Ireland

So first things first, I must apologize for the lack of pictures that I've been posting here on this blog.  Because I don't carry around a laptop around I don't have constant access to a computer that I can connect my camera with but if your following me on twitter or facebook, you know I try to keep that updated with photos.
Ok back to my weekly recap.  Since I last posted, I have travelled from Dublin to Cork to Killarney to now Galway.  And boy, has my plans around Ireland change a lot!  But lets go back to my last day in Dublin.  Now that was going to be my "cultured" day so I decided to visit the Museum of Archeology, Natural History, National Gallery of Ireland and catch a matinee performance of "Bookworms" a hilarious comedy playing in the Abbey theatre.  It really was a funfilled day so when I got back to my hostel I crashed.  The next day I was off to Cork, the bus took about 4 hours to get there and my first impressions of Cork weren't that great.  It was a city like Dublin but it seemed a little less occupied.  My hostel, Bru Bar hostel was a fair hostel, I really had no roomates so I was able to enjoy the privacy of my room to myself.  To be honest, I didn't really find much to do in Cork, so I booked a day tour to see the Cliffs of Moher and the Burrens for the next day.  The tour company, Paddywagon was really great and informative and the whole tour was great, I even managed to meet a fellow Canadian and another friend while on the bus.  But as soon as the tour ended, I ended my day and planned to go to Killarney to see the Ring of Kerry.  Now, I spent 2 nights in Cork and a total of 4 nights in Killarney.  Killarney is a real small town, town made for tourist.  I made my way to the family owned Neptune Hostel (amazing service, real friendly) and I even managed to find a local cafe that I ended up going to everyday.  So in Killarney, I did the Ring of Kerry tour, hiked up to Ross Castle in Killarney national park and even cycled a total of 36km to see the Gap of Dunloe.  All this nature truly allowed me to experience Ireland in all its glory.  It makes me wonder why I don't explore more of Canada, especially if I can survive doing this alone.  I have seen so many beautiful castles, hillsides, and cliffs here in Ireland.  They are such a rich country full of history and lots of joy that it ignites a joy in myself.  Plus the people here are so friendly to everyone they meet and are always willing to give you a hand.  Now during my stay in Killarney, I managed to switch my plans around.  I figured instead of travelling up through Limerick, Galway, Sligo, Derry then Belfast, why not just spend more time in Galway then go back to Dublin (because 4 nights was not enough time to fully experience the city) then just train up to Belfast?  So that's what I decided to do and as hard as it was to change my plans I figured, I have all my life to come back if I wanted to, to see the rest.  Because the last week here in Ireland was all about seeing everything, experiencing Ireland and just constantly going  and going, I figured this would be the week to really enjoy the luxury of being alone that many of us so often don't have a chance of experiencing.  Plus, in just a few days I will be meeting up with some family friends and then I'll have a hard time finding/wanting time alone.  So far, I've managed to read a couple of great books, meet people from all over Europe that I've shared great experiences and do things I wouldn't do in a regular basis back home and I'm really grateful for that.  I've also come to realize how passionate I am about certain things back home and other things that I occupy myself with that really doesn't serve a purpose. 

Needless to say, I am learning a lot of things about myself here that I would never get the chance to learn back home and that alone brings personal affirmation to my decision to do this adventure.  More to come soon!