and set off to find it.  An hour later I had accomplished my mission.  It’s not that it was THAT far away, it’s just that Dublin (as a lot of old cities do) likes for its streets to change names any old place for any old reason.  That coupled with very poor signage caused me to totally miss my destination despite once being within a block of it!  Ah well!  Once there, not much seemed to be going on despite the advertised start time.  Having a tour this morning, I didn’t fancy staying out late so made a meandering path back to the hostel.  I spent another hour in that misty wet, not because I was lost but just taking in the sights of a part of the city I’d missed to date.

My Italian room-mate and I had, until last night, been mysteriously in sync.  Typically when I came in, he was just getting ready for bed so that saved both of us the whole fumbling around in the dark trying not to wake up the other person in the room deal.  Last night my going to bed early broke that routine.  Still, it worked for me because I sleep soundly I barely heard him come in enough to register he was there but not enough to put a time to it.  Tonight may well be a repeat.

This morning, I was likewise up earlier than him and did my best to quietly get ready before dashing off to meet up with a tour group bound for Newgrange and the Hill of Tara.  It was a fab day for a tour, bright, sunny, and nearly cloud free.  The Hill of Tara, while there’s not a lot for the naked eye to see, was a gorgeous green place with an amazing view.  You can definitely appreciate why it was strategically an important spot in ancient times.  It was once, among, other things, the site of the coronation of the high kings of ancient Ireland.

The second stop was Newgrange, a chamber tomb that was 1,000 years old when the pyramids at Giza were built.  We were told that it was the oldest intact astronomical observatory in the world.  For six days each year around the winter solstice, sunlight penetrates the door into the inner chamber where burials of cremated remains once took place.  The exact reasons and meaning for this neolithic monument are lost to us, but its amazing nonetheless.  And, being a month late for the solstice, as we stood inside the tomb, the sunrise was simulated and it was truly amazing!  Newgrange definitely ranks high on my list of things I’ve seen in Ireland if not at the top.

While I’m at it, let me put in a word for Mary Gibbons, the tour guide.  If you’re ever in Dublin, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you take a tour from her.  I think she only offers two, and I’m sorry I won’t get to take the other before I leave.  She was truly a professional.  She provided information to us pretty much non-stop from beginning to end.  And while 8,000 years of Irish History is a lot to absorb, I felt like I probably got the most retained information from her tour.  And I thought I had some excellent guides up until now!  Her style of delivery and tone was perfect.  If she’s not also teaching somewhere (or didn’t in the past), then she’s missed her calling.

Arriving back in town, it was near dusk.  While I wish there could have been two of me today, one who stayed here and enjoyed the bright light of day in town and one who took the tour, there was only the one of me.  So, I made do enjoying that deep blue dusk sky that  you only get on a clear night and wandered around taking photos until it turned to inky black.  And still I wandered some more before calling it a night.  I need to get my bags in order before bed tonight!  I’ve been here close to a month and I am ready to move on, but it’s always a bit sad to bid farewell to a place for me.  So, keeping it brief, au revoir Dublin – next stop Paris!

I woke up and had a leisurely morning. I had walked enough of the area around Sleepzone Connemara already. I might have taken the stroll down to the fjord if the weather had been nice, but it wasn’t. The wind was gusting and it was misting rain constantly.

The best news of the day came that instead of having to walk the 15 minutes to the top of the road (and stand there who knows how long in the rain) the Galway Tour Company had sent a minibus that would come to the door to fetch the three of us! I literally cheered when our host at the hostel informed me!

The back end of the tour was marred by the weather and how quickly night descends here in winter. We stopped at Kylemore Abbey, the only stop of any length. I toured the Abbey and church for lack of anything better to do. Beautiful place (a mansion house before the nuns purchased it). The place is closing and will be in private hands soon, the nuns are aging and their ranks are not being replaced. I doubt I got any good photos, between the gray day and the gusting winds, it was a forced march to do anything. I was first back on the bus a good half hour before we had to be back. At least I had a muffin and a coke in the dining hall. It was my last meal for far too long.

