I'm in Ireland, Crazy but True

You Are Where?

Well, all I can say is be careful what you wish for.  I was wishing so badly to get away from work and travel.  Spencer, my brother who lives with me, was in Ireland on holiday (that's vacation to Americans).  He got sick and he's in the hospital.  I talked with the doctors and he will be fine, but they wanted me here so I can be with him.  They aren't quite sure when he will get better, but they want me to stay until Monday so they will have a better idea. 

Taken in Dublin from the bus.  I was awake for the 2 seconds
it took to take this picture.

I thought it was really cool that it had both the
Irish and EU flags

 It Took You How Long?

So, I woke up at 4:30 a.m., flew to Chicago got on a plane to Dublin at 6:30 p.m.  (The reason I flew so early is that I wanted to be sure that I got on the plane to Chicago because I was flying standby.) Arrived in Dublin at 8:30 a.m., got on a bus to Galway and arrived here at 1:30 p.m.  In that type of situation, here were my priorities:  1.  Book a Bed and Breakfast.  2. Meet with the doctors at the hospital.  3.  Go back to the B&B and took a shower. 4. Sleep.  5. Eat (Fish and chips!)  I was so tired that I had no desire to eat even though I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Things I Noticed Immediately

So, I noticed that when I hear Irish people talk, it seems they add letters that aren't there.  I'm not sure if they are doing that or it's just me hearing wrong.  Galway for example.  Galway rhymes with hallway.  I swear I was hearing Galaway.  When I asked where I could get great fish and chips 2 people told me the same place.  I heard McDonalds, but it was actually McDonaugh's.  I thought it was a funny name that they made, but McDonaugh's has been around since 1902. (I know because I read the sign.)

I also noticed that no matter where I was in Galway the place I wanted to go was always a 10 minute walk.  I have a sneaking suspicion they are talking about how an Irish person walks instead of how I walk, but nevertheless, it is walking distance.

Most businesses have an O' or Mc something in the name.  It's not just an Irish joke, it's the norm.

My B&B - St. Clare's

I went to the tourism office when I got here and they found me a lovely B&B that only cost 35 Euro a night.  They are this lovely older couple who have a lovely home, I came and they asked me if I would like a coffee or tea to refresh myself, I don't drink either, but it was so nice for them to offer!  It's very Irish with a living room with a wee fireplace and it's lovely.  They bent over backwards to accommodate me and they even got a taxi for me when I told them I needed to go to the hospital (even though it was just a 10 minute walk, I was almost late for my appointment, so I thought I'd take the safe route and get a ride there).  The sweet woman stood at the window and watched for the taxi for me so I could sit down for a second.

When I came back and wanted to sleep, she turned off the radio and made sure everything was quiet so I could sleep.  She said, "I'll turn on the heat for you.  It turns on at 5:00 p.m. and then it will turn on again before you wake up."  That was a little concerning to me because I'm a cold natured person, but I was too tired to question this practice.  So, I put on my jacket over my pajamas and slept!