Day 3--Ennis, Ireland

April 21st, 2012

So after staying out until 2 am last night, this morning was a wee bit rough. Waking up was fine...the bus rides were not. Ugh, death to this godforsaken bus ride. Bright side though, today was all about breathtaking scenery. We took some pictures overlooking Killarney--so pretty! Then we went to Inch and took some pictures of the coast which I thought was the most beautiful thing yet..oh, I was to be proven wrong, stay tuned. Dingle was next but we came back there for lunch so more on that later. 

We went to Coumeennole Beach...oh.my.gosh. This is Ireland. At least what I imagined. Huge green hills, massive rock walls complete with the Atlantic ocean breaking waves onto the sand. Again, understatement to say that this sight was breathtaking...this was awe-inspiring. This place had God's work cared right before our eyes. Wow. I just stood there in amazement of what I was looking at. I mean, honestly, words cannot describe it. I feel blessed to have been witness to this beauty of this country. I hope I have these same moments in all the other places we're going because...wow, just incredible.

Coumeenole Beach

We stopped at another lookout point that had a rectangular doorway cared into the side of the rock. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, anyone? Totally could have been filmed here and looked like the place Voldemort hid his locket Horcrux. Speaking of, Teresa dipped her feet in the ocean at the beach. They say if you do, you leave a part of your soul in Ireland to come back and claim one day. How amazing is that?! I sat this one out though...my soul belongs in Italy :)

Back to Dingle again, completed our tour of the Dingle Peninsula  I cannot say, write, or hear the word 'Dingle' without stifling a mental giggle. How mature of me, right?

The afternoon was filled with driving, stopped to look at a beehive house and in the town of Adare, where I bought a Murphy's Law for Alyssa--so perfect. Other than that it was trying not to pass our from lack of sleep and trying to look attentive and polite while the tour guide would talk. I love learning but I am betting annoyed with their anecdotes. Blah.

Coumeennole Beach

We're staying at Rowen Tree Hostel. Nicest rooms so far, big bathroom. There's 6 of us tnoight. T, Claire, Lucy, me-self and 2 other girls whose names I don't recall...I should find out...maybe...meh. Tour ends tomorrow and I'll never see these people again. We're in the town of Ennis. Knows for it's traditional Irish music, whoo!

Walking around this town is my favorite so far. It's got narrow little cobble streets, adorable shops, it reminds me of what I believe Italy to look like...we shall see! :) We ate dinner at Knox Bistro. Super cute and trendy! We went with Clare (yes, I've been spelling it wrong this whole time, doy!) and Lucy. We sat at the restaurant for a good 30 minutes just talking which was great, it really showed me how relaxed-paced other cultures are. America is so go, go, go! And it was nice not to feel rushed...but also felt kinda awkward, too...oh, well. 

Brogan's was supposed to have the real Irish music...uh yeah, no. It was super mellow and they played Pink Floyd and Walking in Memphis..what the feck? I want my upbeat, crazy fiddle Irish music dammit! What a disappointment! We tried to find another live music bar which you think wouldn't be that difficult, oh but it was. We ended up just going back to the hostel where I called Mom and she told me Rouge got asked to prom! Yay!! So happy for her...why does all the exciting stuff happen when I leave? Everyone is doing well, though :)

OH! Totally forgot to mention during the "traditional Irish music," a rando guy brought us a plate of food with fries, little weiners, a lemon chicken kabob, spring roll and...white and black pudding. And with MUCH coercion and the YOLO mindset, I tried it...not so bad. Tasted like a potato pancake, white was like breakfast sausage patty. They must have fried that black pudding really well that it didn't taste like congealed blood...sick. I can't believe I actually tried that. I mean, I love a good, dark, sexy vampire but eating blood?! Blech. Different culture's cuisine...to each their own, I guess. I would like to know who thought that was a good idea initially. Yeah, let's eat dried, coagulated blood. Yeah, that sounds tasty! I guess we all have our weirdness though, the Australians told us they think PB and J is weird...say what?! It's not clotted blood! Whatevs.

Alright, must sleep. Last day of Shamrocker tomorrow! Sad! I'm gonna miss our Aussie mates...See what I did there? :)

Streets of Ennis, Ireland

Quote of the day: "You cheeky little bastard."--Courtesy of Clare

PS--Nope, lied there's more. So when we got to Brogans's we sat at an open table, were there for like an hour before the bartender came over and told us this huge slab that was sitting on the table (written in another language, mind you) said 'Reserved for Band'...oops, awkward kangaroo. Found another table right around the corner...stupid Americans...

Walking back to the hostel, the nightlife seemed amazing. Trendy lounges, girls in cute clothes, if I had to live anywhere in Ireland, Ennis would be it...hands down, amaze.