Timmy O'Horton

Where am I anyway? Apparently you can get Horton's coffee in the back of some shops. I've not seen any yet, this cup was found by Jill (from P.E.I.) in a pub with a name I can't spell. It's been a grand 2 weeks in Galway, especially since I was only supposed to be here for a couple of nights.

The other night Karol had a big BBQ, we spent a good hour putting her BBQ together and then found out the connection wasn't right for the propane we had! Fortunately one of the guests was a chef and he cooked everything up in the kitchen. After a bottle of Buckfast and a few beers we went downtown to a pub to dance, then to an after party in a condo uptown with a D.J. We were supposed to go clubbing but I wasn't allowed in with my shoes, despite the fact that there were a few other folks inside wearing runners. My theory is they heard my accent or saw that I was having fun and decided I wasn't getting in. My response to them went a little like this . . .
Ignore the funny looking Italian guy giving me the fingers, I don't know him. He only lives with me.

It's chilly today . . .

. . . and there is a window open in the internet cafe.

Colm took this one of Keith and I at the first place I stopped in Taumgraney.

This is Matia, Kano, Drea, Chris and I on Jarod's last night in Ireland.

Galway City

Traveling is really all about flexibility. You make plans, and then they change.

Well, Galway has changed my plans for a while. I wasn't even going to visit the city when I was planning my trip in Canada, but I'm glad I did. I've got friends around town now, a flat to live in, a way to earn a couple of euros and I'm having a ball. I've been here a week already and now (Thanks to Shabudabu and her sister's friends) I've got a flat to stay in for the next 10 nights.

I felt a bit guilty though, so I'm sharing the place with an Italian guy I met in the hostel. He is a funny funny man. Today we walked around and ended up in a sea side casino/amusement hall. We were feeding 5 cent pieces into a machine, and we ended up winning some silly colouring sheets and some markers to go with them. I'm going to give one of mine to Karol's (The Shabudabu contact) daughter, just to be nice. The other one I might colour and try to sell it to some tourist on the street. We'll see how it goes.

Where I am in Salthill there is a sandy beach less than 5 minutes walk from my front door. There are mountains in the backgrounds, palm trees, and sailing ships on the horizon. The Australians, Italians, and Floridians have all been taking the piss out of it, but I think it's fantastic! The weather here has been wonderful, and I'm all tanned up. You'd have no idea I was in Ireland.

Last night was your man Jarod's last night in Ireland before he went to London and then back to Australia, so we had a bit of a piss up. We snuck into a nightclub after drinking some Buckfast (a drink brewed by monks as a cure for constipation) some Polish vodka and some beers. It was grand. People here are REALLY friendly and even if you have no plans, and you're out by yourself you'll have a fantastic time. I've been to parties on rooftops, dance offs in the streets, drinking beers by the Spanish Arch 'till 6am when the Guarda came to chase everyone off.

It's been a pretty wild week, and I'm having a blast. I have to return someone's bike I borrowed yesterday because I was so far away from where I was staying. I only met the people that night and already they're giving me their bikes and buying me wine and Gyro burgers.

Anyway, as you can tell, there are TOO many stories to post here but rest assured, since my arrival in Glaway, the craic has been mighty.

Ok, so I can upload my pictures now . . .

. . . but only if I do it one at a time. So I'll be waiting again to upload them to my album. I will however post a couple, just for the craic to let everyone see some of the stuff I've been up to.

I'm in Galway city now. I decided to head here before I left for Killarny because everyone told me it was a fun city. I'm in an internet cafe now that I was told about by an Aussie. It gives you a free half hour internet use, so it's not a bad deal!

The other day I went to a jazz festival and almost got stranded. I had met a couple of people from the same village as where I was staying, and they said they would drive me home. Then they disappeared. I didn't find them again 'till almost 3am (they said they would meet me at 2am) when they came walking down the street. I was getting so worried that I was starting to make friends fast in the hopes that I would be able to crash on their floor and not have to spend the night sleeping in the cemetery (which was what someone I had talked to was planning on doing.)

Anyway, without further delay, here are some pictures . . .

Kilrush Library

I'm supposed to be helping out at the market, but I've buggered off to the library to take advantage of the highspeed internet. Unfortunately they won't let me upload any pictures I've taken so it's another flippin' text post I'm afraid.

I've recently changed my itinerary a bit. I had been plannin on going to Kilarney next, but will now be going up to Galway first. Everyone I meet says it's the best place in Ireland for young people. I heard a story about an Aussie who had the same plans as I do, to backpack accross Europe. Like me he started in Ireland, but he never made it past Galway. Apparently that happens a lot around here. Everyone seems to have a story of someone who came to visit and who's still here 10 years later. I don't see that happening to me, but who knows?!?!

The family I'm staying with at the moment have two children. The eldest, Tom, told me a poem the other day which made me laugh. He must have written it on the spot but there were a couple of lines that cracked me up . . .

'I had a little pig, and he wanted to tell me something,

but I couldn't chance it,

so I put him outside.'

Tell me that's not genius!

The other day Colm picked me up (he was my first host) and took myself, a Frenchman, an Italian and an American up to see the Burren. (this is not the setup for some wacky joke, I swear!) It was awsome! I saw some monoliths, the cliffs of Moher, and I even got a picture taken in front of the house where Father Ted was filmed. Talk about an eventfull day!

Anyway, I better get back to the market. I've been gone for the better part of a couple hours now!!

Anyone out there???

Well I've moved on since last I've posted and I'm in West Claire now. Things are great and the ocean is only a hop, skip and a jump away. (Actually you might not want to take that last jump or you'll end up actually in the water.)

I've taken a few pictures recently, and then not brought my camera to the library in Kilrush. Oh well, another time I guess.

I thought today I would just list a couple of things I've learned since arriving in Ireland . . .

1) Stuff is expensive
2) If you ever want to meet anyone, just go to the pub
3) Every store looks like a pub (and some do double duty)*
4) Um . . . I guess thats it.

I had a much longer list in my head, but when I sat down to type it out I could only remember three of them. Perhaps I'll add more in the future.

Nah!

* In Carigaholt (or something like it) the village I'm staying beside there is a pub built into the back of the local grocery store. Apparently this used to be quite common practice!

A tad of Irony

The other day I got to drive the 4 wheeler up the hill to the forest where I blazed a trail into the woods. It's funny how a Canadian (from a country renowned for it's timber industry) can come to Ireland (a country famous for rolling green fields) and find some work blazing trails through a forest.