Well…… This might be the coolest thing I have ever done. It’s only been one week and I have already experienced so much and met so many wonderful people! This is going to be a very memorable time.
Hmmmm…. where to start….
Ireland is an amazingly beautiful country filled with some of the most friendly people I have ever met. And It was sunny for my flight in! I got to see the whole county from the sky!
After Landing in Dublin I took a bus to the city center and walked to my hostel where I dropped off my bags and then went and grabbed a cup of coffee at a cute little spot called Cafe Sunrise. I soon learned that there really isn’t good coffee in Dublin… But that’s okay I guess. They make up for that with their fish and chips and whisky. It turns out a friend of mine names Ada that I wasn’t suppose to be able to see because she was headed back to the states the day I was flying in, ended up extending her stay in Ireland for a few extra weeks. So we were able to spend my first few days in Dublin together! This is my fist time ever traveling outside the states, so it was really nice for me to have someone there that I really knew to welcome me to first international travel experience.
Ada met me at the cafe I was at and we walked around to find some fish and chips and my first real draught Guinness! The fish was amazing! And the Guinness was a Guinness….. Not my favorite beer but fun to drink while in Ireland. After talking to some locals later on in the week we learned that Guinness extra stout that comes in a bottle is better than what you can get on tap. I did like that much better.
After lunch we decided to just walk around the city and see what there was to see. At one point we were looking around this little memorial in a park somewhere in the old Dublin area near the Dublin castle. An older Irish gentleman approached us and asked if we knew what we were looking at. We didn’t, so this man named Girard gave us a whole history of this memorial and then waked us around the park and showing us everything.
This was the place in the park for the best photos according to Girard.
We ended up spending the whole rest of the day with this guy. He was awesome! He gave us a great tour of the whole city center. Girard was full of facts and knew the history of just about every building. It was really impressive. Then we took him out for a drink and some food at the oldest pub in Dublin.
I couldn’t have asked for a better first day in Dublin. Even though I was up for 34 hours! Great food, friends, and whisky!
I guess Im really not sure how this whole blog thing is suppose to work. There is no way I can explain all of the things I have done since I’ve been here in a 750 word post. So I’ll just try and sum up the rest of the week for you all.
I spend most of my mornings and afternoons walking around the city or sitting in pubs and cafes journaling or reading. One afternoon I took about an hour bus ride to a small fishing town called Howth and went for a little hike along the cliff looking out over the Irish sea. After my hike I got the best fish and chips of my life at shop called Beshoff Bros. SO GOOD! The fish was so fresh! Then I grabbed a pint and chatted with an old ship captain at the pub next door. The Irish are so friendly and willing to talk to travelers.
The cliffs of Howth
Monday morning I got up at 3 am and got on a bus to the airport to catch my 6:35 flight to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is so gorgeous. The old architecture is incredible! I spend the whole day walking around the old town and in the evening I got to hear awesome jazz and Funk at a place called The Jazz Bar. I also drank scotch all day…
This Morning I got up and was on a train to Glasgow by 10. I Have not done much here today. Just enjoying the beautiful weather. It hasn’t rained a drop since I left Seattle. Which is almost unheard of in both Ireland and Scotland! I walked around the botanical gardens, drank some wonderful coffee (finally) and ate great food. I just got back from a pretty great comedy club. It was open mic night so it only cost 2 pounds. But honestly I didn’t get many of the jokes because of the thick Scottish accents. I just couldn’t under stand them!
It’s been an amazing first week of my trip and I know the rest will be just as good. Im headed to Fort William tomorrow for some hiking!
Until next week,
Cheers!
April 23, 2015 at 11:14 am
Wow! What an amazing adventure! I am definitely thinking about heading that way in a few weeks after reading about your time up there. It seems like people are so friendly everywhere. In Spain people are nice but right now they are all caught up in their own worlds because of the big Feria de Abril. Too much wine and family to attend to to really pay attention to foreigners haha. I suppose the language barrier must also be a factor. Do you speak any French? When will you be getting into France? Are you going to be searching for some jazz in Scotland? My boyfriend went to Paris a few months ago and said there is a really cool spot on Seine where a bunch of young people play music that you might want to check out! It’s on the banks of the river around the Pont des Arts – it’s not every night but it’s generally from 9-1ish. The older musicians get there a bit earlier and the young people kind of filter in later in the night. Let me know if you want any more info! Safe travels!
