Dublin
Sitting in the Dublin airport waiting to hop on my plane to London and watching the sunrise. I couldn't wait to share this photo.
I have to admit, I really am sad to be leaving Ireland. But on to new adventures, and I hope to return again soon. I love the people, the music, the culture, and the countryside. Nothing quite like it. I definitely left part of my heart there.
Well, Ireland certainly has a night life. I asked someone in a store for a recommendation of things to do in the afternoon and she said "oh, I don't know. Go get a drink. Not much else to do." Kind of depressing since I don't drink, but they've got music in almost every pub! So I had a blast.
I sat at the bar of a Japanese restaurant, chatted with the sushi chefs, and ate gyoza. It was delicious. There was a large window to my left, so I watched as all the people hurried by. It's just a lot of tourists, but that's ok. They're all happy and going to food and music and, most importantly for the area, drinks. Giant "Guinness" signs everywhere, I don't know if it's actually the Irish people or just the people visiting Ireland, but whoever it is sure likes to drink!
Had some awesome traditional Irish music at a pub called the Globe. This is Fred, who we met on Tuesday, playing the bodhrán. He gave me a mini-lesson on how to play it and I decided that it's more complicated than people think to play it well.
Before the band started playing, I ordered my non-alcoholic beverage at the bar and chatted with a few people around there. This guy in the photo below, though, heard something about me being a photographer and said "OH! Take a picture of me. Right here." My eyes darted around uncomfortably, but the bar was pretty empty, so I pulled out the lens and flash and took a photo. Of course he wanted to see it. "Hrmmm... how about another one. I'll do my George Clooney pose." I have no idea what he meant by that, but after 15 minutes of his entertaining drunk ramblings and wanting to pose for the camera, this is what we ended up with:
I really enjoyed the trad group, because they had three of them and they all played instruments and could sang. This meant the sound of the song changed as they switched lead or instruments. Made it interesting!
After a bit there, we went down the street to a pub with a blues band. I drank an orange juice with nothing in it and was told that was an insult to the Irish. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or feel really uncomfortable, so I tried to be really polite and understanding while still explaining I wasn't interested in drinking alcohol... Oh well... Met some other awesome people, the lead singer and harmonica player in the band was a friend of Fred's and a great musician! They had more of a Texas blues style and it really made me want to dance. Just listening was almost as good :)
Here's the vocalist from their group. I didn't get a good picture of it, but the coolest thing about him was he also played the harmonica! I've met people who could kind of play, but this guy was wailing on it! So much fun.
And now we're in Galway. Stay tuned :)
Not really the end of Dublin, just the end of my days in Dublin on this trip. Much less dramatic than it sounds. I'm sitting on a bus right now on my way to Galway, it's about 11am here, 4am Utah time. Rain is pounding on the windows, I feel like I should be in an old fashioned car driving along these picturesque roads. The atmosphere around just makes me smile.
Luckily they have internet on the bus, so I can finish uploading photos from yesterday and write some of my thoughts about it. It really was a perfect day. I forgot to sleep that night due to jet lag and uploading photos, so around 6am I finally gave up on the idea and went to walk around the city. Now, there are a couple things you should know for the stories today to have significance.
#1 - I have the world's worst internal compass. Seriously, I'm terrible with directions. I don't know how I lived before GPS.
#2 - I love to meet new people.
#3 - Traveling for me is about the adventure, not the sites.
So, back to my day. Annie decided to go on a tour bus and see the Giant's Causeway. I opted to stay in Dublin and explore. I had three goals - first, to get to know my way around the city. I did this by hours and hours of walking. Getting lost on purpose. Occasionally asking for directions, and when all else fails, run into an internet cafe and look up the address for my hostel. I wish I could say this last one was a hypothetical situation, but unfortunately it was not. I had spent 5 hours walking around the city and I knew where Temple Bar was, where the castle was, where the mall was, but I had no clue where my hostel was. And after 30 hours of no sleep I needed to find it. Quickly. I am pleased to report, however, that I now know the city of Dublin pretty well. Just in time to leave :) I'll have to repeat the same process in Galway next. Then London and Madrid... oh let's face it. I will have to work hard for the rest of my life to try and figure out where I am and how to get where I want to go. But as long as I keep perspective and remember that I can enjoy the journey, not just the destination, I'm ok with that. Right now, I'm just riding the bus, but the hills and villages and clouds - it's beautiful.
