05/31/08; The Tour

So after meeting Cathy last night I decided to join her and her Canadian friend on the free Edinburgh tour. This tour was amazing. Our tour guide Gija had so much energy I thought she might jump up right up into the air and stay their. I learned so much in such a small period of time I'm having trouble remembering it all. Their were tons of different museums and attractions along the way which she was kind enough to point out as being free. tomorrow we plan to cover our tracks again and actually go in the museums and buildings. The great news is that this company does tours all over Europe. Tonight were going on the ghost tour with the same guide. It should be pretty amazing. Frankly I may have spoken prematurely when i said I had covered half the city. The city is enormous, and so much happened here. Edinburgh has been the center of almost every important Scottish event to take place. It has also been a breding ground for famous writers and leaders through out the ages. More later, I'm starving...






So tonight we went on the ghost tour with our wonderful tour guide Gija, it was very interesting but their wasn't really anything creepy about it till we got back to the bar and began comparing photos. (most tours seem to come with a complimentary pint. it's great) Other than the faces seen in walls by a few of our group their were a great many orbs appearing around Cathy in a picture of her in the grave yard. The one that freaked me out though was a picture taken by another girl in the group of the city. To some one who wasn't present this picture would look like a perfectly normal night landscape of the city and the moon over head. Their was no moon! I took the same picture, it is the fourth picture down. Freakier still was the fact that when you zoomed in it didn't resemble a moon at all. It had a strange design which reminded me of an Aztec calender on it which seemed raised like a three dimensional image in a two dimensional photo.

05/30/08; It rains again

Yes, The rain never seems to stop here sometimes. My new boots and jacket are quickly becoming my most prized possessions. I missed breakfast this morning but I was taken aback as I searched for a place to have lunch this afternoon. Their was a photo opp around every corner. Shame it's raining or I'd be taking pictures like a mad tourist. I may still just as soon as I get a sunny day. Ya'll are really just not going to believe the beauty their is to behold here.
Well the pound is worth about three of the dollar so I'm off to find a few groceries.
I went walking for the remainder of the day, only covered about half the area and none of the castle though. I'm saving that for a sunnier day, but since the rain stopped and I couldn't wait to show you part of the city I took some pictures after all. Just keep in mind that the sky was bleak and gross so these picture cant show half the potential beauty of these structures. I did see some things worth mentioning while I walked. Including a Skeleton wearing a shirt, a twelve year old girl smoking a cigarette, some beautiful parks and amazing views.
As I was finishing my supper tonight at a great bar on rose street, two Swedish gentlemen at down beside me. Ricky and Aeries couldn't be much older than I am and were visiting Edinburgh with their girlfriends. Towards the end of our conversation they told me about their expiriance playing golf earlier in the day. Which of course posed the question; Will I play golf in Scotland?

The first thing I noticed about Scotland once leaving the airplane was the air. It seems cleaner somehow and I breath more easily here than I usually do; less allergens I guess. Their are also some noticeably good looking girls here as opposed to what I saw in Ireland. Another difference between Scotland and Ireland is ketchup and beer. The Irish don't eat ketchup so you have to pay for it if you want some. Over all the Scottish don't seem to care one way on another but they keep it on hand for the English so it can be easily found if you ask for it. Every Beer I had in Ireland was a Guinness and was very cold. So far the beer in Scotland seems to be cooled simply by storing it in a cellar. This is not a bad thing though, to my surprise the beer which was locally brewed tasted just fine at just below room temperature.

...see if you can find Christ's face in the third picture. (you'll have to open the pic and zoom in a little to find it, but the subtle detail is impressive.)

