Stay with me, I've been sick so I'm playing catch ups - this may be a long post but I'm cramming the last 10 days or so into one... here we go!

Ever since I was about fifteen years old I have dreamt of coming to Ireland. I'm not sure if it was the beautiful scenery that I'd seen in photos and on screen in films and TV series, or maybe it was how much of a turn-on the Irish accent seems to be for me (yes I know, another cliche - but I can't help it!). Whatever the underlying reason was, I knew that someday visiting this magical and distant land would definitely be something that I would cross off ye ol' bucket list. So when this year-long adventure that had once been a dream actually started to become a reality, there were one or two things that made the cut as far as 'must do' items on my travel itinerary were concerned - and spending a significant amount of time in Ireland was definitely one of them.
My journey from Cologne was not actually as painful as I had been led to believe - it was long, yes, but not painful. I caught the coach from Cologne Central Station and in a little under three hours I'd made it to the shack of an airport on the outskirts of Frankfurt where my Ryan Air flight would depart. As planned I arrived with plenty of time to check in, I had a reasonable seat allocated to me and when I arrived at Dublin airport I was pleasantly rewarded with both pieces of checked-in luggage. So far so good re: European budget airlines. I had a small issue trying to track down the location of the bus to Dublin central and the bus driver wasn't exactly oozing the Irish smiles and hospitality I had been promised when I didn't have the right change for the fare, but all in all still a pretty smooth ride.
I found my hostel with no particular hassle and although it was as budget as what I was paying, it was actually the combination of the two rounds of very young girls that I shared the dorm with over the few days I was there and the fact that the hot water didn't work in our en suite shower that made it the least pleasant accommodation I've had so far. Pretty weary from a full day on the road all I actually wanted was a hot shower, a bowl of soup and a peaceful night sleep - one out of three wasn't bad. When the shower situation turned out to be a bust I went for a wander in search of hot soup, the girl at the hostel knew little of such local cuisine and tried to send me to a rowdy local pub famous for its large meals all accompanied by loads of fried chips. Wandering through the bustling tourist quarter I sidetracked down a quieter looking main street and passed a sandwich board on the footpath boasting a three course meal for fifteen euro in what looked like a quiet little restaurant with a homely feel. I was right. The decor was perfect and the Irish/Greek cuisine was a nice surprise. The soup of the day was a chicken broth with rice and pieces of boiled chicken just like mum makes, followed by the least traditional moussaka I've ever had (but still quite yummy) and a delicious honey cake for dessert, throw in a nice glass of red and my meal hit just the right spot. I had a funny conversation with the waiter who had a heavy Greek/Irish accent and couldn't quite understand why I was dining at a 'table for one'. In honesty, being able to do just that has been something that has taken me many years of practise to be able to do comfortably and not spend the entire meal locked to the virtual safety blanket that is 'facebook for IOS'. Choosing a hostel located in the hub of the tourist quarter, in Dublin, on a weekend... well lets just say that I'm glad I packed a couple of sets of earplugs, although because I was pretty wiped out from travels and the whirlwind of Carnival I did actually manage a fairly solid sleep - I guess that makes it one and a half out of three.
The next morning I ventured out pretty early to find some breakfast and take in some of the nearby sights. As keen as I was to leave the hostel I should probably have waited for the rain shower (that started the second I left the building) to pass before attempting my exploration on foot. I lasted about fifty meters before I ducked into a pharmacy and bought the first umbrella I saw. Just my luck the rain only kept up for another five minutes or so and didn't return as more than a drizzle for my next two days in Dublin. Over the next few days I think I walked a marathon distance back and forth around the central streets of the city, there was so much to take in and at times I wasn't sure where the hours had gone for all the gawking at the strangeness of the place. I say that lightly of course, I don't mean strange as in weird but strange different to what I was expecting. Dublin isn't a city in a way that I'm familiar with a city to look and feel. The buildings are all so easily placed by their architectural history but there are no office buildings as such, as the city centre is so old there would be long wide streets with buildings that would have once been posh and privately owned residential dwellings that are now occupied by law firms and insurance companies. The headquarters for Coca-Cola Ireland was in something that resembled a New York brown-stone. Aside from not being what I expected, Dublin is great.
Laura and Sam my gorgeous friends from New York City arrived in Dublin the day after me so my nights and some days were spent in their company and I can't tell you how great it was to see them. We dined at an incredible restaurant, drank our first Guinness together in a cute old man's pub and went on a tour of the Jameson Factory - oh and Laura totally saved me from being run down by three lanes of traffic as I dazedly walked out onto road while trying to get the perfect shot of a big-ass monument in the middle of the street. In my defence the surface of the shopping mall to main road didn't change, it wasn't easily identifiable as a street and on the plus side it's a pretty great photo! On the Wednesday, Sam hired a car and after we picked up another NY friend,Tom, from the airport we set off on our overnight adventure (on the way to Galway) to the beautiful coastal town of Westport. The drive was supposed to only take a few hours but with my terrible navigating and Sam's way under the limit driving (sorry Sam, I love you dearly but you drive like a nanna) it took a lot longer. Actually to be fair, there was a lot to see along the way so he was mostly just taking in the sights as much as possible while behind the wheel. I would have relieved him of course but it was at the Budget hire counter when I went to allocate myself as the secondary driver that I realised I'd left my Australian Drivers Licence at home... and no, an international licence and passport won't cut it.
