Ireland

 “The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready, and it may be a long time before they get off.”

-Henry David Thoreau

It never ceases to fascinate me how quickly plans for the future can change. Reflecting on what you thought was going to happen and what actually happened are usually very different, you can get upset about the deviation or let it give you the power to imagine that anything is possible. All notions of limitations can be eliminated if you approach life without expectations, and accept what happens with an open mind and heart. I am slowly expanding my imagination to envelope reality, and the result is pure freedom.

Some people call me crazy, some people call me brave. The truth: I am not afraid to be myself and to do what I want.

I bought the plane tickets an idle Tuesday afternoon without much fanfare while surfing the Internet for nothing in particular. It was this tiny step that kept the inkling of intention from forming a solidified plan. It only took four minutes and eighty euros to change the course of my future.

When the day came I took the last city bus to the station, waited two hours for the five-hour bus ride to Madrid, took the underground metro to the airport, then a shuttle to the correct terminal, waited another three hours, and got on the plane to Dublin.

The first impression I had upon arrival was how refreshing it was to be in an English-speaking environment again. I could understand all the notices, signs, advertisements, and directions given to me.

I went shopping around the area and found a farmer’s market selling fresh produce. All the vendors called me ‘love’ and gave me extra fruit because they ‘could tell they liked me’. I was shocked when I purchased a bunch of grapes and the merchant first checked his pockets, then realizing he didn’t have the correct change, plucked an apple off a tray to reveal a hidden stash of coins! I nearly laughed out loud imagining truth behind the stereotypical leprechaun and his pot of gold. I later learned that until the 1900’s in Ireland the most reliable way to store money was to bury it. When I stumbled upon the Occupy site I discovered that the people still do not trust the banks here.

 

Despite my fatigue from traveling I went out to a couple pubs with newfound friends from Liverpool in the evening. My first drink was a pint of Guinness, liquid Irish pride. I made it through the foam and an inch down the glass before I gave up. I confessed I would be on the floor before I finished the pint. They drank my beer and ordered me a Jameson instead. It went down smoothly and tasted like campfire, and they continued to put away more pints. I entertained them with my origami drink receipt cranes and they quoted scenes from British television shows. I saw them off at the bus stop the next morning.

I went in search of a Phoenix Park to view the legendary herd of deer inside its walls. The park is 350 years old and reminded me of the Shire from Lord of the Rings. It was freezing outside with a biting wind, I scoured the land but found no deer. Disappointed and cold I wandered around a free museum to warm up. Craving to see critters, I acted on a rumor I heard earlier of seals at the seaside town of Howth, so I hopped on the train to hoping to enjoy some wildlife. I walked along the pier with my eyes on the ocean, but to no avail. I ordered a greasy warm sack of fresh fish ‘n chips to console my frozen fingers and wounded expectations. The vinegary and salty goodness heightened my spirits quite a bit.

 

 Phoenix park

  

 

 

 On the way to Howth

 

Blue boat

 Bird Refuge

 

 

Red boat

 Pier

 

Black bird

I woke up at six in the morning in to catch the tour bus to The Cliffs of Moher. Ever since I saw them on the Travel Channel last summer I was enchanted by them, and the four-hour bus ride to the coast was worth it. On the way we stopped at the ancestral home of President Barack Obama.

Outside the bus window

 Picnic on a cliff

 Suicide prevention

 

 Happy Valentine's Day

 Shell

 Lichen

 Rainy café

 Moonscape

 Grazing by the sea

I bought two jars of peanut butter on the way home: chunky and smooth. I would argue the entire trip to Ireland was worth it just for the PB. When going through customs at the airport I was stopped, and terrified she was going to toss my beloved paste I begged her to let me try and eat it before the flight. She told me to calm down, and let me pass. Thank you, airport security woman.

 

 

Headless bishop & friends

 Famine memorial

 

 

Random castles everywhere, but all privately owned.

 

 Love grows on trees

 

 Feeding the birds

 (If you have additional attention span, read below)

Lessons Learned

• On traveling: memories will always be more important than money. The purpose of traveling is not to take as many pictures of landmarks and monuments as possible or to visit all the tourist destinations, but to become immersed in a culture different than your own. Without people, a place is only physical area. It is the human stories that create an understanding of the land and its history. Traveling alone is difficult because sharing these experiences increases awareness as opposed to a constant inner monologue that does not escape the mind or exchange ideas. Traveling with others might slow one down, but company also makes the adventure more colorful.

• On cameras: these are tools to share experiences and enhance a perspective, but never should be used as a lens through which you view the world or to capture every futile moment of existence.

• On tours: good sources of information but at times frightfully boring and impersonal.

• On museums: looking at material possessions is only interesting when there is a human story behind it. Otherwise it’s just old shit. I would find a broken toy with a history behind it immensely more interesting than an owner-less silver spoon valued for its rarity. I get depressed when I imagine people centuries from now putting up a soda can on a pedestal and praising it like an idol because it’s made out of a precious metal.