When I was a teenager, I used to climb out my window at night after everyone went to sleep and just sit on the roof alone. I would write music, poems, stories, letters or just sit and feel the wind, the heat, or the rain, whatever the weather was at the time. (Mom, I realized I'm not sure if you knew I did this... if you're reading this, well, we can just look back and laugh now, right? Hope you didn't have to replace too many of the shingles on the roof up there :D) I always felt the most at peace just sitting there, quiet, thoughtful, alone, artistic juices flowing. And I would dream about sitting at a cafe in Paris for a day doing the same thing. Something so perfect about Europe in my mind, I don't know why. But yesterday I figured it out. I didn't have a pen and paper, but I had my camera instead. And I sat there outside the cafe on a brick road, rain lightly falling, the air brisk, and no one around. It was early in the morning, so it was quiet. I haven't felt that peaceful and inspired in years. Breakfast was freshly squeezed orange juice and a gourmet ham and cheese crescent.
This was where I sat:
This was my view to the right:
And to the left:
And some more photos from my walk around the city during the day:
I walked around for about 5 hours (my calves are killing me!), explored, observed, got wet, smiled, watched people, took photos, and loved every minute of it. Then I went back for an afternoon nap or whatever you call "the sleep for a few hours during the day that replaced the sleep I didn't get the night before."
I have many more stories I'd like to share, but I think I'm going to save them for another day. As a preview to the next chapter, I woke up from my nap in time for food and music. Lots of music.
And now I'm signing off. Cheers!
What an incredible day. I have so many stories! But I'm about to run out and find dinner and traditional Irish music, so the stories will have to wait. Just this photo today and the emotion behind it.
I love the rain. I've always loved the sound, the smell, and singing in it! This was the first time I really noticed how beautiful the streets are when they get wet. This was taken in Temple Bar area before most people woke up. When I look back at this photo, the only way to describe my emotion is to close my eyes and take a deep breath. There are not words. It's just beautiful.
There's a song I like to sing when it rains - "In His Eyes" from the musical Jekyll and Hyde. I don't remember when I first heard this song - some time when I was a teenager I suppose, but I often cry when I sing it, it is so emotional and rain representing that is perfect.
"I sit and watch the rain And see my tears run down the windowpane I sit and watch the sky And I can hear it breathe a sigh...
I think of him, how we were And when I think of him Then I remember... remember...
In his eyes, I can see Where my heart longs to be. In his eyes I see a gentle glow. And that's where I'll be safe I know
Safe in his arms, close to his heart... But I don't know quite where to start By looking in his eyes Will I see beyond tomorrow? By looking in his eyes, Will I see beyond the sorrow That I feel?
Will his eyes reveal to me Promises or lies? But he can't conceal from me The love in his eyes!
I know their every look, His eyes! They're like an open book, His eyes! But most of all the look That hypnotized me!
If I'm wise, I will walk away, And gladly... But, sadly, I'm not wise, It's hard to talk away The mem'ries that you prize!
Love is worth forgiving for! Now I realize - Everything worth living for Is there, in his eyes!"
I remember singing this song with my childhood friend Katherine Morriss, we'd just sit at the piano and sing Broadway tunes for hours, it was a perfect sentimental day, what a walk down memory lane!
The keyboard and drummer from the band last night
And my favorite shot of this bridge. It is such a modern looking bridge, very unique architecture, and I loved the reflection in the water.
Turns out Ireland in May is rainy (which I knew and came prepared with - my awesome REI raincoat) and cold. Much colder than I expected. But that's all part of the adventure, right? Shouldn't have packed my winter clothes away quite this early!
