The 23rd Psalm

Wednesday brought my sister and I to our family's 'new' house at the Oregon coast. It's of course not new because they have been renovating it for a couple years. As my sister and I realized, it's also not that close to the ocean. I personally was expecting more of a resort or vacation community, but the house was indeed in a permanent residential area. Nonetheless this would be my pit-stop for the next four days.

The remainder of my mom's side of the family piled in over the next three days, overflowing the few beds that were available in the house. My sister and I had to sleep in my grandpa's motor home, while my parents stayed in their travel-trailer. Unfortunately, even at 25, I am the fourth-youngest on that side of the family, so I had to sit at the kids table for meals. My cousins' children range from 5-13, and accordingly I also had to play games with them. So it was only Go-Fish, Old Maid and Sorry for me while the adults got to play real games.

On Saturday I woke up and had a severe sore throat so I decided to get medical attention. Unforuntately there was no urgent care clinic at the coast so Roseburg was my next option. I waited until after lunch and headed back with my grandparents. We drove through the luxurious Oregon towns of Drain and Elkton on our way back to Roseburg. After getting a prescription at the clinic, of course I had to go to Wal-Mart to get it filled. My 30 minute wait ended up being a spectator event, watching all the locals in action. Interestingly, they were not at the county fair, which is a HUGE event around here. I then realized how fortunate I was to leave Roseburg, as otherwise I would have ended up with a goatee, rat-tail and a ton of tatoos. Maybe even a criminal record or a child.

A trip to Roseburg wouldn't be complete without a dinner at Kowloon restaurant. A drive through town also notes its continued expansion: now a Sonic and a Walgreens. Still, I am happy to be heading back to San Diego. With another layover in Vegas, I hope another extended layover doesn't occur. I don't work until Thursday so I have a few days to settle in though. Hopefully my car will start...

What Kate Did

Aight it's been too long. I didn't realize I would be without Internet in Oregon until now. That's what I get for hoping of an Oregon coast "resort."

After ariving in DC on Monday, I met Eric and we headed off for dinner in Adam's Morgan. We went to a place called Reef where I had fish tacos (I'd been craving Mexican for a while) and we had some beers. Although the waiter refused to take off his sunglasses well into the evening, the food was decent and the beers were good. Only complaint was that the beers were served in plastic cups, which is always a bust for me. One of Jacqui's friends suggest this "Asylum" place and when we headed over, the fact that most of the patrons should have been in an asylum scared us away.

While Eric was at work on Tuesday, Jacqui and I decided to make the most of our day. After enjoying a lazy breakfast at Brooklyn Bagels, we went for a run down the Mall. We started near Arlington Cemetary, running into DC, past the Lincoln memorial and down the pool. After passing the Washington memorial, we made our way up the rest of the Mall, to the Capital. Then we headed back. Fortunately the heat and humidity was not so bad, so we completed the run, although we walked the last 1.5 miles. Total distance: 8.5 miles. This would prove to be painful the following day.

We met Eric for dinner before I departed for Oregon. We went to this restaurant called Vappiano, where you get a card and whenever you order something, you swipe your card and then pay in the very end. A very interesting kind of restaurant and the food was very good. Another one recommended by Chad.

My connection was in Vegas, and ended up being two hours instead of one. If I would have known I would have had a drink or headed down to the Strip. Apparently the crew from Quebec (slow and dumb) were late in their arrival. Arriving in Portland at 3 am, I was the last soul to be picked up. Although I arrived back at my sister's apartment at 4 am, I could not fall asleep until 5 am. Maybe the exictement going to Ireland reduced any jet lag. Here, my detox period maybe exaggerates this jet lag.

Collision

Well I survived. I made it through finals after a month of not being the most responsible. In fact on Friday night, because some of the kids were done with their finals, everyone decided to go out. Thank God that my Saturday final was a take home - er, close to take home. We couldn't transcribed it onto the test Saturday. But no doubt that helped because I didn't get much sleep. The rest of Saturday we pub-crawled it, with a final drink at the Pav and Porterhouse. I knew I wasn't going to make the 9am train to Killarney, so I had to elaborate.

