The Republic

First off, a complaint. The coffee here in Ireland, so far, has been shit.

Now that's out of the way...Ireland is beautiful. I spent my first two days in Dublin. Well, not quite true. Spent the first day in Philadelphia because my flight was delayed and I missed the connecting plane. They put me up in a very shitty hotel near the airport where I met these two homophobic Americans who bought me dinner and drinks. They started Pizza 4 Patriots (look it up, they deliver pizza to the troops every July 4) and they were in the midst of their media tour. Nice guys, if you like racists who joke about cheating on their wives with hookers. They gave me a t-shirt which I used to sit on a wet park bench the next day on my stroll downtown. I went to the Reading Terminal Market, a lively farmer's market where I had some Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine. They're like the Amish but with cash registers. Visited the Mutter Museum of Medical Oddities. Plenty of deformed fetuses in jars. Talked my way into the Philadelphia Stock Exchange for no reason where I watched people work at their desks.

Then, finally, Dublin. Simon, my couchsurfing host, met me at the airport. We went back to his place for instant coffee and conversation and then took a long walk on the beach nearby. Next day he took me into the center of Dublin which wasn't too exciting, looks like any other city. But I saw Temple University, Christ Cathedral, Temple Bar...all the stuff you're supposed to look at I guess. Went to his local pub where we had Irish cuisine, mushy meat and potatoes and carrots smothered in gravy and a Guiness. I thought it was great.

Simon decided we should take a road trip to the west coast so we found a couchsurfer down there to host us in West Cork and we were off the next day. I would have never made it to this place if it weren't for Simon. Durrus is not a destination spot, it's in the middle of nowhere. But goddamn is it gorgeous. Jean, our host, lives in this pretty green cottage in the hills. Down the street a drive is The Tin Pub, made of tin, where we spent the next two nights. Everyone sits together, talks, drinks Murphy's, and brings their dogs and children. It feels like the real Ireland, whatever that means to me only being here five days. And the funny thing is that both Simon and Jean are British...I think I've only met one or two Irish people since I've been here.

It doesn't get dark here til 10 PM at least, abortion is illegal, and I'm getting really good at drinking. Spells trouble, right?

I'm here in Belfast with Julia for a few days. We didn't stop chattering at each other for hours until she had to leave for the evening. I'm excited to spend time with her, hear an American accent. The British thing, sometimes it's like enough already, you know?