The end of an adventure.

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I woke up this morning and realized that, in hindsight, two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye. My little adventure was almost over. I also realized that I had slept in a bit and had 45mins to get ready, eat, and walk 20mins to the tour departure site. Crap.

Made it there just in time and ready for a nap on what was going to be a long bus ride to Limerick and the Cliffs of Moher. The girl that sat next to me, Allie, is traveling abroad in Rome and on a week holiday in Dublin so we became instant friends. There are so many people in Europe that travel by themselves, so making friends that are in simliar positions as you is easy. She even had a lot of the same experiences that I have had--like in London she said that people were always giving her incorrect directions and time estimates, and that people were pretty rude, and she also asked me how long it took for me to be able to eat at a restaurant by myself and not feel sad or awkward. So comforting knowing other people have the same fears and worries that you do!

My tour guide today, Bud, was more of a comedian than a historian, so it made the tour really fun. He also had a really good voice and was singing Danny Boy on repeat at the top of his lungs for a while. I still managed to sneak in a little nap before our pit stop at a food court, and then another one on the way to Limerick. The rocking of the bus puts me right to sleep everytime, it's amazing. We stopped at King Johns castle and the Tollman bridge over the Shannon River, and then back on the bus. I used to think that Ireland was run by government, but then I got here and learned that it is actually run by Guiness. Haha. They own EVERYTHING! And the people here revolve their lives around drinking the stuff!

We passed the Bunratty castle and through Ennis and all I kept thinking about was Cheeto's. I have been craving Cheeto's for several days now, which is strange because I never eat those at home? I also want some biscuits and gravy. Basically I am just hungry all the time. It will be interesting weighing myself when I get home because I am pretty sure that I've lost about 5 or 10lbs. My clothes feel huge on me! They could just be stretched out, but I'm going to allow myself some positive thinking until I actually hop on a scale.

We finally stopped at the cliffs and they are breathtaking! And huge! Its a short hike up to the viewing point, and Allie and I found a new friend from Australia who was travelling by himself. We swapped stories and I realized how badly I need to move to Europe for a year or two. I could see the world one weekend at a time! I think that if I become serious about a graduate degree I'd look at studying overseas.

More "AFC's" and historical anecdotes and another short nap. Then a drive around Galway bay, Sistern Abbey, and popcorn sheep. Did you know that sheep actually have the right of way on the streets of Ireland? Finally tried Irish potatoes and they were SO GOOD. I'd move here just to have me some "mash" every day.

Bud, bless his heart, made so many unscheduled stops for picture snapping and potty breaks which, in any other circumstance would have been fantastic, but the tour was scheduled to finish at 7pm and my flight to London was scheduled for 910pm. Already a tight timeframe considering it was a 45minute busride to the airport. Well, I started to get a little panicked when we passed a sign that said 60km to Dublin and it was already 655pm. PA.NIC.

I was freaking out and Bud was singing Irish folk hymns. Thanks, Bud. We made it to the drop off point at about 750pm, so I spent my last 20euro on a taxi ride to the aiport and made it just in time. I was the last one on the plane! I met a nice business man sitting next to me who, upon hearing that I would be sleeping in the airport tonight, generously offered to pay for a hotel room for me. I didn't get any weird vibes and think he was being really genuine and nice, but I still felt weird about accepting something like that from a stranger, so I declined the offer. Right about now I am rethinking that decision, but he did manage to sneak 40 pounds into my bag before we got off the plane. Such a nice guy!! If you ever read this, Mike, thank you!! He also bought my a scone and a Diet Coke 😊 Can't tell you how many people have bought me a Diet Coke on this trip haha.

So now I sit at Heathrow with another 9 hours before my flight. Still thinking about Cheeto's.

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