Last week on Wednesday I had the great opportunity to visit the wonderful city of Barcelona. My friends Adam, Colin, and I headed out at 330am on a bus Wednesday morning to take us to the Shannon airport to catch a flight to Girona airport, and from there take an 1 hour bus ride down to Barcelona. The city was amazing! It is humongous, but still has the small town/small population feel. We never felt overwhelmed by the people whatsoever. Our hostel was right at the city centre, and roughly 100 meters from the famous Picasso museum. We walked everywhere, seeing the harbor, the beach, the Picasso Museum, the famous market la Boucateria, and of course as many Gaudi structures as possible, like the cathedral La Sangria Familia, his numerous houses, as well as the famed Gaudi Park. Overall Barcelona was a great GREAT town with much to see, and very nice people. The Main strip of Las Ramblas was most certainly interesting during the daytim, with a plethora of street performers, vendors and great cafes and such. We did a pretty good job sampling Spanish Catelonyan Culture, having tapas - small portion meals of various exotic foods - as well as ciesta - a long break of nap and food/wine in the afternoon. We spent a lot of time at the beach, relaxing and enjoying the Mediterranean sea and gorgeous warm weather!
The only tiny little problem with the trip, was that we narrowly missed our bus back to Girona on Friday morning, due to alarm time confusion... therefore we missed our flight back to Shannon. Unfortunate and stressful to say the least, along with a 75 euro 'stupid tax' to pay for our mistake to get back to Ireland. However, that meant we got to spend the rest of the day relaxing and seeing the city of Girona, which was a great time! We spent the day relaxing and recovering from our stressful morning (and late night out...). All in all, we made it back to Galway after spending the night in Dublin airport to catch a 630 bus back home - a long journey home, but a great experience overall, making this one of the top places we have ever visited.
Here are the photos from the trip.
Enjoy!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275459351/a=76959740_76959740/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish
Monday, March 2, 2009
On the Other Side of the Mountain...
...was the Gladiators reggae tune I had on repeat while trekking through the various peaks of Glenveigh National Park in Northwest Ireland's County Donegal. This was the destination of my solo trip North to see the Town of Letterkenny and explore the park and its castle.
It was an interesting trip to say the least! It was a 4 hour bus drive North from Galway, but that alone was almost worth the trip. The route's half-way point was Sligo, where the sight of the Atlantic traded back and forth with huge Mountain peninsulas and islands, and surfers riding the waves in the bays. Heading North of Sligo, I passed through drumcliffe and the famous poet "Yeats Country," where the drive was similar to the Rocky Mountains (but much more grass). It was an amazing drive, and I started to get real excited for trekking through similar mountains at Glenveigh.
Unfortunately, the town of Letterkenny was somewhat of a drag - literally. The town is known for having the longest main street in all of Ireland - which it does - but there is not too much to see on it, except for a large historical cathedral and steeple that overshadows the city. I also found out, that the National Park itself, is not very close to Glenveigh - roughly 30km's away! Furthermore, to make matters even more interesting, my hostel was a ghost town! The first night it was just me and two Norwegian girls, who were not to keen on talking to me or giving me a ride to Glenveigh, and then the next night, no one was there but me... ever hear of the horror movie "HOSTEL"? yeah...
All was well though. I awoke early Friday morning, walked to the edge of town and then hitch-hiked to Glenveigh by a guy named Pat, who was heading to his friends to pick him up and go look at a boat for purchase. Glenveigh was a gorgeous park! The thousands of acres of land revolve around a famous Irish Castle and Garden overlooking a very large pristine mountain lake. The scenery was amazing! The park has the largest population of native red deer, and the theme was greatly noted in the small lavish castle. In fact, the last and longest owner of the castle was a millionaire who gained his fortunes by inventing the Gas Meter in the US! He entertained numerous celebrities and international dignitaries, including the famous writer John Knowles, who actually wrote "A Separate Peace" at the castle! After seeing the gardens and castle tour, I headed out on my own to trek through the park with no compass and a very poor park map. . . not smart, I know. Again, all was well. The park was gorgeous, and I went a long while on this road/trail that went through a large valley and glen following a river, and then crossed over the river to the side of the Mount Dooish Peak, through the Poison Glen valley, to Mount Errigal - the highest peak in the park. I navigated using the Sun setting in the West, and my goal for the day was just to head North, to reach a road and get home! It all worked out great, as I met a young Romanian, Paul, who was kind enough to drop me off in Letterkenny on his way to Dublin.
Overall it was a great trip, and very peaceful. Here is the link to view pictures, and see for yourself how beautiful the National Parks are in Ireland! The album also includes some photos from a castle across the river from where I train in Dangan, and from the Reggae Dub concert I went to that weekend.
