Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.

I was surprised at the amount of people, that when they found out I was going to Ireland, asked me: "What language do they speak there?"

English. They speak English. They speak English with a very very cute accent.

But, there is also Gaelic. (British rule and the famine drained the country of many of the native speakers.) The county is bilingual, but English is the spoken language everywhere expect for a few places called Gaeltachts. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaeltacht )

Again, my awesome travel guide has come in handy. It says there are still some words used in Gaelic. There was a list of useful words (most likely to see) in the back:

an banc - bank
an lar - town center
an tra - beach
ar aghaidh - go
bad - boat
bealach amach - exit
bealach isteach - enterance
dunta - closed
failte - welcome
fir - men
gardai - police
leithreas - toilet
mna - woman
oifig an phoist - post office
oscailte - open
ostan - hotel
siopa - shop
ticead - ticket
traein - train

Some road signs are in both English and Gaelic.






(A hundred thousand welcomes)




Until next Thursday! (I'll only be saying that for 5 weeks!)

Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.

Lucky for me, I DO know where to shop. My oh-so-awesome travel books has tons of stores. It lists everything from food, to jewelry, to souvenir shops! It lists their phone numbers and addresses too.

I'd rather buy souvenirs from stores that aren't chains. Handmade stuff even. There are street vendors in county Clare (I think it said??) which would be awesome. I already know what I'm buying for a couple people (any hints are welcome though). I'm not 100% sure where to find one of the things... but I will manage, I'm sure.

There's even a special section about shopping in Dublin. A couple recommended souvenir shops are: Carrolls Irish Gift Shop ( http://www.carrollsirishgifts.com/ ) and, of course, the Guinness Storehouse.

The stores there close pretty early compared to ours. Their hours are generally Mon-Sat 9-6. Large towns and shopping centers tend to be open late on night, usually Thurs or Fri (Thurs in Dublin), until 9.

There is a 21% sales tax on items in Ireland. O_O It's included in the sale price. Visitors from outside the European Union can reclaim the taxes before departure though.

That's all I have on shopping...

The countdown is on! 50 days to go!

People say conversation is a lost art.

I'm a bit late - but Happy Valentine's Day!!

I decided that while I'm in Ireland it would be a good idea to have a way to call for help in case of emergency. And I need a way to call all you fine folks at home and let you know I'm alive.

Instead of getting a calling card, I heard that cell phone companies can unlock your phone with some code so you can use it internationally. I called Verizon and, of course, they don't have a contract with Ireland. So that option was out.

I spoke with a man named Ahamd (prolly spelled that wrong) and he was very helpful. I could rent a phone from them. It's shipped to my house and I can have it for 30 days. I have to spend $9.99 to ship it back after that. There were two packages I could pick from. Standard - no monthly charge and $1.29/minute, or Value - $4.99 for the month and 99 cents a minute. Texts are 50 cents to send and 5 cents to receive. (Don't text me while I'm gone, lol) The model is a Motorola 26C, which I think looks something like this:





But instead of that... I'm going to buy the Blackberry World Edition. That way I will have my own phone while I'm there, and hey, it's a Blackberry. lol. I'm getting the red one:





I can upgrade April 19, but they said since I'm leaving the 10th I should be able to get it a few days early. ^_^

Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead.

My #1 fear for this trip is the driving. I'm pretty freaked out by it actually. I'm sure I'll get used to driving on the other side of the road, but man, I don't think it will be easy.

I've used my oh-so-awesome travel book once again.....

The speed limits there don't seem to bad, and get this, they use MPH! Yay! No converting to km/h needed! In built up areas the speed limit is 30mph, 60mph outside built up areas, and 70mph on motorways. On certain roads it will specify 40mph or 50mph, otherwise it's 60.

Road signs are in both English and Gaelic. The new-style white & green signs read distance in km but the old black & white ones are in miles.

Apparently you can drive for miles without seeing another car. That's nice for the fact that I don't have to worry about hitting them, but sucks if I get lost or need help. Well... I can use my cell if I get stuck. (More on cell phones next week.) Even major roads are quiet. The roads are also full of curves and turns.























And here's a road going to the Wicklow Mountains: