The Emerald Isle Chronicles

Kirsty and I caught the train from Hull, England to Holyhead, Wales, intent on catching the 5:15 ferry (Irish Ferries), to Dublin. However, since the Germans didn't take over England in the big one, they (the English) don't have this train thing down to a science like zee Germans. So, we were about 15 minutes late getting into Holyhead, and missed the boat. No worries though, there is a 9:30 pm ferry on a different ferry provider (Irish Ferries's next departure was at 2:40 am). Funny thing though, we were told we had to have a car or a lorry (18 wheeler) to get on the boat. No walk ons allowed. WTF??
Now this ferry is as big as a few football fields long (and wide) and there were maybe 30 vehicles total going on it, so, again, WTF??

We met a guy earlier named Declan Bonar, who had just made a kamikaze run from London to catch the ferry to get to his father, who was gravely ill in Ireland. We ran into him again as we were wondering where we were going to sleep until 2:40 am. Declan is a fine Irish lad who just happened to have a car and was more than willing to let us tag along.

So back we went to the Stena Line ferry and pissed off the clerk who had told us we couldn't walk on. Look, our new mate, and he has a car. Two tickets please. He was none too pleased, but what could he do? He did make it clear to Declan that we must, I repeat must, ride on and off the ferry in his car. One more time, WTF?

I had to listen real close to what Declan said sometimes, but we had a grand time.

Anywho, we were on the ferry and landed in Dublin about 1 am, just in time to run into the drunken, angry crowd who had just been let out of the O2 stadium after seeing Guns and Roses walk off the stage after a couple of people threw bottles at them. I mean really, lighten up Axel.
Declan was kind enough to drop us off at our hostel, and we were able to catch some shuteye. We caught the bus the next day to Galway. Nothing exciting to report on the bus except that this Polish woman sitting next to me (across the aisle) spoke to her friend in the seat next to her for the entire three hours. I mean the entire three hours, except when she was in the toilet for a few minutes. However, she started talking as soon as she opened the door. Her friend got a few sentences in, but mostly just nodded. I was fascinated that someone could talk so long, and so fast, for such a length of time. I wonder what she was talking about?

This is a sign at the Shotton train station in Wales.

Very cool walking bridge in Holyhead. We walked across it to get something to eat while we waited for our ferry to leave. At this point in our adventure, we didn't know we were getting on the 9:30 ferry and thought we were stuck here until 2:40 in the morning.

Practice your Welsh.

Yikes!

The ferry.

We are waiting for the floor to lift up so we can get to the car after pulling into Dublin.

We had Chinese food in Wales, and Kirsty had this fine Welsh beverage. :)

Ta for now my friends. We arrived in Galway and are staying with Kirsty's friend Benjamin. We went to the coast in Connemara, and I will post that blog tomorrow.

Ireland is not as I expected, and will share that with you all soon.

Eace-pay my friends!
(pig latin for peace)