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Published: April 23rd 2005
So I was able to hitch a ride from Doolin to Galway and I gave Armindo €10 because gas is around $4 gallon. Neither of us knew the area but it seemed to be near the city center so he pulled over and dropped me off on some corner. It was cool that he drove me because I got to see some of the Burren which I wouldnt have been able to see without doing a tour or renting a car or something. Plus it gave me someone to chill with, i'll be honest and say im just happy to be alive because the roads are extremely narrow. Theyre not even roads really, more like paved paths so everyone drives in the middle since theyre so narrow, but theyre also driving 100km/h and around blind bends. Every bend I was praying a car wasnt coming the other way. We saw a tomb from like 4 or 5,000 BC and some Abbeys from around 1300AD as well as a castle. We werent all that impressed to be honest, they were cool but nothing where your jaw dropped or anything.
The other good thing was that a lot of these sights were basically on the path to Galway so we only had about 30mins of driving after the last stop.
After getting dropped off I got my bearings and found a hostel located right in the center, although even one on the outskirts is probably a 5 minute walk anyways. But neverhteless the place seemed nice and the receptionist was helpful and friendly. So I booked 2 nights but they didnt have any of the same beds free for 2 nights so I had to switch...no biggie. Of course after my first night I wish I hadnt booked the second. The beds sucked, were hard as hell and the pillows were so thin. I was in a 12 bed dorm and one of the people was this absolutely disgusting street performer...nothing redeemable about this guy. He was a nasty speedo wearing, farting, belching, butt scratching waste. But at least this was the only night I had to spend with this guy, oh yeah, he also violently shakes for some reason at around 7am. So after about 3hrs of combined sleep I get myself up and check out at 10:30am and lock up my bag since my new room wont be ready until 2pm. I went out for the day and met some old Irish guy down by the water and we talked for a few. he recommended a place called Salthill, supposedly its a nice boardwalk along the water, so I went to Eyre Sq. and caught the Salthill bus.
This place was really nice and had a beach and the weather had warmed up to prob around 60. Unfortunately, there were only weirdos staying at this hostel so I didnt meet anyone that I could chill with for any long term thing. Actually I didnt really meet anyone in Galway until of course 2 chill girls from Seattle 2 hours before I had to leave for the bus to Dublin. I didnt mind the solo time too much though but lets just say I was more than ready to move onto Dublin.
So I head off for the bus station with a little map I drew based on the map on the Citylink bus brochure, complete with street names and everything. This should get me right there, good thing I left early because I dont know if street signs are illegal or just frowned upon, but there isnt a damn street sign anywhere. Their absence is so apparent I cant help but think its intentional. Hell write them in Gaelic and scramble the letters up, throw me a freakin bone. So there I am, sitting there and trying to compare the streets twists and turns on my crudely drawn map with the real ones. I felt like Indiana Jones. Well I couldve asked someone for directions, and I ultimately did, but for the time being it killed time and kept me somewhat occupied.
I got the 6pm bus to Dublin that would get me in at 9:15pm where I was being met by a friend of Cardellos, Steve. I didnt get in until 9:45pm and got dropped off at a spot different from where the brochure said, but it was only a 5 minute walk to O'Connell Street. We got some food at Eddie Rockets, which is either a ripoff or the same company as Johnny Rockets. Or maybe Johhny's is the ripoff...i dont know.
So we head to the bar but didnt drop my backpack off but we got tables at both bars and a few pints of Guiness before calling it a night. Apparently Steve and his buddies are into surfing and rock climbing so either of these would be a first. Today we're supposed to go to his friends for a barbeque since its one of their bdays. I could use this break though...
Oh yeah, I changed my flight from Dubrovnik to Rome!! So i'll be flying into Rome on Weds the 27th. I didnt want to have to commit a week of my trip to a place I had no idea that id like. If the ferries left daily I may have gone, but having to stay for 7 days kinda put me off so for only €65 I was able to change the reservation, which I gladly did. I figured I might do a 2 week grand tour of Italy and maybe head down south of Naples to the Amalfi Coast and maybe do a day tour of the island of Capri. Im really excited about this change in plans. Id still love to see dubrovnik but i'll wait until someone will come with me. I was talking to Steve's mom and she said a lot of Europeans are actually buying property in Croatia because everyone is realizing its gonna become really popular down the road.
Alright I'm gonna go shower and relax and watch some tv.
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anonymous
non-member comment
Italy
hey dude- u're line about street signs made me laugh. that was good. I was talkin to my mom about Italy. She said to make sure u have a lot of time for Florence which was her fav, and that Capri and Alfani Coast are beautiful. She also spent a lot of time in Naples and said other than Mt. Vesuvius, there's not too much to see. However, she said the food is amazing, and she had the best pizza ever while there. All my relatives live in Naples, so if u meet anyone with last name Izzo and they have relatives by the name of Michael (my father), Raymond (my uncle) and Pina (my Aunt - pronunciation -- rhymes with Tina) within the USA, they're family. I've never met them, so just say you're Chris Izzo, and you'll have a place to stay. Good luck. - Izzo