The rest of the drive was rain and then darkness. When we got to Galway, the Brazillians and I scattered off the tour bus to the bus station as fast as we could, little more than 10 minutes after the 5:30 bus to Dublin had left. Ironically, we were heading the same way. Luckily there are buses evey hour until like 8:30pm. I hate to imagine being on that one as the 6:30 set down at the main Dublin station after 10:30pm! It was a soul crushing ride. I couldn’t sleep and the reading lights in the whole bus were broken so there went option two. It was a sea of headphones and I followed suit, pretty much four hours of my own soundtrack as we passed through countless anonymous towns and villages and took on and put off passengers. It was the dark ghost of my trip to Galway almost two weeks prior. The way out had been in the bright fullness of day, but the way back was dark, cold and wet.

When the bus finally landed here, a happy block from Jacobs Inn, I lost track of the Brazillians. I hated not getting to say farewell as they had been good travelling companions in that short span of time. But everyone off the bus scattered into the Dublin night.

I scampered up the street and checked in. This us my second time at the inn. Last time, I was in a six person dorm. I’m not sure if that was a financial decision or if there were no four person dorms when I booked. This time four person, and I have to say here this is literally the penthouse of this hostel. I’m on the 4th floor (which in American terms would be the 5th – in Europe, 1st floor is ground floor, second is first). The room even has a TV. I’m floored. I don’t really see the need, but it’s a nice room. So far, it’s only two of us in there. The other guy is Italian. Don’t ask me his name. I tried several times and I still think he just nodded that I had it to get me to stop mangling it. By this morning, not even a ghost of what I thought it was remained.

Today, I predictably slept in. The Italian was gone and I slowly prepared myself to face the day. I thought based on the gray weather that it would be museum day, but while I sat in the lobby checking out tours to Newgrange and the Hills of Tara, the sun began to peek out. So I got out and spent hours wandering the city with my camera. It turned out to be a gorgeous day. Even when the sun was behind the clouds, the clouds had such a depth and texture to them… It just had to be seen to appreciate it. I think I’ll have some neat city shots from today!

I did sign up for a Newgrange tour on Friday (keep a good thought for nice weather please) and I got on a Dublin city bus tour for tonight – Dublin’s ghost bus tour. It was great fun. The stories were genuine, but it was one of those tours where they try to scare you, no surprise to anyone. The interesting part was they had us take photos in a couple of reputedly haunted places. I got orbs in both, but I take those with a grain of salt. Too many easy explanations, but still interesting because we did not all get them. The really interesting one was the last stop where he said they routinely get some interesting stuff, two of us (including ME) got mist in our photos! I’ve never had anything like that before. I only wish I had a way to upload it to show but will not until I get home!

And that’s another day in Ireland gone. Only two more before I’m hurtling for the airport for Paris. I should add hopefully, as today there was a several hour strike by the air traffic controllers union (think that’s the right group). Supposedly just today, hoping for no repeats. The irony is that I had travel troubles that kept me from Paris the last time I tried to go! Fingers crossed!

It’s actually a good deal when booked through the Sleepzone Hostel in Galway. I got a discounted rate on the tour bus. The Galway Tour Company runs a loop out through Connemara. It’s normally a day tour, but in the case of those staying at Sleepzone, you are put off part way through the tour and can pick up with another group on a following day. I chose to stay two nights here. There’s also a Burren route with a Sleepzone hostel as well. Had I not gone to Inis Mór (or spent less time there), I would have liked to have gone that way, but at least the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, the big ticket items on that tour were in my Paddywagon tour, however brief.

Anyway, it’s been a nice couple of days here. The weather has been a bit warmer but perpetually wet. I still think I got some cool landscape photos and shots of the fjord (or whatever it really is). Most of the rain has been of the misty sort, so with jacket and umbrella in tow, no problem. It does hit my list of somewhere I’d like to come back to in summer, maybe with a car to really take it all in.