Because Monday is a national holiday here in Ireland, I had to make it back to Dublin in order to make my flight. The next train to Galway was leaving at 145, and I was at the airport at 10. Even though it was twice as expensive and I wouldn't have much time anywhere, I decided to do the 'traveling' tour of western Ireland. I took the train over to Limerick - also known as Stab City because of its rampant time. Before my bus left Limerick I did have the chance to walk all over the small town. To describe it: desolate and cold. My bus ride was very scenic, as I took the coastal route up to Galway. I saw the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, both very amazing sights. Unfortunately my camera bad died on me. (I thought the 'yellow' battery indicator would be about the same time as the 'green' but I was wrong). I did get a battery in Galway though so I snapped some pics there. Oh damnit I see that I forgot the Irish adapter for my electronics. Hopefully my iPod, computer and phone have enough juice to get me to DC. Galway was awesome. Probably my favorite 'big' city in Ireland. Although it was pretty crowded because of the Galway races, I could still see the character in it. Just a low-key, relaxed town. Best of all was the town square. Again, Dublin is lacking. But I do love Dublin and I have had an amazing time.

On a side note, isn't there some kind of implicit responsibility to keep your child quiet while on a mass transit vehicle? On my flight from Prague this Czech woman was bouncing her child up and down on the seat next to me while I was trying to sleep. At least he had a pacifier in. Yesterday on the train back from Galway this dad was playing with his daughter. In her Irish accent she kept SCREAMING 'CANNONBALL.' I had my headphones in and could still hear the little brat. Maybe American's arent that rude?

I stayed the night at a historic hostel - Avalon House. I def recommend it. It is very happening and the accomodations are nice. Well I guess that leaves me to grab my free breakfast and head out to the airport for the last time. I'll be in DC until Tuesday night, when I depart to Oregon, via Las Vegas. Wow this has been a long trip and it has gone by too fast. I'm sad to leave but excited to get back home.

The Other 48 Days

I just got almost caught up on uploading my pics to picasaweb.google.com/chadmwilson

Finals are on Friday and Saturday so this week should be pretty calm, with the exception of our day trip yesterday to Glendolough. It is a kind of a national park with the bonus of some monastic ruins. Hiking, group pic and a nice dinner courtesy of USD (and 25 euro...ugg). My camera battery ran dead about halfway through but I still got some decent pics. I forgot to post those pics but will get to them in time. After finals I am heading out to Killarney, County Kerry, Limerick, County Clare and finally hit up Galway before heading back to Dublin for the last time.

...And Found

Wow. Batman was awesome. They packed so much into that 2.5 hours.

Friday in Brussels was very hot and humid. Lugging my backpack and myself from Charleroi to the hostel took almost two hours. And a lot of sweat. I knew that Jordon wouldn't be arriving until around 3pm so I went to the city center - Grand Place - and looked around. I had my first waffle and also grabbed an ice cream cone. I finally tracked down the hostel and Jordon finally arrived. The hostel was actually pretty nice, with keycard entrance and a fairly clean facility. I guess our only complaint would be the lack of social quality in the other residents. We had a street performer who probably tried to eek out 20 euro a day so he could continue to stay at the hostel. Most other people just didn't go out at night and pretty much stayed in either reading or on facebook.

We didn't know what to do for nightlife so we resorted to my guidebook and his map. Both of which lead us to nothing really of value. The first two places in my book were a bust, but the third at least gave us hope. It was an all-night Cuban club just south of the city center. Yet we wanted something better so we trekked off for Le Fuse. Unfortunately it was literally closed down, so we stopped by the city carnival (not sure if it is year round) and Jordon grabbed a waffle before heading back to Havana. Nothing really too notable about the club, besides dancing on the stage. So a pretty dissapointing first night in Belgium.

My new haircut...

On Saturday we got the city tour, unknowingly, on our search for the Musical Instruments Museum. Of course started the day off with a waffle. That museum was actually pretty cool - they gave you infrared headphones that would play what the instrument you were looking at sounded like. The best part of the museum was the cafe on top of it - Du Mim - which had a great view of the city. This just in: Tourists must see cities from atop of things. Second place is seeing it from the bottom.

For dinner we found a little French brasserie which had many beers on tap. We started playing Gin at the table and were instructed that that was not proper. But we got a pencil as a consulation prize. The chocolate on the dessert was bomb, good job Belgians. Jordon had spotted Delirium on the map, which had been recommended to him. This bar has the most beers available in the world, with I believe around 2,400. Once we were at Delirium we realized this is where we should have been the first night. Loads of people and great beer, and we met Bailey "Kickass." Bailey is an Austrailian who enjoys travelling and hand-rolling cigarettes. Now you know I'm no cigarette smoker, but if it is the right situation I will partake in the forbidden activity. I will have to post some of the pictures of this moment in the night, because they are priceless and absolutely telling of the night.

