And we're off...

 We sat in a Volkswagon Golf... blue hatchback with manual steering.. Driver's side on the right. Our bags were packed and in my iPhone was a bucket list... of all the crazy fun and stupid things we were going to do for the next ten days to make our voyage through the Emerald Isle a memorable one. The list, compiled over a week of pondering included finding a pot of gold, ordering an Irish Car Bomb in the north (ok that's kind of disrespectful but dangerously fun), and participating in a hurling match.

Our drive was a bit scary.. Nelson said he was a manual transmission expert, but I knew that there hasn't been practice recently, especially that we were going to be driving on the left side of the road. I have never driven stick before - a frequent embarrassment but reality for me. To make matters worse, we both were pretty hung over from the party from the night before - dehydrated, tired, and hungry.. Alas we were about to begin our voyage.

My plans as they are often were to journey out solo to see the country - rent a car and explore the area. Luckily, Nelson was at the same conference and had the same plans, so we decided to join forces.. I was very glad for this. I like traveling alone, but it could be stressful to meet up with people and try to meet new ones. What's good is that we both had similar goals and agendas for the trip.

The drive through County Cork was largely uneventful as I nervously watched Nelson master the manual transmission. As soon as we entered County Kerry... the terrain was magically transformed into this green enchanting forest of trees and rolling hills.. as we got deeper into the County, green mountains began to appear as well. I can understand why the Irish are green and they call it the emerald Isle. Our stomachs were grumbling so we decided to make a stop in Kilarney for some lunch. 

Kilarney was that quintessential Irish town that you pictured. Storefronts looked like the same type of front you would see in an Irish pub anywhere in the US. Black facades with wood.. really nice. 

We walked around the town that was bustling with people - full of shops and pubs. There was an old stone church in the center of town.. We stopped in a restaurant recommended by the guide book - ordered some pretty big sandwiches with Irish bacon (they call it rashers) and soaked that Jameson that was prevalent in the stomach. 

While in the restaurant we found out that there would be a huge Celtic Football match the next day at 5:00 PM. So we are planning on returning tomorrow afternoon to catch it. 

We were off again and as we drove towards the Dingle Peninsula, the drive got more amazingly serene. We ended up riding along the coast to green mountains, and then laid our sights on the Atlantic Ocean looking west instead of looking east. I've been to Europe many times before, but have never seen the Atlantic.. and it hit me that just a few weeks ago I was sailing in the Atlantic from South America.. and sailing in the Atlantic from New York.. and now I'd be viewing it from a completely different perspective. 

The weather was beautiful.. blue skies and pretty warn (60 degrees) which is actually perfect weather in Ireland. The weather here sucks about 300 days a year. We were very fortunately to have this and hope it lasts. We turned around a bend and saw an extended shoulder, so we pulled over, got out of the car and saw this incredible beach where they were giving surfing lessons. Now, this comment is for all of the Brazilians that think that 15 degrees is too cold for the beach, but there were people swimming, surfing, laying on the beach to get some sun. It was unbelievable. 

Through the rest of my drive, I was reflecting on why I love Ireland so much. You know, when I was in Prague a few years ago.. it was really beautiful. But I didn't like it - because I measure the quality of a city on the warmth and friendliness of its people. People and their culture are what make up a place, not necessarily the landscape and buildings. The Irish people so far have been the absolutely nicest people I've come across. They love to talk about their culture, the food, to sing and dance, and to drink the night away. I have been so happy to meet so many amazing people. They may not want you in their personal space (very different from Mexico) but they really want you to be part of their lives... It's an incredible feeling. 

About 30 minutes more of driving, we pulled up to this little B&B at the center of town. It was quaint, but really good to rest and relax for an adventurous day ahead of us... and a night exploring Dingle. 

We are off to a restaurant that specializes in Berries.. yes that's right... Dingle Berries. More to come...