(no subject)
the land of Saints and Scholars.
>
>Ennis - a beautiful city with these narrow cobblestone streets, all
>>those in the hostel are musicians so i've been playing music.
>>Heard
>>the best musician i've heard in ireland at a fancy shmancy hotel
>>bar, i believe his name was Custy. This county Clare had the best
>>music and best musicianship.
>>
>>Doolin - where my heart belongs. Climbed up the edge of the cliffs
>>of moher from doolin to the cliffs. i recommend this to everybody,
>>i hiked through fields of cows and horses and sheep, i climbed over
>>barbed wire and electric fence (tho there were holes every so
>>often)
>>and i laid on my stomach and put my head over the edge to look all
>>the way down to the ocean. VERTIGO.
>>Doolin is also known for its music, it has 100 people and 3 pubs!
>>always packed and always great music. Also, met my first hippyish
>>people, always do a lot of self-reflecting after meeting such
>>creative sorts.
>>
>>Aran Islands - major major rain storm but an amazing fort up at the
>>top Dun Areanan i believe it is called. Invoked the imagination
>>wondering if this ancient fort used to have sacrifices and prayers
>>to the Druid Gods
>>
>>Galway - big party town full of youngsters and other europeans
>>looking for the scene. but i still found my old man pubs and
>>therefore brilliant music. i also met a poet in the park who has
>>inspired me ever since, seems i haven't stopped smiling and
>>recognizing beauty since our parting. Including becoming better
>>and
>>better at the tin whistle, it started with the poet and i've been
>>in
>>musical mode and practising ever since.
>>
>>Clifdon - Connemmarra, finally a place to settle down do some hikes
>>and be one with myself. Seems that without a car and only a few
>>hitchhikes i've been in populated cities most of the time. This
>>was
>>the first time in awhile that i got to sit and wait and think.
>
>Westport - mostly i spent it with a great girl who you parents would
>have liked. she would have been acceptable to bring home to the
>parents though she wasn't jewish. oh well. i also climbed up
>crough patrick (mt patrick) which is the mountain supposedly st
>patrick went up when he sent away all the snakes. there was a
>church at the top which was pretty cool.
>
>Sligo - met some quebecois who had a car and took me around after i
>wished them a Bon St. Jean Batiste Day that i found out was the day
>before. they took me to a beach nearby where people surf and upon
>climbing up the dunes we saw not one but 2 rainbows one on top of
>the other. Gonna get me a pot of gold.
>
>Derry - the first day i walked around and took pictures of all the
>sites. it took me a while to figure out that the king of england
>king james was sympathetic to the catholics and not the protestants.
> I went to a beautiful st. columb cathedral and asked some
>questions and read some stuff. then decided to go see the murals in
>the Fountain (the protestant neighbourhood) after asking the right
>questions there the locals brought me to the reluctant leader of the
>only protestant neighbourhood on the west side and told me all sorts
>of stories from his point of view. i bet few get this side of the
>argument and mostly go to the powerful murals on the catholic side
>near where Bloody Sunday happened.
>- the second day i met up with a girl i met in kinsale almost 4
>weeks ago. She and her friends took me all over the northern coast
>to the giants causeway and bushmills (the oldest whiskey distillery)
>where i got meself a flask and whiskey. we went to the best fish
>and chips place in northern ireland of 2003 and some local spots
>around their neighborhoods. So many good memories and alot of good
>music and good vibes. They really took care of me today.
>
Belfast
Still trying to learn more and more about the conflict in Northern Ireland. I even went to see the movie that won the Cannes film festival called The Wind that Blows the Barley, instead of going out to clubs/pubs. It was about the fight for independence against britain but also the internal strife within the IRA once freedom was relatively acheived. I recommend it to all that are curious about the country's history. Again i went through the tougher Loyalist and IRA neighbourhoods as in Derry. Though in Belfast they are all very close to eachother and there's 'Peace' walls in between them. I found that it was fine to walk these neighbourhoods during the day, and that people were willing to tell their side of the conflict as well as to help us understand the murals. There's more and more detail about this in my journal that i'll type out soon, but for now it seems that our generation has grown up without alot of the violence. So those our age and younger have both protestant and catholic friends, are easier to talk to about the conflict, and all want to just put it behind them as quickly as they can. It also gives me hope that the religious war in Israel right now could one day be like this, one generation at a time.
Dublin
I went back to Dublin to see a travelling friend that i had met in Memphis TN 2 years ago in the New Orleans trip. She was great and introduced me to her friends and then we all went out dancing. It seems that my best memories of Dublin take place with people who aren't Irish, these girls were Italian. And man, i'm so gonna date an Italian when i get back, because this girl was more passionate than anyone i've ever met. She was very silly and clever and creative and a great great dancer. I spent the rest of my time in Dublin with her. But ya read the journal for the details there.
>Seems that ever since the Doolin hippies i've been really really happy and only
>good things have happened to me. I have found my smile and
>hopefully i'll be able to carry it throughout my life back at home.
My journal will be typed out as well, and if i met you on the trip somewhere keep an eye on your emails because i'll be sending you all a personal thank you.
