Clayton Hotel County Galway

... 30th.<br><br>Next I'll spend 3 weeks in New Zealand, mostly on the South Island, and fly from Auckland to LA on May 22nd. <br><br>After a final 3 weeks in America I will fly from New York to London on June 17th.<br><br>I have bought and scrounged everything I need to take, and I have typed up more notes than I can handle. I'm very excited to finally be so close to going, after years of planning and hoping!! <br><br>My next post will be from India!!!<br>

Day 3 led us up north a bit along the Atlantic Ocean to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. <br><br>If you haven't heard anything about the Cliffs, I would highly recommend researching and visiting as soon as possible. The weather is a bit temperamental but it is honestly one of the world's most beautiful places. The cliffs are 100s of feet above sea level. They overlook the Atlantic and the water can be seen splashing up against the ...

... museum itself was built into a section in (or very near?) the parliament building, so that was pretty cool. It has some very intricate, unique architecture inside. Also inside was a very complete history of Ireland, starting around 10,000 BCE. Although finding the placards that were in English (as opposed to Gaelic) was a little difficult, they did a really good job summarizing what everything was. It was really easy to follow ...

... found the cave after following his dog who chased a rabbit into a narrow opening. After he found it he kept it a secret for forty years until he was about to die in the mid 1970's and finally let the world know of his secret. When cave explorers went into to cave they found the remains of many bears, which have since gone extinct in Ireland. The cave was a pretty cool adventure, but I was dissapointed because it wasnt as grandiose as something ...

... because it&#8217;s really really good here. <br><br> Anyway, after a completely epic night, Stevie and I spent the next day exploring. After stumbling through muddy forest trails and ducking through stone gates, and puddle jumping, we discovered&#8230;a castle. Yes, a complete, thoroughly legitimate CASTLE. Ashford castle&#8230;I think it&#8217;s where the last king of Ireland lived, but I&#8217;m not sure. Be sure to check ...

... of people, and relaxed. We were going to head back to the hostel right away, but decided we wanted pictures with Oscar and Eduard Wilde ... so we ventured off to take some photos. We ran into some modern art, and then two incredibly drunk seventeen/eighteen year olds. These kids were hilarious. The one fell in love with Caitlin's hair, and all they wanted to do was hug us and sing with us in the middle of Shop ...

... all over the world, traveled, overcame fears and learned so, so many lessons. Unfortunately, being an American, my UK work visa expired after 6 months and I had to leave. But did I return back to the states and join my university friends in the workforce? No. I applied for, and received, an Ireland work visa. Following several recommendations and a short visit, I relocated to Galway, Ireland, rented a room in a house with 4 Spanish roommates and signed up ...

... come here to take a day trip to Doolin which is famous for Cliff of Moher. (doesn't it sound like something out of Lord of the Rings?) Hence, I woke up early the next morning, only to miss the shuttle to the bus station while conversing with my new German friend Freidenke aka Freddy. Freddy and I had to run as fast as we could to the station to avoid the biggest f-up. Well, maybe not the worst, but the tour took the whole day and this was my last ...

... other sights. Desmond, our little old Irish bus-driver/tour guide said everything 2-3 times, of course in a terrific Irish accent. "we´ll be coming up on the Cliffs of Moher in about 5 minutes. in 5 minutes, the Cliffs of Moher. we´ll be arriving in 5 minutes, at the Cliffs of Moher." without fail, everything he said was repeated. made for a good tour guide though. saw the "Famine Walls" never-ending rock walls about waist high built by Irish ...

... raindrops turned the ripples into a fractal pattern. Mesmerizing and calming. Out with Katherine in the evening to the King's Head. First time I'd gone pubbing in a while, not counting Murty Rabbitt's. There is a certain attraction in the bustle of the crowds, losing yourself in the music, and of course the buzz of a drink (don't worry, i'm sticking to my rule of one an evening). It is, after all my skepticism regarding it, an effective way to forget one's troubles for ...