On the tour out, had a great driver (hope he may be the one that picks up this afternoon). Maybe it was because we were such a small group, but I can’t imagine he’s not always a card. He was telling us he had never done the tour before and kept asking us how to get to Connemara. At one point, he even circled a roundabout multiple times asking us which road to take. The funniest part, though, may have been when we were driving down this little lane quite slowly and someone on the bus saw a fox. He looked off to see it (apparently a rare sight here) and bumped into a farmer’s fence! It was funnier because of how he’d been acting lost/inept earlier! We took in some spectacular mountain vistas and saw some old cottages, towers, and cairns. We also had a brief stop in a tiny village. Don’t have the map in front of me, so not sure what’s on the second leg this afternoon.

The hostel has been nice. I think there are only the three Sleepzones in the chain, but just based on the two I’ve been to, I’d recommend them all. Well run, clean, warm, hot showers, all the things I expect in a hostel. I’m not looking for the ritz after all.

The first night, if not for a French brother and sister traveling by car, I’d have been the only guest. She was studying in Limerick, and her brother was visiting her on holiday. He spoke pretty much no English, which led to an interesting search through the Hostel DVDs for something that combined either English or French subtitles. As I’d just finished watching Tropic Thunder when they came in, I was fine with our first choice, a French movie with English subtitles, or so it said. The movie started and this guy spouted off a soliloquy and they put like three English words across the bottom of the screen. The looks of horror on the French speakers faces was hilarious. i didn’t say anything but broke down laughing when they turned it off. Obviously it was poorly subtitled… So we searched again, and this is how we came to watch an old John Wayne movie, Hitari, dubbed in French with English subtitles. I don’t know if the plot would have seemed so unending if not for the subtitles, but I can say that the technicolor images of Africa from over 40 years ago were breathtaking at least.

The second night, we were practically bursting with people by comparison. A French couple who I never spoke to enough to get their story came by car, and a brother and sister from Brazil showed up on the tour bus. The sister is studying in Portugal and the brother is here for a month on holiday seeing the sights with her. They go back to Galway on the same bus with me this afternoon. I watched the back half of “What Just Happened” with the French couple. I didn’t see enough of it to really form an opinion, but the general Hollywood theme was funny. Afterwards I thumbed through the DVD selection. I have to give a slight edge to the Kilronan Hostel on Inis Mor for DVD selection, but both had good catalogs. There was just less here that I hadn’t seen or wanted to see again right now. So, I ended up watching Oliver Stone’s “W” – even after watching it, I think it’s too soon for me to really digest it, the events still too recent. Although I was amazed at how many of the events depicted I had already forgotten. I guess my attention span is shorter than I thought. I had forgotten Bush landing on an aircraft carrier and the declaration of victory in Iraq already for instance…

Anyway, that catches me up to now. I’ve checked out. It’s too overcast for me to really be interested in walking anywhere until the bus is here for me to get back on bound for Galway. So, I’m just relaxing in the hostel until I get to head back. Once in Galway, I’m snagging the first bus to Dublin that I can. I have reservations there at Jacobs Inn (the hostel I stayed in when last in Dublin) for the remainder of my time in Ireland. Hoping to see more of Dublin without ice and snow and maybe take in some day tours out or something.

I mailed a package home yesterday. I don’t know if this is true of all Irish post offices, but the one here does not take credit cards… Well, isn’t that nice… and of course I had hardly and cash on me… I can’t believe they let me leave the package there (already had postage on it when they figured this out) while I went and found an ATM. I also can’t believe they don’t take credit cards! Yikes!

I took in another movie yesterday. This time I tried Daybreakers, a vampire movie that I read was filmed two years ago. Don’t know why they hung onto it so long and then released it with no fanfare amidst the glut of vampire mania, but it’s actually a decent movie. Different plot from the general fare and a fairly unique ending. I would recommend it at matinée prices, but take that with the grain that I am not known for liking universally loved movies.

This evening, I wandered with the camera at dusk and stocked up on groceries for the next couple of days. I leave after breakfast tomorrow for a Connemara tour. I’ll have about half a day of touring and then spend two nights at a hostel in the midst of nowhere. Hence the need for some ready eat meals. There’s a village 3 miles away! I may walk there just to see it if the weather is good, which remains to be seen.