We found a couple other Americans and formed a coation before heading to a recommended club. Arriving at the doors of the club, a fight broke out. Which did not die down easily. Somehow, from somewhere, someone approached with a dresser!!! that they intended to throw through the club window. And there was our Aussie friend Bailey, standing in front of the window trying to stop the guy. So it was borderline riots. In fact, one of the bouncers or club personnel came out and maced the entire group. I didn't get hit directly, but my eyes, nose and mouth were in pain. The club was good fun but more action happened on the way home, when an angry drunk Belgian came after Jordon and I. I guess he thought we were trying to hit on his girlfriend. The guy's friend and girlfriend tried to calm him down but a small scuffle ensued. Jordon and I walked out the victors, that is all that matters. How much do you know about yourself if you have never been in a fight?

After starting Sunday off with a waffle, we headed over to the Royal Museum of Art. The museum was pretty cool but just too massive, especially with only two hours to spend. I trekked it back down the train station to catch the bus to the airport, actually running out of time and having to run in the very hot and humid city. I sat there dripping sweat on the bus but was relieved to know that I was on my way home.

Conclusion: we made the best of a mediocre situation.

Everybody Hates Hugo

Alright I thought I would get off one last blog before I am off to Brussels for the weekend. Sunday afternoon we all celebrated with the Dubliners (Dubs) as the city team won the regional championship in Gaelic football. So the entire city got drunk and sang songs. Monday afternoon I caught up on sleep and ended up at a nearby club: XX1. Cover was 5 euro but with only 3 euro drinks inside it was probably worth it.

Tuesday we had a day trip to Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old ass prison. It was used to hold political prisoners during the Anglo-Irish conflict. It was recommended in my book and I will say that it has been restored very well. Unlike the other prison I went to, this one no longer holds prisoners, so we actually got to see the prison cells.

On Wednesday we toured the Irish Parliament, which was also very interesting. It actually built and occupied as a house by some rich baron. Apparently he and his wife had 22 children together. The house of lords is now in the lecture hall of his house while the senate-type chamber is in the banquet hall. The speaker of the house's office is the baron's old bedroom.

Tonight I am going to see Batman and am very excited. Today is the opening day here in Ireland and I'm going to the first showing. Kind of nerdy but I have heard good things about it. Oh great I just learned Dublin is one of the most expensive cities in the world...

Orientation

Saturday morning we took the train to Plzen, home of the original pilsner beer: Pilsner Urquell. The train ride was very relaxing, albeit not well ventilated enough, particularly for Europe. The city of Plzen was awesome, especially without many tourists. The town square was similar to Prague, but there were barely any people in Plzen. We took the tour of the Pilsner Urquell factory, which was dramatically better than the Guinness Storehouse. They took us through the actual factory, where we saw mashers and steamers along with bottling and canning. I will admit the initial video they show you is one of the cheesiest things I have ever seen. The tour ends in their underground cavern where they used to ferment and age the beer. Now they only keep 25 casks down there, stricly for the factory tours. They just put a spout in one of the casks and poured it into our cups, just like how the beer was originally consumed. Jordon and Tim played chess on their life-size chess board, and when a pawn was missing I stepped in.

At the train station beers were only $1.10, so we stocked up before riding back into Prague. I couldn't help but look around and imagine what it was like during the communist regime. We got a late start in Prague but we did a mini-walking tour of Prague at night. Jordon and I stayed for a while at this underground bar, in particular for the foosball and atmosphere. We decided to try to make it to sunrise, so we could see Charles Bridge without all of the vendors and tourists. In the end it was very worth it, as I will post the pictures soon.

Adrift

Friday in Prague I toured the regular sites (clock tower, St. Charles Bridge, etc.) and took the furnicular up to the top of the nearby mountain. The view of the city was pretty amazing and Jordon and I had americanos under an umbrella during a rain shower. Very romantic I know. Friday night we headed over to Praha 3, where we found a cozy little lounge-ish pub (Bukowskis) and had a few pints. Across the street we tried out a recommended bar but found it rather dark and smoky, not to mention with a Hostel (movie) looking hallway to the bathrooms. So we moved on to Acropolis where we would spend the next many hours enjoying $1.75 pints and a house DJ.

Jordon and I took a cab back and for some reason wanted to get chicken nuggets. Now almost always I am not a late drunk night eater like most people but ocassionally a burrito, and apparently chicken nuggets sound good to me. So somehow we ordered the 20 piece meal - each - and also dropped over $20 at McDonalds. Jordon made it maybe 12 nuggets in before ending his session. But I made it my mission to finish all of the nuggets, and even after dropping a few on the floor, I ended up eating 25, which I think is around my personal record. I know that I've done 20 fish sticks before.

Man of Science, Man of Faith

Much to report from Prague...