>
>love you all
>rob
>
>Ennis - a beautiful city with these narrow cobblestone streets, all
>>those in the hostel are musicians so i've been playing music.
>>Heard
>>the best musician i've heard in ireland at a fancy shmancy hotel
>>bar, i believe his name was Custy. This county Clare had the best
>>music and best musicianship.
>>
>>Doolin - where my heart belongs. Climbed up the edge of the cliffs
>>of moher from doolin to the cliffs. i recommend this to everybody,
>>i hiked through fields of cows and horses and sheep, i climbed over
>>barbed wire and electric fence (tho there were holes every so
>>often)
>>and i laid on my stomach and put my head over the edge to look all
>>the way down to the ocean. VERTIGO.
>>Doolin is also known for its music, it has 100 people and 3 pubs!
>>always packed and always great music. Also, met my first hippyish
>>people, always do a lot of self-reflecting after meeting such
>>creative sorts.
>>
>>Aran Islands - major major rain storm but an amazing fort up at the
>>top Dun Areanan i believe it is called. Invoked the imagination
>>wondering if this ancient fort used to have sacrifices and prayers
>>to the Druid Gods
>>
>>Galway - big party town full of youngsters and other europeans
>>looking for the scene. but i still found my old man pubs and
>>therefore brilliant music. i also met a poet in the park who has
>>inspired me ever since, seems i haven't stopped smiling and
>>recognizing beauty since our parting. Including becoming better
>>and
>>better at the tin whistle, it started with the poet and i've been
>>in
>>musical mode and practising ever since.
>>
>>Clifdon - Connemmarra, finally a place to settle down do some hikes
>>and be one with myself. Seems that without a car and only a few
>>hitchhikes i've been in populated cities most of the time. This
>>was
>>the first time in awhile that i got to sit and wait and think.
>
>Westport - mostly i spent it with a great girl who you parents would
>have liked. she would have been acceptable to bring home to the
>parents though she wasn't jewish. oh well. i also climbed up
>crough patrick (mt patrick) which is the mountain supposedly st
>patrick went up when he sent away all the snakes. there was a
>church at the top which was pretty cool.
>
>Sligo - met some quebecois who had a car and took me around after i
>wished them a Bon St. Jean Batiste Day that i found out was the day
>before. they took me to a beach nearby where people surf and upon
>climbing up the dunes we saw not one but 2 rainbows one on top of
>the other. Gonna get me a pot of gold.
>
>Derry - the first day i walked around and took pictures of all the
>sites. it took me a while to figure out that the king of england
>king james was sympathetic to the catholics and not the protestants.
> I went to a beautiful st. columb cathedral and asked some
>questions and read some stuff. then decided to go see the murals in
>the Fountain (the protestant neighbourhood) after asking the right
>questions there the locals brought me to the reluctant leader of the
>only protestant neighbourhood on the west side and told me all sorts
>of stories from his point of view. i bet few get this side of the
>argument and mostly go to the powerful murals on the catholic side
>near where Bloody Sunday happened.
>- the second day i met up with a girl i met in kinsale almost 4
>weeks ago. She and her friends took me all over the northern coast
>to the giants causeway and bushmills (the oldest whiskey distillery)
>where i got meself a flask and whiskey. we went to the best fish
>and chips place in northern ireland of 2003 and some local spots
>around their neighborhoods. So many good memories and alot of good
>music and good vibes. They really took care of me today.
>
Belfast
Still trying to learn more and more about the conflict in Northern Ireland. I even went to see the movie that won the Cannes film festival called The Wind that Blows the Barley, instead of going out to clubs/pubs. It was about the fight for independence against britain but also the internal strife within the IRA once freedom was relatively acheived. I recommend it to all that are curious about the country's history. Again i went through the tougher Loyalist and IRA neighbourhoods as in Derry. Though in Belfast they are all very close to eachother and there's 'Peace' walls in between them. I found that it was fine to walk these neighbourhoods during the day, and that people were willing to tell their side of the conflict as well as to help us understand the murals. There's more and more detail about this in my journal that i'll type out soon, but for now it seems that our generation has grown up without alot of the violence. So those our age and younger have both protestant and catholic friends, are easier to talk to about the conflict, and all want to just put it behind them as quickly as they can. It also gives me hope that the religious war in Israel right now could one day be like this, one generation at a time.
Dublin
I went back to Dublin to see a travelling friend that i had met in Memphis TN 2 years ago in the New Orleans trip. She was great and introduced me to her friends and then we all went out dancing. It seems that my best memories of Dublin take place with people who aren't Irish, these girls were Italian. And man, i'm so gonna date an Italian when i get back, because this girl was more passionate than anyone i've ever met. She was very silly and clever and creative and a great great dancer. I spent the rest of my time in Dublin with her. But ya read the journal for the details there.
>Seems that ever since the Doolin hippies i've been really really happy and only
>good things have happened to me. I have found my smile and
>hopefully i'll be able to carry it throughout my life back at home.
My journal will be typed out as well, and if i met you on the trip somewhere keep an eye on your emails because i'll be sending you all a personal thank you.
>
>love you all
>rob