The weather was terrible for a road trip but we definitely made the most of it, stopping a few times for photos and of course a spot of lunch at a cute little pub. We stayed at a quaint bay side hotel that, because of the construction on the waterfront right outside the hotel, wasn't as picturesque as the brochures indicated but it was lovely and cosy all the same. We took our time getting to Galway the following day which we started off by touring Westport House, a gorgeous manor that has been preserved by relatives of the original owners of the dwelling. The history, architecture and overall ambience of the place was just magic. Once we arrived in Galway the troop dropped me off at a BnB that I'd booked about 4km out of the city centre. I decided that it would be good to have a bit of 'me time' for a few days. I caught up on washing, walked the 4kms into town each day (except one) but mostly just took it easy.
On the Sunday, my last night at the BnB, I stayed in town for the day semi-stalking the wedding that Laura, Sam and Tom were going to. It was quite fun, after running into Sam at the markets I went back to the hotel with him and crashed the getting ready party of the bride and her entourage to steal a quick 'good luck' cuddle from the bride herself. As expected she looked gorgeous but because I only got to see her with completed hair and make-up in a bathrobe I ended up hanging around the front if the church at 3pm to take pics of her when she arrived. So much fun!
Anyway, after being on my own for a few days it was time to get social, I stayed in town that night and took my chances sitting at a bar drinking Jameson's solo and sure enough it wasn't too long before two lovely American boys asked to join me and that was the beginning of another couple of friendships! Zac, Connor and I stayed out drinking and chatting for a few hours and while the boys were leaving the next day they were coming back to Galway on the Wednesday for more adventures that I agreed to join them on. Monday was positively hell, I thought I was severely dehydrated and hungover (which I was a little, but I really hadn't drunk THAT much) so when I had to pack up all my things, check-out and move to a 4 bed dorm at a hostel I think my symptoms doubled. By the time I made it to my new room I thought I was on deaths door, my system was really not functioning well and the rest of that day I was in bed. On Tuesday the sun was shining so uncharacteristically in Galway that staying in was not an option, and because I wasn't in any condition to navigate my own day I jumped on a tour bus to the cliffs of Moher. I may have still felt like crap and the anti-nausea drugs that my sis hooked me up with before I left were probably the only thing that got me through the day, but I don't regret it for a second the day was spectacular and the cliffs (also known as the 'Cliffs of Insanity' for any of you Princess Bride fans out there) were simply breathtaking. Arriving back at around 6:30pm I was ready for bed and to be away from the young German and American tourists that were the only sour part of the day out... in case you haven't picked up on it yet I have a very low tolerance for young (or even worse, old) ignorant tourists, seriously, if you want things to be the way they are at home then stay the f*** at home! I did suck it up that night though and went to dinner with Zac and Connor who by fluke ended up booking the same hostel that I was staying in.
Wednesday morning was when I realised that I wasn't still hungover from Sunday and that I might actually have some kind of stomach bug - not being able to keep down any food for two days and the constant nausea was a neon sign indicator (I'm just a bit slow on the uptake). Oh, and for any of you who might decide to misconstrue my symptoms, no I wasn't pregnant - not a chance due to not having partaken in those kind of activities for quite some time - enough said, my mum is reading this!
Anyway, Wednesday, the boys were back in town and I had promised them an adventure day out. Thankfully they were no longer keen to head out to the Aran Islands, the weather wasn't brilliant (and I would have been a particular kind of mess on a boat with the way I was feeling). So we hopped on board a much smaller tour bus than the one I took the day before and, with our three other friends that we made on the ride, took a tour out to Kylemore Abbey and the Connemara National park. Such a tragic love story surrounds the building of the stunning castle and gardens but it was such a treat to be able to see it. I had a really great day out taking photos and soaking in more beautiful landscapes of Ireland's West coast. This time when we arrived back at the hostel at 5:30pm I knew my day was over, nothing could drag me away from crawling into bed and spending the next twelve hours in the foetal position.
Thursday.
Friday.
Saturday, I emerged feeling hungry for the first time in days, I'd kept my fluids up like nurse Nadia told me to and finally I was starting to feel like a person again. Zac and Connor had left days before and while in my sickly haze I did manage to make some new American friends, Melizza and Adam, with whom I was going to share a lovely 'home cooked meal' on the Friday night - until I had to excuse myself before dinner was ready to return to the fort I had made of my bunk. Breakfast stayed down with no drug assistance on Saturday morning and then I even managed a late lunch with a glass of wine to celebrate my recovery - perhaps too soon because while I got myself ready for a night out a few of my horrible symptoms returned and even though I forced myself out into the street to see what the Saturday of the St Pat's day long weekend had in store for Galway, I found myself searching for a quiet place to get a cup of tea instead of a lively bar that I could get a pint. Fail. So I cut my losses, bought a cupcake on my way home and spent the night on facebook instead.
Few! Today is Sunday - we're finally up to date! Thanks for staying with me, I'm feeling at 85% capacity today and while I wait for my apartment to be ready - yes you heard right, I treated myself to a cheap hotel for the next two nights as a reward for getting through the last week, and they had a cancellation so I was upgraded to a fully equipped apartment instead - woot! I'm not planning a huge night out as I'm still easing back into it but that is all in the hopes that the ultimate plan of drinking a pint of Guinness in Ireland on St Patrick's Day to celebrate my dad's birthday can come to fruition. Keep your fingers crossed for me!