Ireland Adventures
This weekend I went to Dublin, Galway, and a bunch of other little irish towns. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Dublin definetly has one foot in modernity and one foot in the tradtional ireland. Western Ireland though is just as you would imagine an Irish countryside would look like…but a full real life ponoramic view complete with cold air and the smell of “granmums” apple pie coming from the bottom of Burren Mountain (thanks to this incredible family farm tour we did). We left our hostel every morning at around 7am (our hostelmates probably hated u) for tours but I mean the nightlife here isn’t anything that will have you crawling back at 8am like Spain. Everyone meets for pints around 9 or 10 and listen to either Irish folk music or singalongs by some band at the pub. They drink Magners (or Bulmers), a brand of cider produced in County Tipperary, superr bomb and has just as much alchohal as American beer BUT actually taste good. Temple Bar is the main bar area with lots of pubs that lure you in with their music and heated lamps. (It was about 50 degrees or lower all weekend). I loved our Hostel, there was an open cooking kitchen, free breakfast every morning, and a sick ass lobby & book exchange. I bet a girl from Argentina and Austrailia in my room. It’s so refreshing talking to people my same age traveling around, makes me realize how differenet and similar we are at the same time.
We had an hour to kill before our Train left for Galway so I decided to talk to the Occupy Galway camp out near the town center. They ended up being super willing to offer me inside, make me some tea, and tell me about their reasons for their Occupy cause. One of the things that struck me was that they weren’t in much contact with any of the other Occupy movements, besides through facebook. I think that if all od the movements were more connected and ones like those in US were able to offer support, share tips, etc., it would really unite the movement and make it stronger. I really liked the one in Galway, I met a irish hippie named Liam, who had lived both in SF and OB, and was one of the security men for the Occupy Galway. He basically said that it was an Awarenest movement about how capitalism and coporate greed have gone out of control and that there needs to be awareness drawn to it. So many Americans know all the names of the Kardasians but know nothing about what’s going on in the world news or that a small revolution has slowly been starting over the last month. Now that I’m back in Spain, I want to see if I find any more protests or Occupy movements on my travels.
I did miss Spanish though! I’m starting to realize that my travels are winding down and that I really do have to keep Spanish in mind while I am in Spain.
Like the alchemist quote: “Well there is only one piece of advice I can give you’ said the wisest of the wise men. ‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon” (34).
