Couch Surfing makes me smile.

As Renee and I arrived in Glasgow, we wandered the streets (or course we could have taken a cab or a bus… but what is the fun in that) for about 2 hours (in a little rain), before we finally found the address of our first ever couch surfing host. Krishna is a friendly Indian man, who after ten minutes of chatting with, gave Renee and I a copy of keys to his house. I stood there shocked for a minute, and asked “you trust us with this?”, to which he replied something along the lines of “if you don’t believe in the goodness of humanity, then what is there?”. I quickly realized that couch surfing was much more than a cheap way to travel. It is a way to get to know people and cultures, share your own culture, and a great way to build friendships. Couch surfing quickly became our preferred way to interact with each new city and country.

Metal music has an accent of its own!

10 o’clock on a Sunday evening… what better thing to do then go explore a city you have never been in before.  That’s exactly what we did. Renee and I left our hotel to wander through Belfast, and very shorty after, we saw a very large crowd standing outside a pub. A large crowd always gathers a little attention, but this crowd gathered comparatively more than your normal crowd. This crowd was all wearing black, leather, chains, tattoos, piercing, and the men had longer than average hair (on their heads and their faces), while the women had shorter than average hair. Without a second thought Renee and I wandered through the crowd and made our way inside. After sitting for about 5 minutes the crowd slowly filtered back in, and a band begin to take the stage. 5 minutes later Renee and I were banging our heads to the loud metal music and loving it! 

After an hour or so we made our way back outside. I cant think of a better way to have spent the evening. The greatest part was that, although the lead singer had a distinctly Irish accent while speaking, I would have never know he had an accent by listening to his singing. 

Kilmainham Jail has small cells!

I know what you are thinking… “What trouble has Joel gotten into now”? Don’t worry – I haven’t. We took a historical tour of the Kilmainham Jail in Dublin. It was a great way to learn more about Ireland’s history.  We walked under the point where over 100 people were hung to death at the jail. We saw the log book that documented children as young as 5 years old who were put in jail.  We also got to see the jail cells where many known Irish Rebellion leaders were detained.

Standing in a cell, closing the door behind me and looking out the small window provoked interesting thought.  This jail promoted the 3 “S’s” – Solitude, Silence and Surveillance, with 1 person per cell, no talking, and constant monitoring.  The incarcerated were locked in the cell 23 hours a day, with 1 hour for either exercise or religion. I am glad that I am not staying there.                  

The photos, 1 of an older cell and the other of me in a newer cell, taken through the guard’s peep-hole, are complimentary of Renee Koester.

Irish Dancing

After arriving safely in London, my family and I spent a quick day touring the city, before hopping on a Ryanair flight to Dublin.  Ryanair was an entertaining experience, with friendly flight crew, and a constant stream of potential purchases flowing through the aisles, but the real magic started shortly after we checked into our Staycity apartment.

In search of some good food, the family wandered into an Irish Pub last night and ordered a plethora of tasty dishes.  While the food was wonderful, the magic was in the music.  As we consumed our meals, we watched the bar staff slowly transform the bar from a restaurant, into a stage and dance floor.  Staying in our corner seats (best seats in the house!), we watched the local Irish trickle into the pub (at 10pm on a Monday night mind you!). Within 30 minutes an accordion and violin where being playing, the musicians’ fingers moving faster than imaginable, and about 15 pairs of dancers were dancing an energetically choreographed dance.

“Irish Dancing”, as the bar owner put it, seems to be a dying art, as most of the dancers were in their 50′s, 60′s and 70′s! It was a sight to behold, and it brought a smile to my face.  After each song, the dancers erupted into laughter, and applause rang through the pub. A tear of joy trickled down my cheek last night as I watched the energetic and joyful dancing.