Seein' Green

So, i am here in Dublin, on what started out a rainy day, and has turned into a sunny one (of course, it has to be because i bought an umbrella...). i will fill you in on my first night in Dublin, as it was a great one, but i must give Madrid some love as well.

So i stayed with friends i met while in Prague, Sarah and Rob. It was really great to see the two of them again, and got to spend some good time with them, amidst their busy work schedules (both are English teachers).

Madrid is a nice city. Lots of really cool buildings, the people are fairly friendly, and the food quite good (what else do i need, right?). The beer isn't bad, and unfortunately, i didn't get a chance to taste some Spanish wine, but they did have Heineken on tap (sounds like your dream place, eh dad?) at the Irish Pub we went to, and we got to watch some really great soccer at that pub.

Met Hayden on Wednesday, as he was in Madrid for a conference in which he is presenting a paper. We walked around quite a bit of the city, and took some good pictures (which i'll post, someday, promise). There is a really nice royal palace in Madrid, and a somewhat modern cathedral across the street. The church is extremely bright inside, particularly for European churches, and has some modern looking stained glass windows.

So yesterday evening i left the sunny and warm Spanish culture and climate, and came to Ireland, where we landed in relatively cold and windy weather. The first thing i did when i got my bag from baggage claim was to pull out my sweatshirt.

The hostel was relatively easy to find, and after i arrived, i figured it might be good to grab a couple of Guinnesses and try to find some live music. The first place i went to wasn't bad, but the band they had took a set break not long after i arrived, and while it was nice, i went looking elsewhere.

The next place i ended up was exactly what i was looking for. i get in, go up the stairs, and hear a five person band playing guitars, a fiddle, a drum, and a pipe, and it was about as "authentic Irish Music" you could get. They even played a song (must be a folk song of some kind) that i had on my one CD of Irish Music i own. Everyone was laughing, singing, clapping, dancing, and having a great time. Within 4 hours of arriving in Dublin, i want to move to Ireland. We'll see what the remaining nine days do...

So yeah, that's it so far. Gonna do a bit more exploring in Dublin while the weather's nice. Hope all are well.

JC