I apologize for my lack of posts - expect more on Soccer matches and our trip to Barcelona!
Cheers!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275418290/a=76959740_76959740/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish
It was an interesting trip to say the least! It was a 4 hour bus drive North from Galway, but that alone was almost worth the trip. The route's half-way point was Sligo, where the sight of the Atlantic traded back and forth with huge Mountain peninsulas and islands, and surfers riding the waves in the bays. Heading North of Sligo, I passed through drumcliffe and the famous poet "Yeats Country," where the drive was similar to the Rocky Mountains (but much more grass). It was an amazing drive, and I started to get real excited for trekking through similar mountains at Glenveigh.
Unfortunately, the town of Letterkenny was somewhat of a drag - literally. The town is known for having the longest main street in all of Ireland - which it does - but there is not too much to see on it, except for a large historical cathedral and steeple that overshadows the city. I also found out, that the National Park itself, is not very close to Glenveigh - roughly 30km's away! Furthermore, to make matters even more interesting, my hostel was a ghost town! The first night it was just me and two Norwegian girls, who were not to keen on talking to me or giving me a ride to Glenveigh, and then the next night, no one was there but me... ever hear of the horror movie "HOSTEL"? yeah...
All was well though. I awoke early Friday morning, walked to the edge of town and then hitch-hiked to Glenveigh by a guy named Pat, who was heading to his friends to pick him up and go look at a boat for purchase. Glenveigh was a gorgeous park! The thousands of acres of land revolve around a famous Irish Castle and Garden overlooking a very large pristine mountain lake. The scenery was amazing! The park has the largest population of native red deer, and the theme was greatly noted in the small lavish castle. In fact, the last and longest owner of the castle was a millionaire who gained his fortunes by inventing the Gas Meter in the US! He entertained numerous celebrities and international dignitaries, including the famous writer John Knowles, who actually wrote "A Separate Peace" at the castle! After seeing the gardens and castle tour, I headed out on my own to trek through the park with no compass and a very poor park map. . . not smart, I know. Again, all was well. The park was gorgeous, and I went a long while on this road/trail that went through a large valley and glen following a river, and then crossed over the river to the side of the Mount Dooish Peak, through the Poison Glen valley, to Mount Errigal - the highest peak in the park. I navigated using the Sun setting in the West, and my goal for the day was just to head North, to reach a road and get home! It all worked out great, as I met a young Romanian, Paul, who was kind enough to drop me off in Letterkenny on his way to Dublin.
Overall it was a great trip, and very peaceful. Here is the link to view pictures, and see for yourself how beautiful the National Parks are in Ireland! The album also includes some photos from a castle across the river from where I train in Dangan, and from the Reggae Dub concert I went to that weekend.
I apologize for my lack of posts - expect more on Soccer matches and our trip to Barcelona!
Cheers!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275418290/a=76959740_76959740/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Still Alive...
Hey all,
I apologize for the lack of blog posts - I have been busy writing, typing, and more writing the 9 essays that I would like to complete before April. So far I have roughly the bulk of 4 completed, but now come the longer essays of 3,000 words...
Anyways,
I have been doing very well these past two weeks. I have not really traveled anywhere, as I've been working on my essays mostly, but I have been keeping busy. I've been trying to keep up with paddling in the NUIG Kayak club, but it has been hard going to sessions due to classes. My primary focus as of late has been playing for the NUIG Soccer team. I had my first game with the team 2 weeks ago, as a kind of tryout game for me. All in all, I made the team, and I played well in spite of our 2-0 loss. Both goals were point blank inside the "6" as I was covering the near side post close to the goaline. I had some big saves, although I was struggling to find my "range." There were times where I should have called for and attacked the ball, but othertimes where I did so, but really shouldn't have. The reason for this being is because there is minimal training of Goaltenders here - essentially, i train as a field player, and then when given the opportunity to play in net on a short-side game, I take it. This in a sense is a rough way to train for a goalie, because the field is shrunken, but you're still defending a regulation size net - challenging, but not game scenario. All in all, I've been having a lot of fun and most of my teammates are extremely friendly and supportive.
My plan for the upcoming weeks is to set things into high gear with the culmination of writing, travel, and playing soccer. This week I've been hitting the library early in the morning, and not coming back until 8 after kayaking and training (soccer practice). This weekend I'll be taking a solo trip to Letterkenny in Northwest Ireland. It's roughly a 4 and half hour bus ride straight North, and lies in between two mountain ranges - one of which being a National Park with huge gardens and a Castle. I'm very much looking forward to spending some time on my own in brand new places. I'm also looking forward to a great concert saturday night in Galway, "Rootical Sound Systems" - Ireland's premier REGGAE group! haha. Apparently 'Jah' vacations in Ireland... And then my 2nd soccer game on Sunday. I big weekend, and I'll be sure to share it with y'all.
