Kilkenny

Oh my goodness, sitting in that plane for 7 hours just about drove me to drink! My feet were falling asleep and the man be side me had bad breath, although he was very nice and we chatted it up Irish style. I joined the mile high club. NO not that one, get your mind out of the gutter. Had a kiss at 34ooo feet up, thats the club I joined. another first to strike off my list.

driving in Dublin is like tryin to find your way out of a labrynth blindfolded. I crossed the river Liffy 3 times, each time announcing "and here is the river Liffy". I turned the wrong way on a one way. How did I know? I looked at all the parked cars on the sides and they were all facing me. So did an Irish three point turn (not even sure myself what that is exactly) and almost ran over some lady who seems to think that the street is her sidewalk. She gave me the dirtiest look, THREE times. I looked back in silence wondering what to say. She looked at me the last time and said "you come here and are trying to kill people!!!" I apologized and told her I was lost, to which Chris added "why don't you walk on the sidewalk. Of course, my answer to that was "we're Americans! (no not really, but it did cross my mind in the efforts to salvage our Canadian reputation)

I asked someone how to get to the Trinity college and a car full of Immigrants told me to follow them. They kindly led me on the way and then turned to go their own way while pointin down the street and telling me to turn right (which is like turning left traffic wise). I ended up in the left turn lane (which is like turning right) and putting my right turn signal on, because the lane beside me was labelf "Lana bus" which I assume means "stay the crap off this lane unless you are a bus". but to my surprise, you can actually drive on it. Well, no one let me cut in to turn right and as luck would have it, a police car drove up beside me and gestured for me to turn left since I was in that lane. I told them I was trying to get to Trinity College and that I was lost, in the hopes that they would take pity and let me cut in front of them, but NOPE.

we drove around the whole of Dublin again to get back there to meet up with Sam, who incidentally thinks me crazy for even entering the city without a proper map.

Lets try to make this summary shorter now.

-I had to ask why while I was at the bottom floor of the parkade, the elevator button was pointin down. The lady told me it is because it is comin down to where we are. (unlike in CAnada where the button points up cause thats where we want to go)

- it is gay pride in Dublin today and there are strangely dressed homosexuals (like sailor suits, fairies, etc) carrying rainbow flags. I used to like rainbows, now not so much. How come we don't run around celebratin gour heterosexual tendancies??

-today there was a parade in honor of Michael Jackson. a gaggle of Irish people dressed like zombies marched down the Temple Bar cobble stones and one even came up to our restaurant where we were eating with Sam et. al. and licked, (yes licked!) the window. there was a unnanimous "ewww" that was heard around the restaurant and some staff were shortly sent out to wash the windows. Goodness knows what kind of germs are now on that window!

Well, we have gone about 27 hours without sleep really, if you don't count the few minutes of numb slumber in the plane. We are getting ready to go out on the town of Kilkenny to see whats what. Sam says there is mighty craic to be had.

latah all