The weather her today is more towards the norm for here. Rainy and overcast but not nearly so cold. The ice in the canals and inner harbor is gone. The trees aren’t glistening with ice, the sidewalks aren’t slippery. It barely feels like the Galway I fell in love with anymore! Still, I am so glad I stayed here awhile. It was just what I was looking for.

Yet, I am also ready to move on as well. I’m ready to get back to Dublin and ready to move on for my short stay in Paris. I spent part of last night reading my wee guide to Paris. I’m looking forward to something new. I also, dare I say it, am looking forward to being that much closer to home. I love traveling. I don’t think that will ever change, but as I hit 3 weeks of living out of bags and moving around every few days, I’m discovering that the novelty is wearing on me at the moment. I’m sure a short time after being home I’ll want to plan somewhere anew, but right now, I’d welcome the recharge. If I wasn’t going home, I’d need to find somewhere I could recharge on the road, with a proper bed and bath, and all the trappings of home. As things stand, I know home is on the horizon and can enjoy this all the more knowing that.

Oh and yes, for those who didn’t see my post on Facebook, I am off the island at last! No disrespect for Inis Mor and the Aran Islands. I am sure they are a splendid place in the summer, spring, and fall probably, but in the winter, i spent too much time there. Especially that last marooned day! I think I also have a weird version of claustrophobia. it’s not fear of small places for me, but being trapped anywhere. Back when my home town had its flood many years past, the fact that the main roads were pretty much all washed out made me concerned even though I had probably spent MONTHS of my life there without leaving, never mind a few days! So, being trapped on an island was just… too much!

Anyway, yesterday, I wandered and wandered while I waited to be able to fully check into my room (I got here too soon). I found the section of Galway that is not so tourist, jammed with the irish version of American shopping malls, walkable, but very much built with the car in mind. I also found the movie theater! So, yesterday at 5pm, I was watching the new Sherlock Holmes film. I quite enjoyed! I’m not major Holmes fan. i have only a memory of reading one of the stories, The Hound of The Baskervilles, in school. So, bear that in mind with my saying it was a good film. It was funny, had a good pace that kept me awake (no mean feat yesterday), and i felt like the actors were really into their characters. So, there’s my take on it. That and apparently world over, movie theater popcorn is huge. I got a “regular” popcorn and a “regular” coke. I very well could have swam in the over-flowing TUB of popcorn that came across the counter. The coke, not as much as I would have liked.

After that, I spent the evening doing really thrilling things. Like what? Washing and folding laundry! I know. These are the types of edge of your seat stories that you come here for! Still, all told, it’s surprising (and, yes, lame) how much happiness you can get from a bag full of clean clothes! Never mind the joy of putting on clothes that aren’t “clean enough” in the morning.

This morning, I spent time going through my bags for my momentos and such from the trip. I have actually bought far less than on past trips, but it adds up no matter what you do. I bagged up everything and went out today and found an office supply store and got a box and packing tape. I haven’t mailed it yet, but tomorrow I’m mailing home some of my stuff along with a book I finished. Would that it was a week later so that I could also mail that honking big Ireland tour guide as well! But then I’d be wishing my trip away, eh?

This morning, I made the plans for the remainder of my time here. I’ll be in Galway until Sunday morning. I’m taking a tour of Connemara – lots of things on the tour. It can actually be completed in a day, but Sleepzone, the hostel I’m in here, has a hostel out there in this sleepy but beautiful place. I’m staying there two nights. Hopefully not a repeat of Inis Mor! Tuesday afternoon the bus will pick me up and I’ll finish the Connemara tour getting back into Galway late afternoon. And then hopping straight on to a bus for Dublin that night. Back to the Jacobs Inn for the rest of my time in Dublin, leaving from there for Paris. I will probably try to take a day tour out to Newgrange, one of the last places on my really wish to see list.

