theDuke
John Elkins Joined: February 21st 2006
Logged in: February 25th 2008
Logged in: February 25th 2008
Travel Blog Posts
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From Belfast to Barcelona... Talk about a shock. In the blink of an eye, I went from a month of cold weather, coats, and irish stew to sunshine, beaches, and seafood. Barcelona is where we met our wonderful Couchsurfing Family. We planned on hanging around for 3 days or so, but soon became part of a can't-miss-it international Couchsurfing shindig later that week...how easily 3 days turned into 10. This place is amazing. I saw more mullets than I have seen in the last 5 years combined--and I am from Oklahoma. I saw the most beautiful women on the entire planet as frequently as I saw the mullets. I ate baby octopus out of a bowl and shared freshly made sangria with a table of people from 11 different countries. I saw some of the ... read more
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Belfast was an absolute blast... Kyle called his Irish buddy Will and told him we were on the way to Belfast. The first night, we trekked through the drizzling rain until we hit a club nicknamed "The Bot", which must have been Irish for "If you're from Oklahoma and have long hair, go here and get an idea what it was like to be Mick Jagger in 1968." The place was packed like a parachute, and had a highly (and pleasantly) disproportionate female-to-male ratio. We ended up hopping in a cab with a few Irish girls that we ran into outside the club, and then proceeded to wander through an open door into an apartment whose inhabitants thankfully thought we were cool enough to do so. If fun lands in your lap that easily on ... read more
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Sidetrip to Derry Kyle and I found ourselves in Derry (or Londonderry) after choosing it from a map in the Sligo train station. We were stuck in town for a few days due to a train strike, so we were dead set on making the best of it. Even though we weren't there long, Derry impacted me just as much, if not more than, the other cities I visited. The pictures will explain more...... read more
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W.B. Yeats was quoted as saying "the place that has really influenced my life most is Sligo." I can see why...if you are looking for a place that shows the heart of Ireland, this small coastal country town would do the trick. Nicole's job had her placed here for several weeks, so we thought we'd swing by for a quick visit "on the way" to Belfast. You know how that goes. Kyle and I got some wrong directions and wound up getting turned around in the search for Nicole's hotel. It was dark when we stepped off the train...but luckily, within about 10 minutes of our arrival, a middle-aged couple saw us and offered to give us a ride. I was really astounded. They spoke to us as if we were family friends, though we were ... read more
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Kicking Back in Dublin Considering the previous week in Galway, it was time to recharge the batteries a bit in Dublin. Thompson could only stay one night before returning to the states, so we thought we would stroll into a hostel (assuming everyone had already vacated following the St. Paddy's Festivities) rather than burden a couchsurfer three travelers. So when we stepped off the train on Saturday night with our loaded backpacks, we got the same answer all over town: no beds available. Thanks to a few no-show travelers, we lucked out at the last minute and scored exactly 3 beds in a downtown hostel. "Don't Let Me Down..." Kyle had been talking to a Dublin couchsurfer named Keith Magee, and due to a massive wave of requests to stay at his place for the ... read more
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Looking back, Galway was one of my favorite stops on the entire trip. It was a very artsy and musical college town that immediately made me feel at ease. The scenery was beautiful, but the beautiful spirit of the people there is really what made this place shine. I think I'll let the pictures and captions speak for themselves on this one... ... read more
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March 14th...we were packing it up and ready to leave London when I realized that my credit card was missing. And shortly thereafter I found out that it had been maxed out by someone trying to buy computer equipment and a $400 pair of boots. But Ireland was a-callin' and I couldn't wait to get there. After our $30 flight to Shannon Airport and a long bus ride, Kyle, Thompson and I found ourselves in Galway. Ireland was just as green as I had imagined, with fields of sheep just as I had imagined--corraled by aged stone fences...just as I had imagined. First night in Galway... Just as night was falling we located a cool hostel called Barnacles, ditched our luggage, and immediately decided to sniff out a hearty traditional Irish dinner and a stout ... read more
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We dropped back into London to meet our buddy Chris and give him the crash-course on the town, then it was on to Ireland.... read more
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I really got a kick out of Liverpool-- from the musical history to the scantily clad women to the scouse accent. I think they got a kick out of us as well. . . After a 5 hour bus ride from London, we arrived in Liverpool with no real plans other than to be at the Albert Pub for the Liverpool vs. Benfica match, check out some Beatles sites, and eat a big steaming bowl of scouse. Kyle called his friend Main to see if we could crash with him, but he was out of town. Before we could even finish a beer, Main quickly called back and said he had it all taken care of--we could stay with his buddy Deva. Kyle, Ian and I dropped off our stuff at the flat and nearly sprinted ... read more
Passed O-U-T
London was a great place to start the trip. . .Nicole, Ian, and Nigel were very hospitable and I am grateful that they put up with us for so long!!! Kyle and I tried to repay the favor by cooking a "traditional" Mexican meal that everyone seemed to really enjoy. While in town, I not only met some great travelers at the hostel, but got to catch up with a few friends from back home. I hadn't seen my friend Rachel (who now lives in London) for about 5 years, so we met her at a club/pub called Walkabout--the place was EXTREMELY packed, and just as Kyle and I shouted "We'll never find her in here", there she was, shaking it on the dance floor in front of us!! Later on in the week, we ... read more
