The Most Excellent Irish Adventure

Gentle Reader,
Life has been beautiful and I continue to be blessed with an incredible journey through life. 2009 is over and done with and I am done with the recounting of my travels of last year. 


2010 opened with January as usual. What was different about this January was that my dearest friend Kristen had decided that she was going to go to Ireland whether I was coming or not and that year! Could I pass up an invitation like that?! No. It was very clear that Saint Patrick was calling me to Eire's green fields and we would go in March. Tickets procured at an extremely reasonable rate, car hired to do the dirty work and before you could say Paddy, Kristen and I were drowsily on our way to Kilkenny. 


That drive to Kilkenny is one drive I will never forget. I, the driver, was drowsy after a 24 hour flying day of 0 hours of sleep. I, the driver, had never driven on the left side before. I, the driver, had to drive drowsy, on the left side, in the dark; and it was dark as the road to Kilkenny was not lined with lights. It was counter-sensational; I was driving on the left side and the headlights of oncoming traffic seemed as if they were coming directly for us! Do you know that feeling you get when your driving the wrong way down a poorly lit one-way street? This counter-sensation was relative, only two hours long. At one point Kristen, who had dozed off, awoke to this counter-sensationalism as a huge lorry passed by.


Upon arrival to Kilkenny, I decided we should follow the signs to the city center. After all, I had driven in Germany and navigated a drive in Spain. This was old hat for me. The city centers in Europe are generally the historic parts of the city. This, loosely translated, equates to narrow streets. I, drowsy, on-the-left-side, it's-still-dark driver now had to contend with narrow streets that had cars parked along the sidewalks making the streets even more narrow trying to find something. What were we looking for? Sleep. Hostel. We drove through the city then up and around and then did it again and were about to do it one more time when I decided to follow the "P" for parking and park. I parked, but the game plan after that... well, it was vague. The parking structure was attached to a shopping mall which we, the American zombies, naturally gravitated towards. People go to malls and someone must know something about this city. Oh! a bookstore! We could buy a tour map with a list of places to stay. Kristen was thinking better and just asked the lady at the counter. She sweetly called the popular hostel, Kilkenny Tourist Hostel, gave us directions and wished us well as we went on our way. Directions in Ireland and following them are quite an adventure in themselves... Be forewarned! As we headed back to our beautiful Red Nissan Micra, the sweet lady stopped us and two older sweet ladies who were heading home offered to show us the way. Cool. "We'll wait for you at the exit." In the car and off to follow the old ladies we went, but as we neared the exit, there were no old ladies. They had taken off with someone else behind them! Oh well. We did eventually find it unaided, but we were a little worried about the old ladies. After checking in to the hostel, run by a very cool Australian lady, we went back out to repark the car and who should drive by but the older sweet ladies checking to see that we made it alright. Bless them. It was a good introduction to Ireland and we slept.