Today was to be day 2 of my Couch potato fest. And while it was very relaxing, there was very little couch. After I made my plans for the remainder of the trip, I read email for awhile and then wandered out to the Galway City Museum. I would have sworn to you that Lonely Planet said there was a fee for going there, but not so. Not a massive museum, but cool. There are displays on the history of the city, a large display on the traditional Irish boats – Currachs which means “skin boats.” Traditionally they were willow basket type affairs with animal skins wrapped around them. The lore is that they predate the Vikings and were the first boats that brought the ancient Irish to this land. According to the info. that accompanied it, they were originally used on the open sea as well before the vikings stamped them out. There was also a photo exhibition of a locally well known photographer. I had seen a few of his pieces here and there along the trip. He had some excellent stuff – sorry blanking on his name. The last exhibition was a changing exhibition, currently modern art… Some of it was beautiful and haunting, but all in all, I can’t help that I don’t always appreciate modern art. I still have respect for the work the artists put into it.

Afterwards a general wander. Another Mexican meal and then I checked out a book shop. Didn’t buy anything now but saw some books I may add to my Amazon wish list. There was one I was looking for that I’d heard about on the trip but couldn’t find. That one was added to my Amazon wish list! LOL

And thus my rampaging fest of fun goes on! I’m enjoying the down time. I may wander one more time with the camera here in Galway either Friday or Saturday (depending on which has the best light), but otherwise, I’m just being a bum here until I leave for Connemara. I’m hoping to get to do a little more camera wandering in Dublin when I get back since it was so cold and icy when I left. I haven’t looked at the weather recently but it’s much warmer here in the west than even last week when I first got here.

So, abandon all hope ye who enter here, you may never get off this island! It’s a shame really. I had reached my peak of off season here and now an extra day of it. Yahoo!! Oh, but it’s still better than a good day at work. LOL

I think thus place would be fantastic in summer when you could roam and frolic. Crowded but a worthy trade in this case.

There are three of us stuck here – the only guests of the hostel, two French guys and me. By the way, I now know for a fact that I remember no spoken French. I recognize nothing but stray words. Anyway, to the credit of Kilronan Hostel, the manager only charged us €10 apiece rather than the going rate. That was a bargain. And Sleepzone Hostel in Galway kindly moved my reservation back another night. Hopefully, one of the two ferries runs tomorrow, preferably the 8am one! I am ready to go!

Afterwards, everyone said farewell at the Aran Sweater market. Prices were a bit much for my blood! But it was fun to look.

Following this, yet two more meals of… Pizza… The little grocery here only has one option for frozen dinners. Mind you, an array of them, but if I don’t see another frozen pizza for some time, I will be happy with that! I can’t be bothered to actually cook after all.

To bed fairly early so that I could make the 8am ferry off this morning. I awoke to howling wind. I had that sinking feeling, but took a stab at it. Walking down to the pier, the wind could practically push you over. I got my exercise pushing me and my pack down there at least. And yes, no ferry off the island this morning. I was told to try again for the 5pm one… Le sigh! It’s a lovely island and in the summer when everything is open, I’m sure quite cool, but three nights is beyond enough in winter! I just want the mainland again! Think good thoughts for me!

So yesterday, I decided when I get back to Galway, I’m staying there until Saturday. It’s not that there is a lot more to do or see. I’m sure I can find something, but from a general tourist perspective, I could move on comfortable I’d seen the highlights. No, this was a plan to sit in front of the Tv, maybe catch a movie, and just generally to smell the roses for a bit.

And apparently nature decided for me to start early. I woke up this morning to the sound of howling wind! On top of that, cold with a misty rain. Yes, there was no point going out! I did briefly to get a frozen pizza for dinner, and let me tell you I didn’t really want to again.

So, that’s been my day. This hostel has a ton of DVDs. Between the copy of Dark Knight on my iphone and their DVDs, I’ve been a couch potato. I’ve also enjoyed Dodgeball, Princess Bride, and Meet The Fockers. Although there were plenty I hadn’t seen, only the last one was new to me.

