By Plane, Train, and Automobile

Sometimes you have to roll with the punches. In this post, I'll outline the pros and cons of cheap travel and the questionable decisions we make when we're trying to save a buck. Oh yeah, and I guess Ireland was pretty cool too.

Song of the Week: The Morning Nightcap by Lunasa

Hiking 7 miles through the wildlands of Ireland really puts things into perspective. You're out in the middle of nowhere, with only a verdant, harshly beautiful landscape to remind you that you can't turn back even if you want to. No sooner have you climbed one foothill than another takes its place, and around every bend a vast expanse of land opens around you. Ireland's beauty is dynamic, raw, always shifting, and never holding back. I could see how legends of mythical creatures drew inspiration from the wild, untamed landscape. I was constantly in awe of this amazing country, and overwhelmed with diverse views Ireland had to offer.

From its quaint shops and boisterous pubs to its humbling views, Ireland impressed me at every turn. The hike through the Gap of Dunloe (right) was one of the more challenging hikes I've undertaken in my lifetime. With its switchback roads and long uphill stretches, the hike pushed me both physically and mentally. But the price demanded was completely worth the reward of standing in the Gap, looking back on the mountain we had just climbed and forward to the valley into which we were about to descend. Each time we rounded a curve, I had to catch my breath at the sight of the world laid out before us like a tapestry. The roads themselves were narrow, so we had to be on the watch for cars or carriages that came speeding down the hills with very little notice. More than once we had to share the side of the road with the multicolored sheep who seemed rather disgruntled to be sharing their patch of grass. Buildings, both abandoned and occupied, were scarce and far between, since the landscape was more inclined to shelter mountain sheep than people. While the hike through the Gap of Dunloe was an incredible experience, I was glad to rest my weary bones at a local pub after we made it back to Killarney in the evening.

The pubs of Killarney are more than just restaurants or bars. They are places for the community to talk and catch up with each other after a long day at work. They allow people to relax and express themselves without worrying about who is listening, because everyone is talking at the same time by 9 o'clock. From about 7 pm - 11 pm is when the middle aged white and blue collar workers head to the pubs for their evening drinks; after that is when the young adults go out, usually turning the pubs into dancing clubs or grunge scenes. Both nights, we were dead tired and only made it to about 10 pm before falling asleep, so we didn't have much interaction with people our own age. Regardless, I enjoyed the live music and the feeling of mutual goodwill that seemed to hang in the air while people belted out the lyrics to their favorite folk songs.

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time." -Steven Wright

Ireland was worth every cent we spent getting there, but getting there was more than half the battle. We ended up missing our first bus to the airport (due to a navigation mishap) and had to take a substitute bus an hour and a half later for $32. We arrived at the airport 45 minutes before our flight departed, frazzled but relieved. Cheap travel is a wonderful development that has really come into its own over the past two or three decades. For about $200, we were able to get buses to the airport, fly to Ireland, and stay in a hostel for two nights. However, the problem with booking "budget" accommodations is that you never really know what you're getting. Will your bus leave on time or will it never come at all? Will your flight be delayed because you're flying on an old plane that needs repairing? Will the people in the room at your hostel be respectful of your space and privacy? These are the questions I, and other students, face when we are deciding how and where to travel. Luckily for us, our flights were on time, and the people in the hostel were very nice this time. Other students have not been so lucky. Their buses or flights have been canceled or they had a bad experience with a hostel. While some of these problems can't be avoided, many of them can be by paying a little more. Some students opt for the cheapest transportation and hostel; others just spend as much as they see fit to have a good time. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. Depending on where I'm going, I might spend a little more on transportation and less on the hostel, or vice versa. Getting to your destination is important, but half of travel is the journey. And if you don't enjoy the journey, you've already lost half your trip to stress.

Compared to Paris, I had the opposite reaction coming back to Differdange this time. Instead of waking up from a dream, I felt like I was falling asleep when I came back to Luxembourg (although that could have something to do with the slight sleep deprivation). While Paris felt like a fantasy come true, Ireland felt more real and tangible than either Paris or my life Luxembourg. The air there felt cleaner, and the vast expanse of land made me feel more connected with the world than either city. Of course, Ireland and Paris are much more exciting, but it is always nice to come back to something safe and constant like Luxembourg.

This week, I'm immersing myself in Belgium, as I will be in Brussels twice (once for business and once for pleasure). I'm still struggling with treating my classes as experiences too, and not just place holders between my weekend adventures. I hope the class field trip tomorrow will help with that, and the presentations that follow will allow me to engage more with the material.

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Is there anything else you want to know about Ireland? Did you find the leprechaun in the left corner of last picture? Let me know in the comments!

Until then, I'll keep wandering.