Galway and the Aran Islands

This weekend brought me and my new KU friends to Galway, a lovely seaside town on the W coast of Ireland. Seeing as Limerick, where I'm staying, is nick-named stab city, Galway gives the travelor a much better impression of Ireland.
This weekend was the Arts Festival, an apparantly very big event that draws crowds from around the world, so the city was packed but thankfully there was a cancellation at one of the hostels Laurel and Adrienne were staying so I got a bed. The room I was in was filled with half naked boys, but it was alright. They were traveling from Florida I think, probably around 21 years old, out to find themselves or some BS, one played the dijery-doo (spelling?) that Austrailian instrument, and had dreads, needless to say my room smelled really fantastic!
Galway is a real cute town, full of pubs that serve "traditional irish food" which isn't all that authentic looking in my opinion. I had a salad for the first time since leaving the states, a caprese salad, and it was quite tastey.
All the pubs in Galway are out of a Harry Potter movie, they look quite small and not all that impressive, and then when you're inside it is transformed into this beautiful wooden masterpiece with multiple floors, multiple bars, lots of little rooms, beautiful.
We started the evening/afternoon out at Buster Browns, a restaurant and bar where our stay at barnacles hostel got us a free guiness. Then we went to this other bar, the name of which escapes me, but I had to go in because outside was a group of men singing, with irish accents, all wearing jersey's with what I think was their nick-name on the back. I guess stag and hen (bachelor and bachellorette) parties are big in Galway. Here were some of the names: Bananaman (my favorite), the monster, the clausterphobic, the muff mechanic...
We just had a beer then went and met the rest of the group at the other hostel, where we played cards and socialized with the other world travelors for a bit. A few drinks of jameson and we all had new nick-names as well!
Then we went out to the Kings Head, a bar where they were supposed to have live music. It was another very cool bar, multiple levels, and by FAR the nicest bathrooms I have seen in Ireland, and there were a lot of them, which I am always a fan of. We had a fantastic time. The band was just a cover band, sang all american songs, we all sang around and took way too many pictures. We got a seat right by the stage. Tommy, one of the KU students, fell in love with the singer, Nicola, a fiesty blond with a pretty good voice and a leopard print bra, how lovely. We also saw annie lennox - not really, but there was this lady with a shaved head who adrienne originally tagged as sinead O'conner, but we later changed to annie lennox.
After that I forced everyone to eat crepes from this late night crepe place and we went back to the hostel. The next day I awoke early so I could take a bus, to take a ferry, to the Aran Islands. They are 3 islands off the coast of Ireland and they are beautiful - google them or look at my pictures. There are lots of old (like 2500 BC old) fortresses and temples there. I rented a bike and biked all around the island, in the rain, taking pictures along the way, it was great, the most 'irish' thing I have done so far. It was also nice to get out on my own. I loved/love hanging out with my new KU friends, but I also liked the idea of striking out alone, listening to my ipod, biking on an ancient island, staring off into the water and pondering life's mysteries, thinking very deep thoughts. After this experience the writing of keats, and other irish poets, makes a lot of sense, I could see how it could be a hard bleak life.
Anyway, even in flip flops and jeans (two of the WORST things to wear biking in the rain) the bike trip went well. There are hardly any cars there, only the mini tour buses and the horse drawn carraiges, so very safe.
Then I boated back to the mainland and met up with the KU kids and we went out to the pubs. Galway was playing Cork in a hurling/whirling, I forget the name, match so the bars were FULL. Galway won and there were many a happy irishman. We watched the match in a very irish bar, meaning actual irish people hung out there, which I have found is not that common in the big cities. After the match was a GREAT band that sang traditional irish music, mom would have absolutely LOVED it. We sat next to this older couple who turned out to be from Vancouver WA, and have a very attractive son, who was with them, who lives in San Diego currently and is pondering law school. I told him to think long and hard about that one, and then decide not to go! He was very nice though, and nice of him to travel with his parents.
After that we went to Coyotes, a real shitty tourist bar, but the singer from the first night works there so we wanted to say hi. After that it was off to bed.
This morning we walked out to the beach, in the rain of course, since it has to rain at least once a day here, especially when I don't have my coat and am wearing sandals. I bought a shirt at the bar we went to the previous night, and then we took the bus back to Limerick. I took a shower and a much needed nap and it is now 11pm my time and I haven't done any reading, crap, but at least it is pass/fail for me, so I am not too worried about it.
Hope everyone is doing well in Seattle, and that someone PLEASE watered my plant.
I will keep you updated on all the Irish happenings as they come to pass, love ya all!
PS - when I get back I want the BIGGEST salad in the world (Kate), they don't really do salad - well - in Ireland - shocker I know

