Sláinte

From beginning to end...

"Alright, me troopers..."

Today was the final day of the Paddywagon 6 day tour of Ireland. I've met such a good group of fellow travelers, and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.

For the majority of the day, we were in the bus, except for a few pit stops along the way. Once we arrived in Dublin, we went to the Guinness factory. Although it isn't a place I'd really want to go, the entrance fee was included in the price so I made the most of it. The history of Guinness itself was interesting to read about. I didn't know exactly how popular it was in Ireland until this week. I knew it was Irish made, but in Ireland, Guinness isn't a beer... Guinness is a lifestyle. Sláinte, in Irish, means "to good health." I'm not sure how healthy any alcohol is, but the Irish sure think it is! As part of the tour, everyone gets a free pint fresh made at the factory. We got our pints, said, "Sláinte!" and I tried Guinness for the first time ever. I took a sip to see what it tasted like, and although it isn't as absolutely repulsive as other beer, it's still rather gross. I passed it to a member of our tour, who seems to just love the stuff.

We said our sad goodbyes to Seanie, and to each other. Everyone ran around with their cell phones out exchanging emails and Facebook information, so hopefully we will see one another again someday. With that, I waved goodbye and headed out to the bus stop where I caught a bus back across the country to Limerick, where Russ Gipp, a friend from church back in Georgia, was awaiting my arrival. He is in Ireland for 12 weeks working.

I got to the bus stop, and couldn't find Russ anywhere... The only way of communication we had was Facebook, so I found some Wi-Fi and just waited. I knew (or hoped) that he would do the same and eventually, we were able to connect online and figure out what went wrong. He was waiting at the second to last stop, and I got off at the last stop... Oops!! I hailed a taxi, and had him drive me over to where Russ was, as that was easier than Russ having to find me. Finally, there he was! The big, bearded teddy bear that everyone loves. I was so happy to see a familiar face!! After a big, warm hug, we hopped in his car and headed to the little town he lives in, Kilaloe. There, we went out to dinner and just talked and talked. It was great!!!

Once at Russ' apartment, we watched TV, talked more, and just enjoyed each other's company. He's missing his family back in Gerogia, and I'm missing mine, so it was cool to have someone from "home" to talk to.

Goodnight me troopers.