05/29/08; Travel days suck unconditionaly

Today was not a good day. It was made worse by the fact that I thought everything was planned to perfection. I was wrong. The original plan was this: get up hang around the hostel after check out till two then lunch, then pick up luggage and take a bus to the airport where I would take a cheap flight on Ryanair directly to Edinburgh. I signed up for a 6:30 flight wishing (this is the funny part), wishing that I could find an earlier time for just as cheap. Here's a fun fact about Europe that you may or may not know. Everyone speaks about and tells time the way we do. However, train and bus schedules are all done in 24 hour time. If you haven't figured it out yet this is where things went wrong. I showed up to the airport thinking I was three hours early, but when I gave the information desk the confirmation number the look on the woman's face said it all and my heart sank. The possibility that I might actually be seven hours late had never even occurred to me. I may as well have taken one hundred and forty dollars out of my pocket and instead of use it to pay for a much needed plane ticket crumple it up spit on it and toss it in the river. Then I had to purchase a new plane ticket which cost significantly more than the first one to Glasgow and then buy a train ticket to Edinburgh. Well though requiring more money than I could afford it seemed the most reasonable action to take. The information desk assured me that the train to Edinburgh left from the Glasgow airport and would be quite easy to find. Well after arriving I spent twenty minutes trying to find the customs agents which had apparently skipped off work early to get them to stamp my passport. (Yes, I am in the UK with out any stamp in my passport accepting me into the country. I don't know how serious this is I just know It's ill advised. If anyone else knows more please let me know.) Next problem: I give up on the customs agents and walk out side. I see signs for the car park, signs for taxis and signs for buses. THEIR ARE NO TRAINS! Last train for Edinburgh leaves at 11:30 (I asked in Dublin), and it was now 10:45. The local bus driver was kind enough to take me all the way to the train station I needed, but I still had to run through the maze of a station to find the right train minutes before it left.
Not everything was bad today though, on the Train I met a man of similar age named Roberto from Madrid. Being a traveler himself, Roberto gave me some of the best help in planning my trip as I had received so far. Among other things he told me about a popular European website called freecouch.com where travelers sleep for free on peoples couches. Apparently many of his friends were now dating people they had met this way. Still, I'm not sure I'm brave enough to sleep on the couch of an absolute stranger. Interesting peace of knowledge though. Even though at this point I was just wondering what might go wrong next, all of my anxiety was lifted once I saw Edinburgh Castle from the taxi window. Gracing the top of an enormous cliff above the city, this castle is the most magnificent thing I have ever set eyes on. Pictures will come soon. I cant wait to explore it.


....That enough for you Baker?

05/28/08; Museum Day

It stopped raining today, so I decided to see some sights (lots of pictures today). First I saw the Dublina and Viking Museum with Ashley(who plans to travel with her mom now that Damien has gone his own way); next I saw the Guinness Brewery. Ashly was kind enough to take some pictures of me while she was their to appease your requests. The first museum was interesting, however it seemed designed primarily for the younger generations. Even so, we did take some very funny pictures their and even learned a few things we didn't know about the vikings. Afterwards I headed further outside the city to the Guinness Store house where I learned how they brewed their famous beer. It was very entertaining and they ended the tour with a complimentary pint and a magnificent view in their roof top bar.

Tomorrow I fly into Edinburgh where I will stay for five days before using my Britrail pass to travel to different places for four days in a row before arriving in London. I am very excited about this location because people I have met here and in Galway have all told me its amazing. I am still unsure about what locations to visit with the travel days in between, but Lochness is a very likely option for one of them.

The unfortunate side effect of so much walking is to be beat, so I'll be of to bed now.

05/27/08; When it rains it pours...

As my title suggests it started raining last night and hasn't quit. The news is not reassuring either, so I am in desperate need of some rain shoes that also keep out the cold. At the moment I am limited to my crocs which aren't very good for the cold. Unfortunately my tennis shoes wont be much better once they get wet. So I'm in a bind, think I may brave the cold in my crocs till I can find something to replace them with.
This place is much different than the last place I stayed; the common rooms are all underground in what would feel like a bunker if not for the brightly painted walls. Their are about eight different rooms here with twenty something people to a room much like the rooms the army uses for soldiers. Most concerning is that once you've gotten into your room. Peoples stuff is strewn about everywhere with no organization or security to speak of. No one seems overly concerned about theft though and the only time anything I care about is not on my person is when I'm asleep and then the rooms filled with people anyways.
Met someone new this morning at breakfast, an Italian named Fitzbrith (well at least I think that's it). He's actually working here for a couple of months before he goes back to Italy to finish his schooling.
People still start singing out of nowhere here, which always brings a smile to my face. Apparently the Irish failed to develop all of the socially conscious fears that we have developed.
Well I'm off, I must find some boots and I will attend the Guinness brewery today if theirs time since it's so nasty outside.

