Once Upon A Time, In An Irish Shire

You have all been wondering what lies behind the unique and colorful doors of Ireland...and I am here to tell you.  The answer is *magic*.  Spending some time in Irish countryside is probably the best thing you can do for yourself.  It was beautiful...and there were lots of sheep (LOTS) so I felt right at home.  Kara, Kylie, Kristen, Emily and I flew into Ireland on Thursday evening and we flew out on Saturday evening so we had to get down to business right away.  This was made easy because our hostel was right in the beating heart of Dublin.  I will also note that this was my first hostel experience.  It was interesting.  My conclusion is that men in Europe smell just as bad before they shower as they do after, probably worse.  It kind of made me sick to my stomach, but I didn't let it ruin things for me.  

The first night, we went and watched live Irish dancing, fo' free!  What a  gold mine.  Those dancer were out of control. And sweaty.  One of the male dancers had so much junk in his trunk!  He totally rivaled me, so that was pretty shocking.  

Some advice from me: if you ever make it to Ireland, definitely visit some pubs.  There isn't much else to do, anyways.  This is especially important if you ever have a case of the blues or are feeling unloved, because that can easily be cured by taking one step into an Irish pub.  This probably would only work for those of the female gender, but I promise you that in 5 seconds flat your self-esteem will increase ridiculously because drunk men love girls, and drunk Irishmen love girls even more.  And they love for you to sing with them... so go for it.  I have never been hit on my so many men (ranging from 20 - 50).  One time, I was scoping out the landscape, searching for some strapping young men and as I looked over the heads of people, trying to see across the room and around a wooden pillar, I suddenly noticed that a very aged and wasted man was in front of my face, moving in line with any direction of my vision.  When we made eye contact he smiled really big and raised his eyebrows.  At that point, I just stopped looking.  

We took a tour to Glendalough, it is a small town / village where there is an old monastery (when I say old, I mean medieval old)  So we hung out in a Celtic grave yard and saw some ruins. The best part was making videos in the graveyard...no regrets.  Along the way to Glendalough, we stopped at lakes and movie locations (think Braveheart and P.S. I Love You).  We also learned a lot about Irish history... so if you have any questions, I am your girl.  The tour guide informed us about current Irish events, as well.  Apparently, Ireland has been hit especially hard by the economic crisis and is experiencing a 20-30% unemployment rate (ouch).  They will probably be calling in aid from the IMF next year and are on the verge of being third-world status!  That's enough to make a man cry in his Guinness, so say a prayer, make a wish or find a four leaf clover and dedicate it to Ireland.