Dublin - Yikes!

Belfast Opera (going to Dublin Opera tonite)

Made it to London OK. The ears didn't like the descent into St John's or London, but the going to 30,000 feet and back a few times seemed to clear out the canals pretty good.

Nice coming into Dublin Harbour by ferry on a sunny Saturday morning. Got a nice hostel and made it over to the Guinness Brewery. Snuck in to a guided tour and scoffed a free pint, my first of the trip. Spent the evening in the Temple Bar area. Amazing place, tons of people, especially large groups of very exhuberant women, dressed in costumes for 'hen' parties.

Ireland is chock full of Eastern European and especially Polish people.

Gotta go. Off to the theatre this evening, and onto Wicklow Way hike tomorrow morning.

Bruce

Murphy Air - Cleared for Take-off!

Murphys don't just drink beer, some of us make the stuff too!

After a nice chat with my doctor about the worst-case scenario with my ears (blocked with fluid for five weeks), I have been given the go-ahead to fly to London, England and start my little walking tour of Ireland.

The excitement of my researching, planning and packing the past month has been tempered by the fact that I might have to cancel the trip (and then use the money for real bills). My ears are still not happy, and they will cause me some grief, but I'll be in Ireland, a place rife with Murphys.

I'm off Thursday nite. Hope to update this blog 5-6 times over the next few weeks. I'm taking a digital camera and will be taking lots of photos. I am going to try and have at least one Irish-brewed beer everyday.

Cheers! Bruce

Eyes on the Prize

Dun Aengus on the Aran Island of Inish-More off the west coast

I was lucky enough to do a bunch of travelling when I was younger. Once we had kids, the travelling was restricted to the Halifax-Montreal-New York loop and the in-laws. As the kids got older, the Gonzos started doing all sorts of hiking and paddling trips and I saw a lot of Quebec, Maine and New Hampshire.

Now the kids have moved out, the tax rebates have gotten bigger, the basement apartment is rented out, the health is still OK and the feet have gotten itchy.

I am off to Ireland in late April.

The basic idea is to carry a small pack (15-18 lbs) with a light sleeping bag, rain gear and a change of clothes. I'll be staying in hostels all the way. I plan to do a lot of walking, including a 80+ km walk out of Dublin in the Wicklow Mountains and a big chunk of the Ring Of Kerry. As well, I expect to get out to the Aran Islands, then hopefully up to Belfast. I fly in and out of London

I will be arriving in Dublin by ferry on Saturday, April 28, spending the day touring about, hopefully with a trip to the Guinness Brewery. Sunday afternoon is a trip to the zoo, one of the oldest in Europe. Sunday evening, I have tickets to the Dublin Opera (Rossini's Cinderella) which is a 52nd birthday present from my Mom.

Bruce