April 25, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Hey Bodhi!
You should definitely make a trip up here if you are able to. It is SOOOO beautiful! Im in Scotland now and am blown away by the countryside and the islands. Everything is so picturesque. I was able to see some really great jazz and a funk band at a little pub in Edinburgh called the Jazz Bar. Haha a great name for a jazz bar. They have a band or two every night for just two pounds! Pretty great.
I’ll flying into Paris on the 29th. I would love as much info on good music spots on Paris as I can get. So send me all you got if you have the time.
Thanks for the response!
April 24, 2015 at 8:20 pm
Aaron,
Your trip sounds so amazing so far, its so great the weather has stayed nice! I cannot pretend for a second that I am not incredibly jealous of the alcohol you are able to consume. When I lived in Seattle I worked at a liquor store for a while, and although the customer interactions were not always ideal, the opportunity to try and own some bottles that would otherwise be hard to obtain, was really a treat. I love drinking gin or whiskey that comes from Seattle in Seattle, something about it just feels very right, and makes me feel very sentimental about the place I lived. So, hearing about you being able to have Irish whisky in Ireland and scotch in Scotland sounds amazing, and made me smile.
Its great to hear everyone there is so friendly and willing to have conversations, I sometimes wondering if it is hard for people to come to a place like Seattle where people aren’t always as open to just having a conversation out of the blue. Were you able to see any music in Ireland? If so were there any large differences between seeing music in Ireland vs Scotland?
I cannot wait to be able to read more about your travels!
April 25, 2015 at 12:33 pm
Mmmm the whisky in this country is unbelievable! And there are more bottles to choose from than I would ever even be able to think about trying. But Im enjoying what I am able to try. Specially when its paired with good music and good company! I was able to hear some pretty fantastic trad sessions in Dublin at a pub called The Cobblestone. It ended up being my favorite place in town. Its cool to be in such a laid back place for music. No one is scheduled to play. Folks just show up with their instruments and join in when they hear a song they know. It’s really beautiful.
I mostly just heard traditional music in Dublin and some jazz in Edinburgh. So it’s hard for me to say if there is much of a difference. Buy from what I have heard from the locals, the Traditional Irish music and Scottish music are very similar.
Enjoy an IPA back at home for me. (im missing them here! haha)
Cheers!
April 25, 2015 at 1:27 am
Aaron –
Your trip sounds incredible! It’s really great that you have this opportunity and didn’t let your fears keep you from it! It’s unfortunate about the coffee, but at least you were able to find some good coffee eventually… And at least there seems to be plenty of liquor 😛 I’ve been reading about how friendly people are and I think that makes the experience all that more wonderful – especially since you’re traveling alone. Plus you sort of had your own little personal tour guide for free! Is the Guinness over there a lot stronger than over in the states? I’ve heard that it doesn’t taste anything near what it tastes like here, but maybe that’s just what people like to say. Does the jazz differ from what is widely known here in the states or is it more similar than not? Have you run into any difficulties with flights, directions, or anything of that sort? From what it sounds like, your first week has been perfect (besides the whole coffee thing). I hope you continue to have a great time and safe travels!
April 25, 2015 at 12:42 pm
The people here absolutely do make this a really special trip. But for me it’s people in general that make life special. So it should just be expected I think. But they do seem to go out of their way to make me feel welcome. The Guinness Isn’t any stronger I don’t think. It’s definitely better. Maybe because its just fresher. Im not sure though.
The small amount of jazz I have heard has been similar enough to where I have have not notices anything different. But I suspect that will all chance when I get to Paris!
I hope all is well with you!
April 28, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Ohhh Aaron it seems all too wonderful! It sounds like you’re doing all the right things. I am overwhelmingly proud of you and all that you’re doing. I’m glad you had a blonde lady to ease your nerves as you always seem to have in all walks of your life….. Write more please, you are a wonderful writer.