Sing it, Bruce

Backstage with Bruce Hornsby. Thanks to Brett for this!

Final Thoughts

While it is still fresh in my mind, I wanted to get some thoughts down
about this trip.

First, did I enjoy myself? Yes.
Am I glad I did it? No question, yes.
Did I make mistakes? Without a doubt.

Most everywhere I went people asked me what the highlight of my trip
was, and my response has been my initial swing through Ireland and
Scotland. Over time that may still prove to be true, however, I must
say that the entire experience from planning, to prodding, to
implementation, to completion has been the highlight.

I told Beth last night and when I first arrived that I could tell
Barcelona was going to be a great place for my journey to end. That
couldn't be more true.

This trip stretched me as a person and allowed me to see how I can act
away from the comfort of Columbia. Some things I liked, others I
didn't.

It goes without saying, but this trip was made by the people that were
around me. And being that I travelled solo I had to find people to be
around. That's why I say the first week was amazing. The Irish and
Scottish people were incredible and the people from other countries
that i met while in ireland ad scotland were amazing as well. I know
now that if I do this again that I will spend time in smaller towns or
seek out locals that are welcoming and want to learn as much from me
as I want to learn from them.

The reason I consider Barcelona a perfect last stop is that I was able
to hang out with a friend for a day and a half that is living it. I
mean really living it. Beth has dove(or is it dived?) head first into
Spain and the Spanish culture and it's amazing to see. Here's a
person that is open to making decisions that go against the norm of
being an American and especially being raised in the south and she's
thriving. She's learning new things everyday and is growing beyond
belief. Quite encouraging for me to see. Thanks so much to her,
Andreu and Andrino for welcoming me like they did.

Best memory? Getting to know local people at the stops I made along
the way.
People like:
David at Doolin Hostel
Stephen and Aileen Browning, The Springs, Tobias and Julianna at
Castle Hostel in Tralee
Miles, Brenda, David, Deidre, Brian, and Dylan in Waterville
Felix and Anka playing golf in Waterville
Marilyn and Bill Burns in Stranraer
Ryan Simpson in Turnberry
Lucy and Jacque in London
Beth, Andreu and Andriano in Barcelona

Favorite moment? Right now, definitely playing music in Waterville.
That was unreal. Still can't believe that actually happened.

Dumbest move? Without a doubt missing my flight this morning. Wow

Best transportation siting? Probably the train ride from Edinburgh
to London. It was for hours of great scenery and wifi. Sounds like a
small deal but I was able to learn about the places I was passing as I
passed them. Quite cool. How did I know what I was passing? Yes,
Blas, this phone has GPS.

Worst moment? Hmmm that's a tough one. I didn't ever have a "bad"
time or a moment where I said "get me outta here."

Things I'm glad I did?
-The waking tour of London
-Walking to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral
-The bike tours of Paris and Barcelona(give you a great chance to
really see the city AND almost get hit by cars in the process)
-Visiting the Cliffs of Moher
-Going to two days of the British Open
-Sleeping on a Scottish beach
-Playing two great courses in Ireland
-Being open to meeting new and different types of people
-Maintaining this blog
-Seeing the major sites in London and Paris
-Riding the subways after finally figuring out the route systems

Thanks again to you the reader. The feedback I've received throughout
has been quite fun and inspiring. Hopefully you derived as much
enjoyment from reading this as I did from writing it.

Until next year....

It's 1:18 AM Somewhere

Yep, lightning is crackalackin all around us here on the Tarmac in
Philly. Grounded for a while.

And yes even though the local clock says 7:18pm I can only think that
I'm actually on 1:18am time right now

To say I'm a little off would be a slight understatement.

Hey hey hey.....You know what I mean. I'm a little off on the time.
You know what? Nevermind. I'm tired of your snide comments

Good word...snide

Sent from my iPhone

In Flight Patience

Undoubtedly on each flight numerous people will get caught in a
somewhat awkward waiting area in the aisle while either a flight
attendant has snuck in between them and their seat whilst they went to
the bathroom or someone is trying to dig out the latest issue of
"Metal Detector Magizine" from the overhead compartment. I must say
that is quite unnatural for a human to be standing in front of
complete strangers 40,000 feet in the air for this period of time.
And that's another thing, you don't know how long that period of time
will be. It could be a quick stint in the aisle or it could last
upwards of 2-4 minutes depending on the situation and/or the size of
the person you are waiting on.