I I solidified my travel plans up until June 2nd and saw much of the shopping district today, but sadly I will have to save the Guinness Brewery for tomorrow. Luckily, i did finally find some nice waterproof Columbia hiking boots which weren't too expensive. Much preferable to what i was walking around the city in (picture below). That purchase should keep the rain away for now on.
The city is amazing, even outside the hostel I can never guess which language I'm going to hear next. Their seems to be just so many foreigners here. I believe many of them actually live here too which seems strange to me.

That's right, i rocked the redneck look; Couldn't be helped.

Living in the midst of a hundred plus people is great. Adding to the guy this morning I have met four more people today. Ashley and Damien an estranged couple who have somehow decided no longer to travel together since I talked to them this afternoon; we should all be leaving to eat dinner together soon. And Molly and Evelin, two very meek girls traveling together who sleep next to me. Molly is writing a thesis on Saint Bridget and hopes to co-op in Galway next year.

05/26/08; Arrival in Dublin

Today I arrived In Dublin, the train is a much better way to travel than the bus. It was relaxing and the view was beautiful (have included some pictures from the train below). The hostel I am staying at now is full of travelers like myself. I’m sure I will make some interesting friends very soon. I haven’t eaten anything decent today and am starving. So I’m off to scrounge up some food somewhere.

05/25/08; Hippies surprise me in Galway

Today I went searching for Internet access again. Failed, but what can you do. Finally ended up just tooling around the city some more. They held Africa day in the park out side my room. It really wasn’t anything special till the hippies started dancing. Just goes to show you hippies are everywhere. I also saw one of the strangest street performances I've seen thus far. Btw: Guinness tastes different here, I cant stand it in the states, but here It is great. I hope to tour the brewery when I’m in Dublin. Not much happened today, but tonight I found myself in Kings Head Pub watching a live performance by Pyramid. I have included their encore below.

05/24/08; Exploring Galway

Today started rather late as I indulged my love for sleep by staying in bed until 11, a necessary evil after yesterday’s lack of it. I started by going shopping for food to cut back on breakfast and lunch costs. Then I went for a walk afterwards. I started by continuing to explore the market and shop streets then I was lucky enough to stumble across the coast. I enjoyed this part the most and walked a great distance. There were great sites to be seen their including the whistling gate on the causeway and what I suspect was a classic example of the cheap date in this city, two people kissing over a bottle of wine in the park. Let’s not forget the fat lane sign spray painted on the running track. I love it when the defacing of public property is creative. On my way back I stopped in a little traditional Irish place with awesome Sheppard’s pie.

Well, I can hear the bar crowd. Time for me to go…

I love the Irish. I can only hope that Dublin is a lot like Galway. I thought everyone was nice before. The Irish know how to go to a pub; you can drink inside, upstairs, or outside. Most importantly there are no boundaries. You can sing or dance anytime you like even if you’re the only one doing it at the time. Most beneficial to me, you can talk to anyone with out seeking the comfort of your friends. I can honestly start a conversation with anyone in the city and almost instantly I and they act as if they were one of my best friends.

Btw: the dialect is beginning to grow on me, tonight i have noticed an Irish dialect in my head as I have thought to myself. Apparently it doesn’t take long, tonight I first met Heather who was with a hen. (means her girlfriend was going to get married) they really wanted me to join them and drink with them all night Heather also gave me her number, she said they would take me out when I was in London (apparently that’s where the hen was from). Unfortunately I went to find a cash machine and never could find the club they were going to afterwards (theirs a picture of me and Heather below; kind of an awkward hat for a guy to wear I know, but they insisted) Next I met Bernie, a girl at another pub who introduced me to the rest of her friends including Matt and Sarah. The interesting thing about Matt and Sarah was that Matt was from Oregon and Sarah was from Galway. The funny thing was that after just 6 months I couldn't’t tell Matt from another Irishman. I honestly never would have known he was American if I hadn’t been told so in the beginning. Anyways, I can still hear people singing outside my window. I may go walk around some just to see who’s around.