My Irish Tour Diary

And you'll forgive me if it's backdated. This blog is for me, not you. I scribbled down all this on a notebook. Here it is, in almost-unedited glory:

Tuesday 5/27
Wednesday 5/28
Tired tired tired.
Galway- McCambridge's grocery/deli, everything is organic, locally sourced.
Busker Browne's- a "cool" new place, eggplant/butternut squash bake, with cheese all over, Gouda?
Roisin Dubh- improv comedy show, awesome.
My suggestion for news headline: "Bears take over space station." Response: "I'd like a gram of whatever he's smoking."

Thursday 5/29 Galway pt. 2 and Salthill, which is crummy.
Sarah: "That must be a fire pit or a grave! But there are no other possibilities."
Christian bookstore/coffeeshop alert! "Refuting evolution" book.
Slept in a lot. The shower was like fighting a boss in a video game.
Dinner at a noodle place- a little bland, not bad.
Oh! Cheesemonger's!
Galway Hooker. It's a beer. Hoppy I guess.
Heard Arcade Fire- Intervention, twice. Their buses have better music.
English guys going "eeyyy."

Friday 5/30 Galway-Sligo
Early bus, etc. Harbour House in middle of industrial area.
Carrowmore tombs- harrowing walk on narrow roads with cars coming at us- but great tombs.
Dinner at Italian place- nice pizzas and wine- Chablis
Americans at tombs didn't let go of legend of Queen Maeve killed by cheese. Or of "get down on your hunkers."
Waiter at dinner- Jamie?- Australian, moved to London, then Sligo, better pace of life, etc. Gave us advice on pubs. Thought us Canadian.

Saturday 5/31 Sligo-Donegal
Met Kate, from Seattle
Went to Farmers' Market- scones, apple-blackcurrant juice, brown bread. Organic/local sure is big here.
Missed morning buses to Donegal, shopped, came back at 2:45.
No buses to Slieve League! Shit! Bike shop man going on vacation! Sad. Italian dinner.
Met Adrina, Silvan, Marianne (spelling?), French, from Limoges, got a ride to the Slieve League

Sunday 6/1 Donegal
Slieve League with French friends. Marianne, driver, cursed much, in French, others laughed. "Gauche!" "Droit!"
Drank Cidona. Still good.
Craft village super closed.
Money/souvenir flap, nice dinner at place that looked like a castle.
Pints and Dom's, Reel Inn (everyone singing "country roads")

Monday 6/2 Donegal-Derry
Donegal Castle, bought terrible comedy CD (Dusty Young. Features a joke: "My brother married way too young. She's Chinese!"
Bank Holiday! Bus to Derry 1:40 or 1:50
No Lough Swilly, tried to track down NW Busways, no luck. Panic, made $3 phone calls, got a car rental from David from Enterprise, instantly returned it.
Ran into Mr. Walsh and Jenna from Galway hostel, from Kamloops, BC
Saddler's House B&B

Tuesday 6/3 Derry-Portstewart
Derry city walls, bus to Portstewart
Bought some breakfast groceries
Dinner at Anchor bar
Cool cemetery in Derry, St. Columb's Cathedral

Wednesday 6/4 Portstewart
Lazy day! Slept in, laundry at laundry place, bought groceries at a butcher and a small grocery store.
Tried honeycomb ice cream. I think it's good!
Cooked dinner- spaghetti with meat sauce- tomato sauce in a jar w/o any crummy ingredients
Watched 5 Fawlty Towers episodes
Lunch at Morelli's I guess? Read the Irish Times.

Thursday 6/5 Portstewart
Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge
Giant's Causeway
Nap
Dinner- pork chops with apples
Walk around, sat on dock
Trad music at Anchor w/ Canadian lady and her daughter
Talked to Scottish guy who was fishing- apparently I have to go to Stirling, St. Andrews, and Glen Cool (spelling?) where there was a massacre and it's all haunted.

Friday 6/6 Portstewart
Dunluce Castle
Bushmills town (cool fruit/vegetable store) and distillery (barrel room closed!)
Fretted about a hat, didn't get it
Omelettes for dinner, ice cream, walk around, put feet in cold water, watched sunset.
Irish dudes waved at us. Actually at a guy behind us.

Saturday 6/7 Portstewart-Slane
Causeway Coast bus ("Antrim Coaster") to Belfast- v. long but nice
Looked for restaurants in LP book, no luck, lunch at "Streat"
Internet would be nice!
Get to Slane, picked up, no good grocery.
Other people at hostel: Cindy, weird Canadian father/daughter

Sunday 6/8 Slane
Ride to Newgrange w/ Joanne, hostel owner, but no ride back.
Met Berndt and Ute (?) who gave us a ride back, with a stop by the grocery (actually just another convenience store)
Tired! Fixed bikes, went to Hill of Slane after dinner at old post office. Cool cemetery and abbey ruins, Cindy met and scared us, make plans to meet at Boyle's pub.
Nap, came back to Boyle's, missed Cindy and the Germans. Talked to Flan the bartender though. And his Derry/Philadelphia friend.

Monday 6/9 Slane
Slept in a bit, rode to Slane, two buses to Tara, long walk b/c of wrong "Tara Cross" stop.
Back to Slane, dinner at Conyngham Arms hotel (only thing open on Mondays)
Back, then to pub (Boyle's again) w/ Cindy, then came back and drank another, good fun.

Tuesday 6/10 Slane-Galway-Ennis
Ran to catch bus, cross-town tram in Dublin, train to Galway to shop. Got rull tired, did not quite buy the right hat.
Got to Ennis, still tired and hungry, got lost, ate in "Poet's Corner" which was full of tourists. Watched soccer: Sweden vs. Greece.
Lady called us "my love" many times.