I propose that the next time you are stuck in this Twilight Zone that
you give the people that are staring at you and living each painful
second with you a reason to look at you. Break into song, give a
speech or soliloquy of some kind or even do some jumping jacks or pull
ups. I think this would be much more entertaining than standing there
crossing your arms and nervously biting your lip

And yes, I used the word "whilst" and "soliloquy" in the same post.

You're welcome.

Sent from my iPhone

Arm Rests

I think arm rests in general don't get enough credit. That goes for
any chair that you are sitting in. But I must send a shout out to the
arm rest on my right that just saved my elbow from some serious pain

The scenario:

I'm sitting in the middle aisle on the far right seat (xx xxo xx I'm
sitting in the o) and the flight attendant was pushing the drink cart
up the aisle towards the back of the plane as is customary in this
hemisphere(as well all know, they go the other way I'm the southern
hemisphere but I digress) and no sooner did I formulate a though in my
head about how difficult it must be to actually turn that cart side to
side did she BANG into the armrest. This armrest took it like a man
and I'm thankful to have him/her/it by my side. Yes, I hope you heard
the rimshot.

By the way, will the statment "take it like a man" ever change to:

"take it like a tough person or other entity" or
"take it as though you are incapable of feeling or reacting to pain" or
"I'm not sure if I'll offend you by saying take it like a man so I'll
just say 'go get em tiger or some other seemingly tough wild animal'"

Just something to think about.

Sent from my iPhone

Dilema

Ok so I'm a little hungry. It's 8:00 PM my time so thankfully the
friendly US Airways staff just handed me a Turkey Sandwich on Foccacia
bread. Looks good. However the drink lady is a good 13 rows away.
Do I dig in and risk being uncomfortably thirsty? Or can I be
patient to wait on her?

By the way, what is it about flying that makes you want to get Ginger
ale to drink?

Why is this captain speaking so softly?

Oh, and I didn't wait.....

Sent from my iPhone

The Air Up There

Whatever happened to Minute Bol? He has to be one of the most
underrated actors of all time. I'm just saying.....

In the air somewhere over the Atlantic right now. Relax. Relax.
I'm not posting from here. I'm simply writing a note and will post
when I land. You happy?

It's been a nice flight so far. I slept for about the first hour,
watched 17 Again(that critically acclaimed cinematic adventure
featuring Matthew Perry's character being able to go back and relive
his senior year of high school......quite imaginative plot. Where do
they come up with this original stuff? Some would say that this type
of movie has been done before, but I would say that those that are
saying that are just jealous THEY haven't been able to go back in
time.), and dozed on and off for the past few hours. I'm banking on
that we have about an hour left to Philly.

Speaking of Philly.....that's a pretty solid nickname for a city.
What are the top city nicknames?

Let's see(in no particular order):
1. LA is solid. Saves time. Good name recognition as well
2. Hotlanta is ok. It's fun and all but saves no time really.
3. Sparkle City for Spartanburg sounds nice, but really couldn't be
further from the truth.....although Spartanburg is really making a
nice turnaround. One other problem with this nickname is that it is
one syllable longer than the actual city name.
4. The Queen City for Charlotte. Too long but ok otherwise
5. NYC for New York. It's a big nickname for a big city. I like it.
6. The Sweaty Armpit for Teaneck, NJ. Enough said. Spot on.

Sent from my iPhone

Stateside again......

A Trip of Firsts

This trip expanded my horizons in more ways than one. Check it:

1. This was the first time I've been to Europe. (if you don't count
Denmark, SC that is)
2. This was the first time I've seen a beach where, um.....clothing
was optional
3. This was the first time I've ever slept on a beach.
4. This was the first time I've met and started friendships with from
Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, and Spain
5. This was the first time I've ever missed a flight.

Yes, it was bound to happen folks. I stayed on the train to the
airport this morning for just a few too many stops.....a few. I got
so far out of Barcelona that I think I saw Africa. Not sure about
that but wow was I not very bright this morning.

Had to change flights, pay some extra cash but I'm on the plane ready
to go. Actually it's going to be an "easier" day. I'm go straight to
Philly from here and then to Charlotte.

I'm very thankful to be able to get a flight home today. Perish the
thought of staying in Europe one more day......wait.....

Sent from my iPhone

Andrino....DJ to the Stars

It's my last night out of the country. This trip has been a great ride
with many memories good and and bad that have been made. I'll wrap
that up later with a few final posts.

However, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Beth and Andreu for
welcoming me to their city. I had a great day of nike tours, walking
the streets and watching liv music(Andrino, Andreu's friend pictured
playing below). They were all gracious hosts and I thoroughly enjoyed
Barcelona. It was a great place to wrap up this tour

Early morning tomorrow. Gotta catch the train to the airport and then
flying all day back to the States. Gonna stay in Charlotte for the
night then get to Asheville for Bruce Hornsby. Can't wait to see that.

Anyway i'm sure I'll have some updates from the road tomorrow. Have a
goodnight and thanks for reading. This has been a real pleasure to do

Yesterday's Holdup

Didn't want to post this before I left Charles De Gaulle yesterday but
yes, Terence was a bit of a bomb scare there. When I arrived EVERYONE
was out of terminal 2 waiting for clearance to get back in. Maybe
there's a story about it somewhere but I doubt it. That's it. Just
wanted to clear that up for you. Go back to Saved by the Bell
reruns. I'm going to walk La Rambla for a few minutos

Sent from my iPhone

Tengo Barcelona

Great city. The top picture is from right around the corner from
Beth's apartment. I'm staying with her and Selba(bottom picture)
while I'm here. Beth is living a dream and I'm quite jealous of
her. I met Beth through my old roommates while she attended USC
studying French. Yes and now she lives in Barcelona.....teaching
English. Quite an awesome life. Hung out with her and her boyfriend
Andreu last night. Great guy.

Bout to take the Fat Tire bike tour of this city now

More to come...

Noche en Barcelona

We landed coming in over the beach just now, and I've got a sneaky
feeling that I'm going to like Barcelona.

Sent from my iPhone

Missed My Calling

I should have been a psychic or some other person that uses accurate
telling of the future to have a job. (for the record I don't believe
in psychics)

Anyway at 5:32pm I made it through security to await boarding my
plane. Yes folks that's 2:10 worth of waiting. I'll explain more in
a few hours. Gotta run!

At Home

....so to speak. In line with a slew of Spainards. Señor Chappell,
is that correct term? Don't want to offending anyone like the easyjet
checkin lady offended me by calling my bag "an American tourist
bag.". No lie. Well she didn't offend me but she was being
serious. Glad, in part, to be leaving France behind.

Crepe-tastic

Pretty sure I'm addicted to the street Crepe. Imagine something being
made in less than two minutes that fills you up and is reasonbly
priced.....kind of a like a sack full of Krystal burgers.... Well
maybe not but hopefully you get the picture. These things are amazing.

In the Footsteps of R. Langdon

No one ever accused me of being into art. At no point in time has
anyone ever said any of the following statements to me:

1. "Come on Rose, put down that paint brush and let's go play some
ball."
2. "Dude, seriously, all you've done is talk about the color pallette
in this gym. Give it a rest why don't you? We have a game to win here"
3. "For the LAST time, I don't have an opinion on who was the greater
artist, Da Vinci or Monet. Just finish your burger and let's get out
of here"

With that being said, however, I did enjoy my few hours in the Louvre
immensely. Yes there was a point in time while fighting the crowds to
get to the Mona Lisa that I thought I had made a mistake going in.
But once I got away from the crowds, I had a great time admiring the
sculptures, paintings and even the building itself. I'm sure it would
be an even better experience if I had a clue what I was looking at.

On the RER-B train now to Charles De Gualle airport for my flight to
Barcelona. About a 30 minute ride apparently. And oh by the way,
just about every metro ride I've been on has had some sort of musical
"entertainment.". Those are the biggest apostrophes I could find.
These guys don't hold a candle to the original guy with violin from
yesterday. We'll call him Franc

I booked an Easyjet flight for this leg of the journey. I have a
feeling it's not going to be that easy. If you don't know anything
about these budget airlines, just know that they offer flights for as
cheap as 5 euro or even free. However they charge you extra for
everything from carry on luggage to having a heartbeat. Should be
interesting

Coming down to the final stretch of this trek. Feels like only
yesterday I was riding a bicycle through the streets of Paris. Oh
that was yesterday.

Tour de France

That one was too easy

Anyway we finished our bike tour about two hours ago and I was able to
squeeze in the Arc and Notre Dame. Currently I am sitting in one of
paris' 1.2 million parks enjoying some live jazz.....of course it's
french jazz.

Anyway the tour was great. Thanks to Jessica Britt for that suggestion!

We saw many of the main sites except for the Arc and Notre Dame.