I’m also as of this evening, the only guest left at the hostel. I bet I will be until I leave Tuesday morning. Although, it’s a hot spot in summer, not so much in winter.

Every morning when the ferry arrives, the tour vans line up. Since tomorrow is my last day, I hope to have weather nice enough to join in on one. What I saw yesterday was lovely but there are two more ring forts and a lot of coastline to go!

Then on to Galway and operation sloth!

I went to find the departure point for Saturday because there’s nothing fun about being lost with a 40lb pack on your back plus whatever my camera stuff weighs. It was weighed for the plane in Nicaragua, but I’ve conveniently forgotten. Oh and I have a bag of food too!

Anyway found the spot and in the process found the more commercial side of the harbour. Quite fun. Massive ships in big chunks of ice! Rest assured, there are photos!

Then a partial rewalk of the day before because now I wanted fog photos. And did I get em! By evening, it was pea soup, but I’m jumping ahead.

Before I talk about my night roam in the fog, I have to give a small shout out to a little Mexican restaurant called La Salsa on Mary Street in Galway. One thing I always miss over here is Mexican food. I’ve tried it several times in the UK (with mixed results). This was the first time I saw one in Ireland. I have to say the menu was limited and included a section of burgers and fries titled “Gringo Food”. However, my nachos were excellent and there was an American couple in front of me who got yummy looking quesadillas. The lady who does it all was busy when I left but I did stop her just long enough to tell her that I never expected to see a Mexican restaurant in Ireland but she did it well. Would love to know where an Irish lady learns to cook Mexican! oh and it was a proper hole in the wall. Downstairs is just big enough for her kitchen and counter. She takes your order and sends you upstairs to a pretty realistically decorated Mexican dining room and then yells up the stairs when it’s ready. Yes, you wait on yourself, but it’s worth it. I may go back as I figure on a few more days there after Inis Mór.

Anyway, after lunch I chilled in the hostel awhile and then grabbed a light dinner before taking off for some, I think, atmospheric pea soup and city lights fog. It was really amazing how little you could see. The dome on too of the cathedral simply was invisible. Still it was fun. After that a little live music withanother hosteler who I left behind with apologies as I had to get up on time today.

Did really well today. Up and at em even if not chipper about it. Got to the pickup spot. My ferry ticket was purchased through the hostel, but I had to get a bus ticket to the pier in a wee village which is the departure point for Inis Mór. The lady behind the counter said “student ticket?”. Nooo! I didn’t think much about it but she told me the hostel charged me a student fare for the ferry! Oops! I’m flattered, and I saved money!!

On the bus here had a lively conversation with a local to Galway who frequently comes to the island. We were talking about the weather. What I’ve failed to mention is that all of Galway is white today! Not snow (although predicted), no last nights thick fog was freezing fog! I really wish I’d gotten photos of it but she thought it would last. She has a chid and grandchild in California. She was going to email them photos when she’s back. She said she’d lived in Galway 10 years and only seen the like of this once before.f course the news said overall, Ireland hasn’t had a winter like this since 1963. That one lasted six weeks, so I may not see much different. Hopefully they figure out how to cope soon. News also reported buses down in Dublin and airport was, at least this morning closed. No matter how long I try to avoid Dublin, I have to go back to get to Paris, and from there home. Nothing to do far it now, though. Worrying gets nothing but worried.

Anyway, made it to Inis Mór. It’s gorgeous, tiny. Just what I expected. Hostel seems nice and tonight a room to myself. I gather not many here. The guy at the desk said would likely be just me in this room. I know there are at least a couple (who checked in front of me) and Ive heard the voices of a couple of women two rooms down when coming in.