Keep an eye out for more posts to come, as the games and travel begin to grow!
Cheers!
I apologize for the lack of blog posts - I have been busy writing, typing, and more writing the 9 essays that I would like to complete before April. So far I have roughly the bulk of 4 completed, but now come the longer essays of 3,000 words...
Anyways,
I have been doing very well these past two weeks. I have not really traveled anywhere, as I've been working on my essays mostly, but I have been keeping busy. I've been trying to keep up with paddling in the NUIG Kayak club, but it has been hard going to sessions due to classes. My primary focus as of late has been playing for the NUIG Soccer team. I had my first game with the team 2 weeks ago, as a kind of tryout game for me. All in all, I made the team, and I played well in spite of our 2-0 loss. Both goals were point blank inside the "6" as I was covering the near side post close to the goaline. I had some big saves, although I was struggling to find my "range." There were times where I should have called for and attacked the ball, but othertimes where I did so, but really shouldn't have. The reason for this being is because there is minimal training of Goaltenders here - essentially, i train as a field player, and then when given the opportunity to play in net on a short-side game, I take it. This in a sense is a rough way to train for a goalie, because the field is shrunken, but you're still defending a regulation size net - challenging, but not game scenario. All in all, I've been having a lot of fun and most of my teammates are extremely friendly and supportive.
My plan for the upcoming weeks is to set things into high gear with the culmination of writing, travel, and playing soccer. This week I've been hitting the library early in the morning, and not coming back until 8 after kayaking and training (soccer practice). This weekend I'll be taking a solo trip to Letterkenny in Northwest Ireland. It's roughly a 4 and half hour bus ride straight North, and lies in between two mountain ranges - one of which being a National Park with huge gardens and a Castle. I'm very much looking forward to spending some time on my own in brand new places. I'm also looking forward to a great concert saturday night in Galway, "Rootical Sound Systems" - Ireland's premier REGGAE group! haha. Apparently 'Jah' vacations in Ireland... And then my 2nd soccer game on Sunday. I big weekend, and I'll be sure to share it with y'all.
Keep an eye out for more posts to come, as the games and travel begin to grow!
Cheers!
Monday, February 2, 2009
My oh my those Cliffs are high!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to go on a free trip to the Burren and Cliffs of Mohr in County Clare with all of the other MU students. It was an amazing trip, bringing many unanticipated activities, turning out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.
We headed to the Burren in County Clare, which is a drastic change of landscape that is very rockey with a lot of limestone among other cave formations. We went to see a particular cave that was the largest in all of the Burren, and was formed by an underwater river! Most of the cave was carved up limestone, so there were still some streams and big waterfalls in the cave due to drainage and runoff from the rains. We also were able to do some impromptu hiking on our own up a ridge above the cave.
From there we went to the Cliffs of Mohr - one of the most beautiful and dangerous things I have ever experienced. Just two weeks ago a tourist tragically was blown over the edge by a huge gust of wind. Luckily, we had a great weather all day and the sun was shining bright! After trekking around the edge of the cliffs with all the other tourists, we decided to make a change of plans and not head back with all of the other students. Instead 3 other friends and I decided to take a particular trail and hike back down from the cliffs to the small town of Doolin - allegedly the epicenter of Traditional Irish Music in Western Ireland. Once again, this particular hike was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and truly, truly the most dangerous. I apologize to all who will get mad at me for taking this hike, but if you look at the pictures - you can see why it was worth it!
A great day on the cliffs, and a great night in the small town of Doolin, equals the most amazing experience in Ireland to date, and perhaps one of the best of my life!
Cheers!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275212389/a=76959740_76959740/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink
WARNING: These Pictures are not for the faint of heart. I know this because I was barely able to take/look at them, and I'm not usuall afraid of heights!
Enjoy!
We headed to the Burren in County Clare, which is a drastic change of landscape that is very rockey with a lot of limestone among other cave formations. We went to see a particular cave that was the largest in all of the Burren, and was formed by an underwater river! Most of the cave was carved up limestone, so there were still some streams and big waterfalls in the cave due to drainage and runoff from the rains. We also were able to do some impromptu hiking on our own up a ridge above the cave.
From there we went to the Cliffs of Mohr - one of the most beautiful and dangerous things I have ever experienced. Just two weeks ago a tourist tragically was blown over the edge by a huge gust of wind. Luckily, we had a great weather all day and the sun was shining bright! After trekking around the edge of the cliffs with all the other tourists, we decided to make a change of plans and not head back with all of the other students. Instead 3 other friends and I decided to take a particular trail and hike back down from the cliffs to the small town of Doolin - allegedly the epicenter of Traditional Irish Music in Western Ireland. Once again, this particular hike was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and truly, truly the most dangerous. I apologize to all who will get mad at me for taking this hike, but if you look at the pictures - you can see why it was worth it!
A great day on the cliffs, and a great night in the small town of Doolin, equals the most amazing experience in Ireland to date, and perhaps one of the best of my life!
Cheers!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275212389/a=76959740_76959740/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink
WARNING: These Pictures are not for the faint of heart. I know this because I was barely able to take/look at them, and I'm not usuall afraid of heights!
Enjoy!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Oh Goodness . . . My Guinness!
Perhaps my favorite part of the Guinness tour was the section of advertising that displayed the old Guinness Cartoons and Commercials. They are absolutely hilarious! I loved every one of the cartoons, featuring Gilroy, the famous Toucan, Seal, Kangaroo, Ostrich, all of them! Here is the link to the official advertising section of classic commericials on the Guinness Website.
Remember, "Guinness, is Good For You! Cha Cha cha!"
Enjoy!
http://www2.guinness.com/en-IE/Pages/AdsGallery.aspx?adtype=TVAds&adsclass=classic&cntry=world
Remember, "Guinness, is Good For You! Cha Cha cha!"
Enjoy!
http://www2.guinness.com/en-IE/Pages/AdsGallery.aspx?adtype=TVAds&adsclass=classic&cntry=world
Dublin Town, Dublin Town, Everybody's walkin' up and down, the river to the East and the River to the West, everybody's walkin' round Dublin Town...
Hey Homies,
Early Friday morn, my housemates and I snagged a bus at 6am and headed to Dublin for the weekend. Overall, it was a great trip, and although Ireland did not feel like an Irish town in comparison to Galway, it was cool to be in a very multi-ethnic and major international city. We started out by finding our hostel which was in a great location and was very inexpensive. It also included free internet, free breakfast, and fantastic security precautions as well a relaxed environment. From there we went to the classic Dublin sights, such as the Guinness tour and Temple Bar/Chop Street. All were very impressive. That night after resting up a bit, a few of us met 2-German-Man-Students, and 3-French-Wo-Man-Students at the Hostel. We hung out for a while at the hostel before going out to the pubs on the town. It was a great night, a lot of fun, and besides the snobby/crazy/non english speaking French ladies, are new friends were a great time.
The next day we checked out of the Hostel at 10am - a few of us split up and went about the day. My group of 4 went to check out the bay and the GAA stadium/museum - Croke Park: The 4th largest stadium in all of Europe, and most likely the largest Amateur Stadium in the world! It was amazing to see and learn all about hurling, Gaelic football, and the timeless classic of handball! Great tours all around. After that we walked for a long ways to check out Dublin Castle (not very impressive) and then the National Museum of Ireland at these old Army Barracks and Jail. A great, great part of Irish culture that apparently not many Irish know about since it took us a good two hours to get there with all of the bad directions we received... After that, we capped off the weekend with the Old Jameson Distillery Tour, where I had the opportunity to be an honorary whiskey taste tester. Lets just say I really needed a large, fresh Doner Kebab afterwards, made with 100% Irish lamb of course!
I'm not worthy...
Certificate of having the Perfect Pour by yours truly!
This bird is smashing grapes for wine...
GAA - Gaelic Athletic Association
Croke Park
The famous Irish Football Jersey of my ancestors from County Kerry
Entering the stadium while the crowd goes wild!
Courtyard to the Barracks - Location of the National Museum of Ireland
Every group of Irish immigrants to America needs a Boxer!
(I'm not the only Irish decendent who wears a speedo...)
A sample of nicknames for all of the surnames that worked in making crates and packing whiskey. I think it will catch on...
Testing the fastest growing whiskey in the world . . . among others.
Early Friday morn, my housemates and I snagged a bus at 6am and headed to Dublin for the weekend. Overall, it was a great trip, and although Ireland did not feel like an Irish town in comparison to Galway, it was cool to be in a very multi-ethnic and major international city. We started out by finding our hostel which was in a great location and was very inexpensive. It also included free internet, free breakfast, and fantastic security precautions as well a relaxed environment. From there we went to the classic Dublin sights, such as the Guinness tour and Temple Bar/Chop Street. All were very impressive. That night after resting up a bit, a few of us met 2-German-Man-Students, and 3-French-Wo-Man-Students at the Hostel. We hung out for a while at the hostel before going out to the pubs on the town. It was a great night, a lot of fun, and besides the snobby/crazy/non english speaking French ladies, are new friends were a great time.
The next day we checked out of the Hostel at 10am - a few of us split up and went about the day. My group of 4 went to check out the bay and the GAA stadium/museum - Croke Park: The 4th largest stadium in all of Europe, and most likely the largest Amateur Stadium in the world! It was amazing to see and learn all about hurling, Gaelic football, and the timeless classic of handball! Great tours all around. After that we walked for a long ways to check out Dublin Castle (not very impressive) and then the National Museum of Ireland at these old Army Barracks and Jail. A great, great part of Irish culture that apparently not many Irish know about since it took us a good two hours to get there with all of the bad directions we received... After that, we capped off the weekend with the Old Jameson Distillery Tour, where I had the opportunity to be an honorary whiskey taste tester. Lets just say I really needed a large, fresh Doner Kebab afterwards, made with 100% Irish lamb of course!
I'm not worthy...
Certificate of having the Perfect Pour by yours truly!This bird is smashing grapes for wine...
GAA - Gaelic Athletic AssociationCroke Park
The famous Irish Football Jersey of my ancestors from County KerryEntering the stadium while the crowd goes wild!
Courtyard to the Barracks - Location of the National Museum of Ireland
Every group of Irish immigrants to America needs a Boxer!(I'm not the only Irish decendent who wears a speedo...)
A sample of nicknames for all of the surnames that worked in making crates and packing whiskey. I think it will catch on...
Testing the fastest growing whiskey in the world . . . among others.Sunday, January 25, 2009
He Shoots . . . Oh what a save!
Hey all,
this past week I headed out to go try and train with the NUIG Football club. They train on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 530pm at the Dangan Sports Complex, which I found out to be a 45 min walk from my house! After showing up late on Tuesday because I couldn't find the field, I found one of the coaches who told me to suit up and jump in the drill - field drills that is... Unsure of what to make of everything, and very nervous, I suited up in my cleats, only to look up and realize that everyone was wearing turf shoes on the field - an astro turf field! @#$%! Haha, so hence forth I suited up in my Nike Free's, which are not accustomed to soccer on a turf field. Let's just say I barely got through the drills, and then the rest of the night we played shortside games, where I was able to hold my own, but did not impress anyone. Overall the first training was very awkward, and I was very nervous; I also did not make many new friends either...
After considering, reconsidering, and extreme dilberation over the next two days, I decided to stick with the training - it's only 2 days a week for a couple of hours and I've been dreaming of playing soccer internationally, let alone playing again in general! So after harnessing my nerves and confidence with the determination to play, and a new pair of cheap turf shoes, I made it back to training on time, and with confidence. Thursday was a whole new session. I met some Irish players, I played well in the field drills, and I finally got to play some 'keep - it never left me! No warm ups, and straight into a half side game, I managed to do very well and was able to actually show some strong skills. I had a blast! It was a great session, and I can't wait to get back on the field to play more and meet more people. I was asked to play in one of the games this weekend, but I had plans for Dublin with my housemates. More to come!
this past week I headed out to go try and train with the NUIG Football club. They train on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 530pm at the Dangan Sports Complex, which I found out to be a 45 min walk from my house! After showing up late on Tuesday because I couldn't find the field, I found one of the coaches who told me to suit up and jump in the drill - field drills that is... Unsure of what to make of everything, and very nervous, I suited up in my cleats, only to look up and realize that everyone was wearing turf shoes on the field - an astro turf field! @#$%! Haha, so hence forth I suited up in my Nike Free's, which are not accustomed to soccer on a turf field. Let's just say I barely got through the drills, and then the rest of the night we played shortside games, where I was able to hold my own, but did not impress anyone. Overall the first training was very awkward, and I was very nervous; I also did not make many new friends either...
After considering, reconsidering, and extreme dilberation over the next two days, I decided to stick with the training - it's only 2 days a week for a couple of hours and I've been dreaming of playing soccer internationally, let alone playing again in general! So after harnessing my nerves and confidence with the determination to play, and a new pair of cheap turf shoes, I made it back to training on time, and with confidence. Thursday was a whole new session. I met some Irish players, I played well in the field drills, and I finally got to play some 'keep - it never left me! No warm ups, and straight into a half side game, I managed to do very well and was able to actually show some strong skills. I had a blast! It was a great session, and I can't wait to get back on the field to play more and meet more people. I was asked to play in one of the games this weekend, but I had plans for Dublin with my housemates. More to come!
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