I had a VERY IMPORTANT job or as they would say here "muy
importante.". Wait no they wouldn't say that unless they were
Spanish. At any rate I was chosen by our guide to bring up the rear
of the group to help make sure everyone kept up and didn't fall
behind. He said I was the perfect choice. Then he turned to the
group and said something in French that included the word D'arriere in
it. I'm sure it was some sort of French pleasantry

Turns out the guide is from Atlanta. I knew something sounded
familiar when he used the words "y'all" and "yonder" in consecutive
sentences.

Well the concert is apparenty over. Time to go find some grub or as
Parisians would say grubè

Or is it parish? Nevermind. Enough "jokes" for one post.

Fire Charlie Weiss

.....and so was Notre Dame

The outside is even more stunning at night

Did i just say stunning?

Supersize

Yeah the Arc was worth the trip

Have Violin....

Will Hop on the Metro and Play......

He was actually pretty good

Doors opened. He steps on. Says "bonjour(which i guess is a type of
mustard) and starts playing

That's It?????

Just kidding. RIDICULOUS.....phenominal. You gotta see this. Just
gotta

Bout to take a motorcycle tour of Paris. Oh. It's not that type of
bike? A bicycling type bike you say? Oh. Ok. Well still cool I
guess

Abdul the Moroccan Cabbie

Well I must say that I've had some good practice the past few years
understanding Moroccans.....tonight was no exception as the cab driver
I got in Paris was a Moroccan native. Moo Moo, you would be proud.
He says to tell you hello!

Now you may be wondering, "What kind of backpacker takes cabs?" Valid
question, Mrs. Kester. However I must say that it was a bit warranted
once I got out of the train station and then looked at the subway map
and THEN tried to buy a ticket. Maybe I threw in the towel a bit
early but I'm glad I did. What a gorgeous city and what a great cab
ride. I have no idea where I am in the city but I ended up having to
get a budget hotel as the hostel I was banking on is full tonight.

Touring the city tomorrow. And yes, Dave(and others that suggested
it) I GOTTA see Notre Dame. I don't think I've ever seen a cooler
looking place than that in my life. Ok well maybe the gym at RVHS
comes close.....

Goodnight

Sent from my iPhone

Top Down

View from the very top of the down to where that last picture came from

Thunder Dome

Inside the dome at St. Paul's. 365 feet high if I'm correct.
Unreal site

Windy

Been quite a day. Been on the run since I woke up. Took a waking
tour of London with a free tour company. Great stuff and say some
cool things. Extended out myself and walk the Thames River and then
over to St. Paul's Cathedral. What a site this place is. I walked
to the top dome and that's where this picture is from. Just a touch
on th windy side up but it hasti offer the best view of the city.

Took the tube back near my hostel and I'm on the Eurostar to Paris.
Just crossed into France.

Chalk up my seatmate as another standoffish french person. Not sure
what the deal is. I guess I'm expecting everyone I meet to be like
the Irish ad they're just not

Oh well. There's a chance I'll hop a night train tonight to somewhere
else but we'll see.

The French

Ok so I'm not going to base my judgement of a people solely on a few
(or three interactions) but the three French people I've met in London
today really just aren't that friendly. I have nothing against them
or anything but I really miss the warmness of the Irish and Scotch
people. I hope Scotch is the correct term.....

Scratch that. My waiter was very nice but the three girls I've met at
the hostel talk to me for about 1 minute and then get rude....mostly
when they find out I'm from the US

And you know what I'm wrong again. Lucy at the reception desk is
French and she was ultra helpful.

Very interesting. Maybe it's just travelling French men and women

Now I'm starting to think it's me and not the beard that's scaring
people off. Or maybe it's because I turn the word "oil" into a three
syallble word.

But alas, Paris is still on the radar for tomorrow. Really thinking
about passin through for the night and catching a night train somewhere.

On another note, everyone I met at the Queen's Head tonight was very
cool. Once they warmed up to me and treated me as a local I had a
great time. At one point my waiter asked me quite inquisitively, "How
did you find this place," as if only locals knew about it. I
explained to him that on my walk to Primrose Park I had noticed the
Queen's Head and it looked like a friendly place with good food(turns
out i was correct). Quite glad I stopped in there and hung out for a
while. The Queen's Head will leave me with fond memories of the Big
Pear as the locals call London

Ok so i completely made that up but I could sooooooo see Londoners
trying to copy "The Big Apple" name like that. Sort of like SV people
and their "copyness."

Goodnight one and all....walking tour of London tomorrow and hopefully
LAUNDRY day.

Sent from my iPhone

.00868 Star Accommodations

My room for the evening at Ashlee House Hostel....10 beds in the room

Repeats

Made it to London and this is a view of the city from Primrose Hill in
te Camden district. According the girl at the hostel this is the best
view of the city and it's FREE. Quite a hike up too. GREAT place to
run hill repeats. We gotta get DG on board for a trip like this for XC.

Anyway sitting at a restaurant eating in Camden. Getting served by a
Frenchman. Apparently mostly locals come here so I feel cool....at
least or the moment. Just go with it.....

Taking a waking tour at 11am tomorrow then hopping under the Channel
to Paris. Anyone want to join?

Follow My Tweed

Lame joke I know but I have officially crossed into England now. How
do i know? My iPhone told me. Yes Blas it has GPS but it drops
calls about as often as Ousmane took himself out of practice.

Anyway, it appears that Lamberton is the official crossover point on
this railway but this is a picture of the River Tweed flowing into the
sea at Tweedmouth(town on the right) and Berwick-Upon-Tweed(town on
left)

The bottom picture is of Alnmouth. Situated on the sea as well and
aptly named Alnmouth as it is at the mouth of the Aln River.

This really is beautiful country. I kind of want to hop of the train
but I think I've seen enoughbof small town Ireland and Scotland. Time
to move on to te bigger places, right? We'll see how wise of a move
this is.

These two towns are in the county of Northumberland(bless
you.....thanks). Check out their website when you get done reading
this bit of literary genius. http://www.visitnorthumberland.com/

They boast of being in the heart of Hadrian's Wall country and also of
having England's LEAST visited national park. Yes....least.

Thanks to My Readers'

Thanks to you guys that have been reading this nonsense and posting
and emailing me throughout my journey! I really appreciate it. This
will be a great way to chronicle my experiences here and I hope that
you are gaining as much enjoyment from reading about my exploits as I
am having participating in them.

I'm on the train to London at the moment. Very fast and smooth. Wifi
on board as well. I'm not used to all this high tech stuff

Anyway. Stay tuned. The next few days promise to be interesting as I
could end up anywhere from Portugal to Germany.

More Americans

This is a post from yesterday that apparently didn't go through:

Combs, once again you're correct. Met some more Americans on the
train from Edinburgh to St. Andrews but interestingly, and to my
surprise, they weren't the friendliest duo.

But I suspect my rough appearance and out of control facial hair
doesn't project the "don't worry I'm friendly and won't take your
money" look.

They were nice enough though. One of them studies at the University
of Edinburgh to get his Phd in history while the other is just
visiting for a spat.

Anywho this is a nice train. Reminds me of the ones in Ireland.
Smooth and more good scenery out the windows.

Sent from my iPhone

First Shave in a Week

And no that's not my hotel room. That's a sink at Waverley Station
Edinburgh.

Don't ask. I know I could have shaved other places but it wasn't
until I got to the station this morning did I have some time to mill
around a bit and I figured, "What better place to shave than a
bathroom in Waverley that I have to pay 30 pence to get into?".

When did the world start charging for using the bathroom, by the way?

I guess they already charge you for other things you need to live
(food, drink, video games, Nike gear) so they might as well charge for
that too.

Picture of Perfection

Hard to see in this picture but this is one of four women that are
going around the 1st and the 18th filling I'm divots. Quite
impressive as the tractor hauling a trailor full of dirt pulled up and
four women jumped out the back and got to work. Oh there is one man
on the crew but he's picking up divots.

I wonder if they're going around all 18 doing this?

By the way...there's no golf on the old course on Sundays.

Scottish Breakfast and View

So the hotel was a little pricier than sleeping on the beach or the
hostels but it was worth it to me to sleep and wake up next to te
birthplace of golf. This is a picture from the dining room at the
Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews.

Possibly the first time they've ever accepted a smelly, unshaven
"backpacker" into their establishment.

Glasses

If you can't read that it says "St. Andrews Links.". If only I was
able to play it. Rest assured I did ask....several times. But alas
I'm relagated to staying in town tonight and not having played the old
course.

It's ok really. Nice little town. Lots of golfers around
apparently. I'm sure this is a popular week for golfers to be here

Glad I made the trip to see it though. The golf course is right next
to the sea. Great setting. Makes me want to come back when the Open
is here next year. Who's with me

Really?

Didn't realize the McFlurry was such a legendary item? You're
welcome, world!

Officially a Tourist

Ok so maybe I was that before I stepped off te plane in Shannon but I
just took my first bus tour of this excursion in Edinburgh. Glad I
did it but not too glad I went to Edinburgh Castle. Don't get me
wrong, it was interesting to see, but it was a little busy for me. I
guess exploitation of tourists isn't limited to the US. Or were
coffee shops and cafes on every corner inside the castle when it was
operational?

But it did provide a nice view of an interesting city. Heading to
the train station now. Talk to you at my next stop.

Great Night's Sleep

I feel better. Much better. Got a great night's sleep in Edinburgh
and have decided to head up the coast to St. Andrews today. I figure
I'm this close to golf's beginnings I best go see it. Looks like the
town has a lot more there to see too. Google St. Andrews, Scotland

Anyway I figure i'll walk aroud edinburgh a little more before i make
that journey north. The weather is much better today. Still on the
chilly side though

Sent from my iPhone

Rainy Edinburgh

I arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland this afternoon during rush hour.
Very busy city. Doesn't feel like Scotland to be honest. But the
architecture and design of the city is amazing. It would be even
better if it stopped raining!

One night here and then either to Newcastle tomorrow or London/Paris.
Should be interesting where I end up

Redefining Smells

For years, in my mind, Europeans have had the stereotype of being a
bit on the smelly side. Even though this may not be true, I am
joining their ranks today, Friday, July 17, 2009 as a smelly
Southerner in Europe. As you know by now, I am not a master of the
English language, and I'm not efficient at painting vivid pictures
with words, but imagine a really horrible smell....ok then imagine
that smell getting soaked into an article of clothing.....then imagine
that smell on that article of clothing being stuffed in seemingly an
airtight backpack for seven days....then imagine that smell on that
article of clothing being stuffed in seemingly an airtight backpack
for seven days and permeating to every part of the bag including other
clothes in the bag....oh yeah and multiply that smell roughly 10-5633
times and place it on your person. Then you have a bit if an idea of
what my bag and me smells like

Now that's not to say that bloody(thanks Tony and the boys) situation
will not be remedied tonight because it will be. The plan is to get
to Edinburgh and get some rest and wash clothes for the second half of
this tour.

We'll see how well that plan gets executed

Sent from my iPhone

Castle

Ryan and I met a Scottish couple on the beach right when we got there
and they encouraged us to check out a castle that was gifted from the
English I beleive he said FDR. Anyway this place was ridiculous. We
had to get lost on some trails first but when we found it we were in
shock and the size and design of this place.

Google or Bing Thomas Castle near Turnberry and see what you dig up
and let me know. I'm interested in the story behind this thing. UPDATE 5-18-13 Finally Googled this thing after about 4 years or so and found that the name of this castle is actually Culzean Castle. It was constructed from 1777-1792 and in 1945 the top apartment at the castle was given to Dwight D. Eisenhower(not FDR as stated above). He stayed there 4 times, once as president. That is all for now. Gorgeous place

Scottish Sunset

....Arran Island in the background. This was taken on the trail up to
the castle.

Oh I didn't tell you about that?

Last Night's Bed

Ok so I scratched the campsite idea for sleep last night and instead
chose the beach and this rock formation. It was one of the most
beautiful sights I have ever seen. However the lack of sleep is
beginning to catch up with me.

But let me fill in the cracks from the last 24 hours. As I said, I
had a great time at the tournament yesterday but the main goal was to
find a place to stay so that I would be able to come back today. I
had decided on going to Ayre or Troon. As I was walking to the bus I
saw another person with a big backpack talking to a police officer
about places to stay in Turnberry. He was American. I went to
introduce myself and within about 30 seconds we decided to stick
together for the evening

Ryan is from Houston and had just graduated from UT.....that's Texas,
not Tennessee, obnoxious Vol fan. He went to a school where they
actually win a lot of football games. Anyway, Ryan turned out to be
a great. He was at the end of a three week European tour with his
buddies. He had spilt from them last night to come to the Open

Ryan is a solid young man with a BRIGHT future ahead of him and oh
yeah, he loves God. He's the type of person that you see and you know
something is different about him. He has been involved wth Young Life
and a Christian fraternity called BUCS.....I'm probably spelling that
wrong

Anyway, it's yet another night that I'm amazed by the people I've been
able to meet and get to know.

Again I pose te question.....why am I only here 14 days???

I Know, I Know

I haven't posted all day but I did want to check in real quick and let
you know that I made it to The Open today! It took the help of a
Irishmen on the train from Stranraer and a few others but I made it
after a whirlwind day of travel

Great golf course! But I can't have my camera or phone on me.
However a quick synopsis of my day:

Four hours of sleep last night
Great scottish breakfast this morning
Marilyn rode me to the train station
Quick ride to turnberry
Got in the open!
Walked the course
Took a nap
Talked to a few people
Tried to decide where to stay
Decided on sleeping a campground. More to come on that later!

I will write more I promise. No really I will.

Day two of the Open tomorrow!

By the way I'm thinking of hanging in Scotland a while longer. Oh and
I need a favor....tell me why I only scheduled a 14 day trip. Get to
work on that for me

The Truth

The Old Manse House is the truth. great looking b and b. And thanks
to bill for waiting up til 1:20am for me to arrive.

Off to bed. Early rise in the morning

On Second Thought

Maybe it's a good thing I'm just passing through Belfast.....

Oh and the Mike Stipe reference was made because apparently someone
here at Stena Line loves them some REM. They've been playing it since
I arrived. Fine by me, Stena Line.

Mike Stipe

So I've finally made it to the Port at Belfast and the Stena Line
terminal well I will be catching a boat to Stranraer(which apparently
I have been butchering with my pronunciation all day) at 10:25pm. If
all goes to plan I will be arriving at the Manse House in Stranraer
around 1:30am. I have been in contact with Marilyn, one of the owners
there, all day and she has helped me plan out transportation to
Turnberry in the AM. Hopefully I can get on the 7am train. We'll see

One hiccup though. David had already given his player tickets away so
I guess I'll have to get them the old fashioned way

Been a long day of travel but it's been good. I found out that Dublin
and Belfast would be cities to spend some time in should I come back
over. Very busy cities seemingly that still have helpful and cordial
people in them

Sent from my iPhone

Yes. I Need to Shave.

Early morning today on what promises to be the first of many travel
days. I left Waterville at 7:30 after being dropped off by John, the
husband of the owner of the B And B I was at the past two nights.
Great guy that was very nice to drive me around Waterville on two
separate occasions.

I changed over from bus to train in Killarney which looks to be a
place I would have liked to visit. But maybe next time I'll get to
hang out in Killarney

This train is very smooth and quiet. Ticket was a little more
expensive so that has drawn a little different clientel.

I'll be changing over in Dublin and will have an hour and a half to
get from the Dublin Hueston station to Dublin Connelley station to
complete my journey by train to Belfast. Hopefully will give me a
quick chance to view the city.

It looks like things are falling into place for me to at least get to
Stranraer, Scotland tonight which is 20 or so miles south of Turnberry.

So if I can hitch a ride with a fellow guest at the Manse House(yes I
did secure lodging for tonight) and get in touch with Brian Higgins
for tickets from his brother, I will be all set to get to the Open at
least for one day tomorrow.

But I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Right now it will be a
victory to make it to Belfast and then on the 7:25pm Stenaline ferry
boat to Stranraer.

I'm also trying to plan out the rest of my trip. That's a story in
itself...oh and yes I need to shave very badly. Thanks for rolling
your eyes.

Bidding Farewell and Cheers to Waterville

Tonight is my last night in Waterville

Unfortunately I wasn't able to meet up with Myles and his wife for
supper, but in walking around the town I happened to walk in the same
restaurant as i did last night.

Tonight the crowd was a little different. There was a guy playing
guitar and another playing a harmonica. They weren't the
entertainment for the evening but they were playif nonetheless. I got
to talking to a gentlemen from near Dublin about golf and the upcoming
British Open and while we were mid-conversation the harmonica player
yelled over "anyone else play guitar?". I flinched and I guess that I
gave myself away. He then proceeded to almost demand that I come play.

So I finished talking with the gentleman and made my way over to who
turned out to be a 34 year old guy named Dylan. Dylan looked like he
had lived pretty hard in his days here but we was gracious and asked
me to play something in the key of G so he could play his "harp." I
obliged and for the next hour or so we entertained the folks in the
place. They were even clapping after we were done with each "song."
Then the others wanted me to sing. As you know i can't carry a tune
in a bucket but they insisted so I sang what I knew. Two Ryan Adams
songs and a Waterdeep song. That's when people started
leaving.....hopefully not because of my singing but because the place
was closing.

Anyway it was a strange ending to a great time here in Ireland. I
hope to make it to Scotland tomorrow. We'll see how that goes

The Runs in Ireland

.....are unbelievable. Maybe is has something to do with the 60
degree temperature but I felt great running along the sidewalk and
beaches. Oh the scenery doesn't hurt either. Who's up for summer
2010 reward trip for XC to Europe? I've got a place to stay in Kerry
Ireland and also Switzerland. Who's in?

Sent from my iPhone

You're Welcome, Karey

In fact, Brenda Sullivan works here tonight starting in an hour.
Who's Brenda Sullivan? Come on! Keep up with me. She's Myles'
wife from last night. Geez. Unbelievable. Must I spoon feed you
EVERYTHING?

Tribute to Payne

Ok for those of you that don't know who Payne Stewart was, look him up

This picture here is one that I will cherish for the rest of my life

Hard to explain but I'll try. Growing up i went to the Heritage golf
tournament every year. I was vert fortunate to get to do this. But I
developed an interest in Payne Stewart over those years. I thought he
was a great golfer and I really respected him as a person especially
as I got older and found out what he stood for. He was a greet golfer
and greater man that was killed in a airplane accident around ten
years ago I think.

The reason this picture here is so significant for me is that when I
was around ten or eleven years old I was at the Heritage and happened
to run into Payne as he was practicing. I was with my mother and I'm
not sure if I asked for an autograph but i remember Payne essentially
telling Mom to take a picture of us. I'm not sure where that picture
is but it's engrained in my mind. This picture here with Payne
Stewart's statue will stick with me as well

Even if you don't like golf, check out some information on Payne
Stewart and his legacy

Pardners

Here we have Felix and Anka from Switzerland with me at Waterville
Golf Links. What a trip these two were. Felix is somewhat of a mayor
of his village but also helps run the local bank. Sounds like an
interesting combination. Anka is a teacher that also gives skiing
lessons on the side

I told her that if I ever want to learn to ski that I will come to
her. But then I said that she's probably expensive. Her reply, "well
we would have to work out a deal. You come stay with Felix and I and
I will teach you for free." not sure how that works but I'll take that
deal anyday

They are at the end of a 17 day Irish golf tour so I may meet up with
them in their village when I'm on the second half of my tour

Great personalities on these two

Jackpot

Found the Maynard's video. Apparently this is a re-release of the
advertisement that originally aired in 1991:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho7gIb91Jc0

Sent from my iPhone

We'll Sit By the Sea

The Huntsmen is a local restaurant here

If given the choice of a booth, table or seaside seat I hope you make
the right choice......

At Home in Waterville

Could I live in Waterville one day? No question I could.

The cliche continues as I met Myles Sullivan and later his wife Brenda
and their friend David at a local restaurant here in Waterville.

Myles is one of the most genuine people I have ever met and I suspect
that if I understood everything that came out of his mouth I would
think he is the GREATEST person I've ever met. Myles just spent the
better part of two hours conversing with me about everything from his
friends to the western half of Ireland to what I was doing here and
back in the states. He's probably a man of about 45 years if I had to
guess. We exchanged numbers and information and I hope to meet up
with him, his wife and David tomorrow after I play.

These amazing people solidified the fact that I'm going to stay in
Waterville another evening. With those views and people wouldn't you?

The waves crash continually on the shore and it's a different sound
than I'm used to. There are more rocks there so it's a louder but
somewhat more soothing sound.

I've said this a lot but Waterville is unreal. Absolutely gorgeous and
made even better by people like Myles Sullivan

Maynards

Not sure if there is a video of it on YouTube but try to find one for
Maynard's Wine Gums with the dancing Irishmen .....classic

Sent from my iPhone

It's Only Water

....or so the lady in the "tuck" shop at the golf course. You would
call it a snack bar but us Irishmen.....ahem....know it as a tuck shop

Anyway that was her comment to me as I came in from my first nine
looking as though I'd been through a car wash minus the suds and
wax. Oh and minus the car too

Eight of my first nine holes were played in what could be considered a
small tropical disturbance. Not as windy but the rain was
incredible. I heard the rough was going to make it difficult to find
lost golf balls but te rain made it doubly difficult. Lost ball count
you ask? 6. Ouch. I know. Embarrassing but it was fun.

Got a nice shower and sandwich after the round and had my driver, Mr.
Spring pick me up. Ok so he's just the cab driver I met yesterday
but he was on point in picking me up and getting me to the bus station
on time

On the way to Warerville now

By the way, interestingly enough I haven't heard a U2 song on the
radio yet but every other song seems to be by Bruce Springsteen.