Not to let the day get lost, I walked over to one of two Celtic forts on the island. The nearer one is less impressive (apparently), but mostvof the hour walk to it was without benefit of road. The near fort is called the “Black Fort” – just don’t ask me why. It was VERY hard to find, even with the map handed to me coming off the boat. No road names on the map or streets and all the streets are not on the map. So it did boil down to finding the road that veered the same way as the map! After several turns, came to a sign that pointed and said “Black Fort”. Better late than never I suppose. No turns after that but the gravel path just dies into pastures. Nit one but a ton of tiny pastures with dry stacked rock fences. So over the pasture walls and onto the coast I’d about given up but finally spotted it. Over several more walls until I was at the cliff fort. Yes, CLIFF fort. A wonderfully defensible spot but I hate heights. Not in a paralysing way, but I’m not going near a cliff edge. Wil E Coyote may have come back from his falls. I won’t. So I walked around the outside of those 4,000 year old walls and marveled and took photos and left.

Halfway back, I saw the couple from in front of me at the hostel. They were in the distance – hugging the cliff side as they walked. I waved and kep going on my inland path. I was a mite jealous when I saw them walk on the cliff ledge into the fort, but they obviously have better luck than I do. Well, I never saw them come back either! LOL

Anyway, quiet walk back and I think I’m in for the night. It started to snow just as I got here! Really, this stuff is following me! The lady on the boat mentioned traditional live music at a pub a good walk from here but a simple meal in the one attached to the hostel sounds splendid! No more cold for moi! Today anyway!

So I rose and shown so late I had to wander to find breakfast as the kitchen here was closed for cleaning. I really had a sausage and egg Mcmuffin in mind. Oddly I rarely eat breakfast at McD’s, but whenever I travel, there I am… Missed breakfast but found a coffee shop still serving. I was not fully awake and the woman behind the counter had a thick Polish accent. Anyway, my bacon sandwich with a side of hashbrowns became a bacon and hashbrown sandwich. Oh well, all in one and not so bad. Took my medicine, downed the full glass of water I’m supposed to take with it and then went to a store for some yogurt to help with the stomach. I don’t think it helped. I wandered maybe a block before I finally broke down and came back for some stomach medicine I carry with me. That seemed to do it so far today. I hate taking pills on top of more pills…

While here, I took the chance to talk to someone at reception about a ferry to Inis Mor on Saturday as there was a sign they could arrange. All done, I’m taking the 10:30am ferry which requires being on a bus at 9:30am. I can’t sleep in Saturday! I booked 3 nights at the hostel, but I keep thinking maybe 4… Well, small place and I book to return there, so I set for 3, and extend if I want. I thought about Dingle Town next, but it looks hard to get there from here and I like Galway enough I’m tempted to add a couple of days here when back from Inis Mor.

I wish I could give a concrete reason for liking Galway, but it’s a very ephemeral thing. It’s a vibe. And it’s mid sized and infinitely walkable. Only really a day here now, and I’ve mostly got my bearings. I walked down to the harbour again today. I did a huge chunk of the river walk including a walk as far out on a causeway to an island in the bay as allowed. Beautiful, sunny, happy to be alive day! Then I reversed the walk and wandered along the river Corrib and the canals until I got to Galway Cathedral, not ancient but quite in keeping with antiquity on outward appearances. Inside, it definitely seems new. I then walked on as far up the river as I could and sat and took photos of a beautiful area. If it was a bit less developed, it would have been ideal, but I understand why people would want to live there.

Dinner was yet another chicken Caesar wrap. I swear I will stop! I had found a Marks & Spencers and figured on grabbing some groceries. I had picked out a ready made Indian chicken dish I could have microwaved, and then I saw my wrap and decided to hold that for an actual Indian restaurant. Sorry!

After dinner and the next dose in the seemingly never ending antibiotic, I once again had a strong metal taste. Curse these side effects, I’m sure I don’t want to read the rest of them! I had the idea that some peppermints would be perfect, both for throat (which is much improved) and for the taste. Guess what, half a dozen stores later, including a hoity toity candy store, no happy bag of peppermint. Not even a cane was sighted. Wow.. So I’m sucking on honey lemon instead. Not what I wanted, but will do.

Spent some time in the common room with my fellow hostelers and finally calling it a night. Sounds like maybe a group tomorrow night going to listen to some live Irish music. Can only handle so late and still wake up for Aran islands on Saturday! Definitely thinking I’ll spend more time here after.

For now, goodnight sweet Galway!