Cheers!
I am now safely in Ireland and have had my first day of class. Seeing as how I was the last to arrive and everyone else has gone out together, or at least been introduced, I was kind of like the new kid who no one knew and didn't particularly take a liking to, but I'm sure everyone will warm up once the weather does.
All of our classes are held in an absurdly cold lecture room in the basement of a building, but that does help to keep one up at 8:30 in the morning, so maybe it is a blessing in disguise.
The professors all seemed to emphasize that they want us to have a good time while we are here so the work load will most likely not be comprable to what we would have to do in the states - thankfully.
Professor McKay seems great, very charming, and has already in a way helped me along in my career path. I mentioned that I wanted to move to Hawaii to work with Native Hawaiians on (water) rights issues and he directed me to Hawaii legal aid, a non-profit legal group that does work mostly with native hawaiians, he said he used to write their checks, whatever that means, because they are federally funded. He told me to look it up and then we could get together and talk about it since he knows people that work there, how fantastic is that? I guess it never hurts to know and talk to a former US Attorney. I actually think I may know some of his neices or nephews, all prep kids.
Anyway, there is a party - meaning burgers and beer - on thursday at Professor McKay's house he is staying at, so that should be entertaining, hopefully I can get someone other than myself to put down their heineken light and have a guiness and a jameson with me, but who knows, don't know if that is allowed in Kansas.
This weekend most of the students are going to travel around, I think I am going to try to head into Dingle, on the W coast, or maybe into Galway, apparantly it is somewhat of a party town and kids in the past have all had a good time. My roommate Robin is going to Dinlge, so I might tag along, I have found it's more fun to do things with other people than alone, especially when the female to male ratio in the pubs tends to tip in the male direction, which is actually fine for me.
I saw my first attractive Irish man today, unfortunately he was in a car and I had two HUGE bags of groceries and looked like a drowned rat - a drowned rat who just went to the grocery outlet, real classy.
My new friend Mike stopped by today, I think we are going to try to go to that Lame Duck pub tomorrow evening, sounds like fun. Anyway, I should get back to studying and stop all this procrastination - till next time...

So, today was my first real day in England, as I slept a good deal of yesterday. I went to see Windsor castle, home of the Queen, and not too shabby. The place is gorgeous, and huge, I love looking at old stone castles. I also went to my first English pub, called the Carpenter's Arms, and had a Black Sheep, an Engligh bitter, and a mushroom pie, all very good. I crossed the river temmes (spelling?) and looked at Eaton college, the super prestigious boys school where Princes Harry and William went. I asked and the answer is no, there is no female equivalent of Eaton, not that I'm surprised, why educate us females, we are a bit dim aren't we?
Tomorrow I am off to London. Shauna is kindly escorting me around but I told her today she should not feel obligated to chaperone me, I know how boring touristy (and expensive) touristy activities can be, so I think i will fly solo tomorrow. I am very excited to check out the tower of london, the British museum, Notting Hill, Big Ben, etc. I hope my feet can take the amount of walking I am about to endure.
I hope everyone (and by everyone I mean kate and Paul, as they are the ONLY people who read this, hopefully) is well, I miss you all, love lots,
Lacey

Toronto

Having never blogged before, I don' really know what to say, but seeing as how I have several hours to kill in the Toronto airport and have already had my fill of bloody marys and valium I guess I will give this a shot. All I have to report thus far is that the little kid in seat 31F was a fucking pain in the ass, not only did she kick the back of my chair the WHOLE fucking time, without any kind of reprimand or word of caution from her close by father, but she also smacked on some fruity flavor gum the ENTIRE time, which sent me to the verge of insanity, but I am happy to report that I rose above, put in my ipod, listened to some beiruit and imagined playing in the fluffy white clouds. Also, watched that movie, "he's just not that into you" and damn, that was so true to life until the very end, when pretty much everyone ended up happy and coupled, not bitter and alone with 2 cats, WTF? Talk to you all (and by that I mean kate and paul) soon,

Lacey

The day before....

So, this actually isn't Racey.... it's her sister. But I thought that being the one who (aside from Paul) thought up this idea, I should be the one to start it all off.

Right now it's 10:05 pm - Seattle time - and just shy of 11 hours before Lacey's place is to leave for Ireland - albeit by way of Toronto, and a four day stint in London. Scheduled to be gone for OVER A MONTH, this hopefully will be a way that she can let all the people here at home know what's going on with her over there, while at the same time allowing us all to comment on the incessant drinking and socializing and exploring and learning and etc, etc, etc, that's happening over there.

So, with that brief yet poorly written introduction, I hope that what will follow will be a captivating and honest account of my sister's trip half way around the world... all by herself ; )

Take care little sister. Make sure to have a good time, and always use your head.... and we love you Racing.

All the best,
Kt