Day 2 in Ireland. The long train journey from Dublin to Killarney in the south west of Ireland was definitely woth the effort. What a lovely town filled with lovely people. As I stood on the sidewalk looking lost, the nicest gentleman offered to help, and didn’t just point me in the right direction, he actually walked me all the way to my hotel reception, pointing out good restaurants and stops along the way. The Scott’s Hotel was wonderful with very friendly and helpful staff. Prior to the concert I met with a couple friends at Hannigan’s Pub for a pint (or three). It felt wonderful to sit by a warm fire to take the damp off.
Now, isn’t this the prettiest Irish Coffee ever?
Off to the INEC for the show (review & images to follow). After the show, much waiting around, and the horrible rain, we headed to a pub for a drink (or three). Most of the pubs seemed loud and crowded, until we found one that was empty, so we chose that one. I think we were the youngest people there by at least 30 years. They had folk band playing traditional irish music. There was a group of “mature” women having a great time, dancing and enjoying themselves so I decided to go meet them, and hear their stories. Turns out they have all been friends for 40+ years, and every year they take a trip together. Unfortunatley, as they age, the group is getting smaller and smaller. We had lots of laughs, and they tried to teach me some irish dancing. I was awful. my friends watched from the other side of the pub, laughing, taking incriminating photographs :). It was a fine time, finished off by the singing of the national anthem (which of course I didn’t know and couldn’t even understand, being in gaelic and all). Oh, what a night. Once the pub closed, I walked back to the hotel, realizing I was starving. Again, I didn’t get around to having dinner, but to my luck (or the luck of the Irish) the hotel clerk directed me to a Burger King (yuck, but hey, it was open and serving food at 2am).
THINGS I LEARNED TODAY:
- watching from the sidelines is not nearly as fun as jumping in.
- Irish Coffee tastes better when you’re in Ireland
- Trains don’t always run on time, in fact I’ve yet to be on one that has been on schedule.
- Ladies from Cork are a lot of fun. I think there must be a limerick about that
by leighann
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