Arriving late into Prague I was worried I would miss my meeting time with Jordon, Tim and Mel. The ATM spit out a 1000 Czech crown bill which I knew would be too big for the bus into town. So I had to pull out some more. Fortunately the bus and metro ride only ran me around $3 instead of a $30 cab ride. But I wouldn't say it was worth it, as I was pretty frightened at the metro stop when the machines would only take coins. Somehow I had a 20 crown coin in change from the bus ride and I found an 18 crown ticket, not knowing what it was even good for. (No shops or personnel were open for change.) I finally arrived at Mustek station and began my search for the group, as I was on the maximum time that was given for meeting.

Jordon, Tim and Mel had made welcoming signs for my arrival at the metro stop, and they apparently had a good time waiting for me in the Old Town Square. I understand that they were approached by drug dealers, tourists and other street wanderers with inquiries of "Chad Wilson?" I'm sure Jordon would be much better at giving a full account.

It appeared to be a late start to the night, as we finally headed to a bar at around 11pm. Gloriously you can drink in the streets in Prague, so you can pregame on the way. We went to Praha 1, to a bar called Chateau. The beers were I believe between $2-3, a wonderful retreat from my 4-5 Euro pints. The bar had an underground section with a "club" and a foosball table surrounded by drug dealers. Apparently (code-word) Canadians are always the drug dealers in Prague. Not interested in any drugs, but indeed interested in foosball, Jordon and I invited them to play. And they were ridiculously good. That must be their hang-out (where-to-buy/sell) spot. They were nice guys and it was good craic (fun in Irish) playing with them.

Two notable encounters that occurred while we were waiting outside the bar: the first was a drug-dealer who asked us for a cigarette. We declined and somehow commented on his New York Yankees hat. He stated that he loved the Yankees and I thought to question if he could even name any players. I think Tim asked about the Red Sox and he stated that he also loved the Red Sox. We pointed out the inconsistency of the situation and he insited that he could love both clubs. Who were we to argue.

The next individual approached us for either a cigarette or a lighter, which again we denied having. (Apparently the Czech people are rather cold and not friendly, notably in the service industry). He engaged us in polite conversation and when Jordon told him that he was the nicest Czech person he had met, he said, "That's because I am on cocaine!!!" Even funnier with the accent. Other notable quotes of this conversation " I am Jew!" and his informing us that he is one of the top 5 stock brokers in Czech Republic and finally how he will own much of the city, when his grandma finally dies.

Good times, good times.

Dubs Pics

Hurling

Campanile - Trinity College

FEAR - on a bus window

Me and the girls

Howth

Kinsale Pics

Blarney Pics

Cork Pics

 Murphy's 

Some street 

DC Pics

Oval Office

Dubs, Laura and Marine One

Exodus

Well my flight is delayed so I thought I would blog seeing as my eyes can't stay open to read any pages in my book. It was a late night last night. In fact that seemed to be our theme, as we continued to search for the latest open place in the city. After going to over-touristy Quays there in Temple Bar we headed over to Porterhouse, which apparently closes at 230 on the weekdays. So we heard about a couple of clubs in Temple Bar that are open late and the girls thankfully got us all in for free at Purdy. But it was in vain as it was only open for another 20 minutes or so. Some Irish people that we met suggested Viper Room or something Joel but both tried to charge us cover so we called it a night around 340. But not before everyone stopped for a kebab, in fact a kebab from Abrekebabra. It's the equivalent of getting a burrito when you are drunk in Cali. 

All right well hopefully Jordon has internet so I can keep everyone posted. I'm going to post pics either today or tomorrow so be sure to check them out. 

Born to Run

Alright this week has not been tremendously exciting but I thought I would at least give an update.

Monday I did laundry and then we went to Qbar, which, from what I remember, was pretty cool. Blah.

Tuesday we had a field trip to the Mountjoy Prison, which is the oldest prison in Ireland, and is set to be demolished in the near future. There had been a riot at the prison a few days earlier, so the tour was limited. But they did show us the area where the riot had occured and it was pretty crazy. There was chairs through the windows and computers thrown all over the place. Notable was that when we were in the cellblock area, all of the prisoners were quiet, which I thought was unlike American prison. I have never been to one so that might just be an assumption from media portrayal.

Tuesday night brought us to finally to Sin E (pronounced shin-aye). It was recommended in my guidebooks and also by locals, and it did not dissapoint. It was candle-lit and played really cool music. Kind of like an ultra lounge but instead is a pub. Of course early closing led us to Porterhouse. Today I took a nap after our Lawrence v. Texas debate in class. Probably some well-needed catch up sleep. I had some crazy dreams again but can't seem to remember them.

Guess I will start packing for my trip to Prague tomorrow...

