Let me clarify, I've never wanted to be a rock star. I think part of it was the fact that my instrument playing abilities never materialized to the level one might need to be at to play in a band; another reason could be that the only time I sing well is when I'm drowned out by other members of the congregation at Mass, or in the car or shower. This weekend I figured out the real reason I would never want to be a rock star: life on the road is full of nauseous moments and very few good sleeping positions...even for an expert sleeper of my caliber. However, if I were touring around beautiful Ireland, that might be an exception. Countless hours on a bus are less than fun, but the places I have had the opportunity to see and experience because of that bus made this past weekend's excursion well worth it.
We departed from Spiddal on Thursday morning at about 9am and made our way to County Kerry, and the town of Tralee, which was the site of our hostel. We made a few stops on the way to our destination including the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, and a pristine beach, but we got there eventually. Thursday was the 18th and it happened to be not only my grandpa's birthday (Happy 50th Grandpa!), but a roommate's 21st birthday. So, as my own birthday is the 19th we had a little duel pub crawl...without the crawling part. For the adults, don't worry, I was responsible; for the younger folk, I had plenty of fun; for the children, there were plenty of clowns; and for the girlfriend, all of us with significant others sat together and talked about how we wished you all were here. There, I think I have all my bases. And for those who were wondering, my first beer on my 21st (or period) was a Guinness...what else!
On Friday we traveled the Ring of Kerry which is a gorgeous route around County Kerry, during which I climbed a small mountain, which I have surprisingly never done on my birthday. We then made our way to Killarney, which I know some of you Christmas caroling fans are pretty excited about. I'm sure "..the prettiest picture [I ever would have] seen [would be] Christmas in Killarney." However, I'll be home to help you all sing that in a few months. We also received a tour of the Muckross House, which is a mansion originally owned by a Henry Arthur Herbert, once a member of the UK Parliament. Killarney really is a beautiful town, and I even met a few high school kids who happened to be hazing a buddy of theirs. That's all the further I'll go with that, but it was entertaining. (Nothing too dangerous, don't worry.)
Saturday, we took a trip to the Dingle Peninsula we saw more beautiful scenery. Sense a theme? That night the group went to a play performance. It was a musical called "Tearmann" and it had, you guessed it, Riverdancing. It was nothing short of amazing, even if all the songs were in the Gaelic/Irish language. That night about a dozen of us went to a local pub and invited our director, Iceman, and his wife Maverick. I suppose I need to explain why Chuck and Suzanne are named Iceman and Maverick respectively. Many of you have probably heard of the ultimate fighter Chuck Liddel whose nickname is "The Iceman"; well our director's name is Chuck Rodell...get the picture. Then, in reference to "Top Gun" the famous Tom Cruise movie, one of Iceman's rivals is Maverick. I needed to explain this because for the rest of my blogging, I will be referring to Chuck as Iceman and Suzanne as Maverick. It was a little odd thinking about a 55 year old man being as "Cold as Ice" but we make it work. I just hope he never sees this blog.
So, that brings us to Sunday which was a long day of driving. We left at 1030am from Tralee and made a few stops for lunch and groceries, but finally made it back "home" at about 7pm. Whew! If you've made it to the end of this novel, congratulations! I'm trying to update this thing as much as I can, but hell, I've got exploring to do! I leave for Belfast and Derry in Northern Ireland on Thursday and come back again Sunday. So, Thursday morning will be here before I know it and I have plenty of reading to do before that, so until next time...Cheers!
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