The Greater Good

Friday night brought our group finally to Copper Face Jacks, the so-called hot-spot of Dublin's nightlife. The cover was 10 Euro - a hefty sum compared to our usual no-cover arrangement. However, the Barcelona-program students informed me that they sometimes paid up to 35 Euro for a club there. We had a great time but I'm not sure I would pick Coppers over Porterhouse.

Saturday a group of us headed out to County Cork for the weekend. After a beautiful train ride to Cork, we found ourselves in the predicament of finding accomodations for the night. Hotels would run us 40-45 Euro each while all of the hostels were booked up. With our only option left as a bed and breakfast (which apparently is very Irish) we found the York House. We later realized that we were staying at the York in Cork. A nice old man named Mick and his wife let us rent a room for the night for the wonderfully cheap price of 20 Euro each. And of course that included breakfast.

In the afternoon we headed out to another hurling match, this time between Cork and Dublin. The Cork stadium was much more primitive compared to Croke Park in Dublin. There were no reserved seats and the only facilities were a snack bar and bathrooms. Amazingly after the game fans can come down on the field and visit with the players. We would later find out that these athletes do not get paid - they actually have real jobs and play the sport as a hobby (for the love of the game).

Eva and I went on a journey to see if the stadium really didn't have any alcohol. After trekking across the stadium we found an actual bar. The single television was not on the game but rather on a game show. Eva offered to order but the barely-English speaking girl kept neglecting her order. I'm not sure if she was refusing to serve Eva or just being forgetful. After a good 10-15 minutes waiting at the bar we finally got our Bulmers. (I asked for Murphy's but they didn't have it. By the way Murphy's is all I order while I was out on the west side.) We tried to walk out with our drinks but the doorman said no glass beyond this point. So we saw some other people pouring their drinks into plastic cups and we did likewise. Yet the doorman said no drinks beyond this point. We were forced into chugging the cider in order to get back to the match. So all in all not a great endeavor.

Sunday was a hectic day, as we would be trying to stay on a strict bus and train schedule. We often found ourselves running to make a bus on time, only for it to be late or too crowded. Our first stop was the town of Blarney, which is home to Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone. Although there were many tourists there, Blarney was probably my favorite place in Ireland...so far. The Castle is on a large, plush estate with a stream running through the middle of it. The Castle itself is in excellent condition and visitors are welcome to explore it. At the top of the Castle is the beloved Blarney Stone, where you have to hang upside down and lower yourself down to kiss it. At first I didn't really want to do it - not for health reasons but simply because I thought it was a tacky tourist attraction. But after reading about the history of the Stone I decided I might as well while I am there. So now I received the gift of eloquence. Boo yeah.

After Blarney we headed down to the seaside town of Kinsale, which was very beautiful. We thought we were heading toward the main castle and later realized we were going to the non-touristy castle out on an island. In the end it paid off, as we felt like explorers making our way to see the ancient ruins. Pictures obviously would be appropriate here. From the peak of James Fort we could see the other castle, which looked much more impressive but obviously was a tourist attraction.

I really need to find a free wi-fi spot so I can upload all of my pics. That will be my goal for the week. Hopefully before I leave for Prague on Thursday.

Do No Harm

I keep telling myself I will take pictures on a sunny and clear day. Yet I don't think that will ever happen here.

Monday was not interesting, as I was simply preparing for my presentation (which I rocked...I think).

Ugg. I just checked my back acount. Damn Euros. The ATM spits out 50 Euro notes, which apparently is almost $90 now.

Wednesday we took a trip to the Guinness Storehouse and tried to see how many free drink tickets we could get at the Gravity bar (on the top of the factory). We were on the lookout for people giving their tickets away and others without a drink. (You get a free pint with your admission ticket.) They also allowed us to do a taste testing of, I presume, a new brew: Guinness Mid-Strength. With only 2.8% alcohol, it really didn't cut it for beer, especially for a stout.

Thursday took me to the Four Courts, which is the high court here. We learned about the Irish legal system, which many of you know, is of particular interest to me. Although it is not required to wire the little white wigs anymore, some of the older judges require it in their courtoom. Hopefully they will be gone by the time I get around to litigating in court.

And finally today I went to the National Museum of Archaeology. Very interesting and too much to see. I will have to head back another day. They had some very well preserved bodies on display dating back to 400 BC; the bodies were preserved in bogs.

As for nightlife we have been trying to go to a new pub each night and then usually end up at the American-style bar called Porterhouse, which is very close to campus. Tonight I had planned to go to a soccer match but instead my Irish professor recommended his boyhood club of Bray, which we will go watch on Tuesday. There is a BYOB party in my house tonight probably followed by the usual pub and then bar.

I'm sorry liver.