Backpackingmatt

quick post

I’m not entirely certain how it has already been two weeks since my last post. Where has the month of April gone? Thanks to those of you who keep checking back … my apologies for the lack of reading material lately.

Spring is beginning to take hold here in Edinburgh. There have been more nice days than rainy days in the past week. Something I’m not entirely used to.

So. Whats the latest? Well. You’ll maybe be excited to know that I’ve decided what to do with my life come the end of June. Actually, thats me being sarcastic. I haven’t the faintest idea. What I do know is this. As of Saturday morning, I no longer live in my wee Thistle Street flat. Brian and I moved across town to a flat where we knew some guys who were moving out. Other working holiday lads … two Americans and a Canadian. Still a one bedroom, but significantly bigger than my old flat – plus, we have bunk beds. And a microwave.

Speaking of bunk beds. This is where my parents will be staying when they come to visit. I cannot wait to see them. We don’t really have much for plans, but I’m sure it’ll be a terrific two weeks. I imagine we’ll do some things in and around Edinburgh for the first week or so (this way, I can still work evenings), and then either head to the Highlands of Scotland … or catch a cheap flight to mainland Europe. Who knows.

Also, I have a quick story that again shows how amazingly small this world is. I was working at the pub the other night when this group of Americans came in. Ten or so of them … I think they were in Edinburgh on some sort of business. One of the gents came to the bar and said to me sarcastically, “That’s quite the Scottish accent you have. Where are you from?”

After finding out where I was from, he informed me there was a lady at his table who he believed was from Iowa as well. Indeed she was. She came up to talk with me and I told her I grew up in Southwest Iowa. It ends up she lived in Adair (twenty miles away). “What is your last name,” she inquired.

“Kyhnn,” I told her.

“No kidding. Is your dad by chance Mark Kyhnn? He did my taxes for twenty years.”

What are the chances?!

I have some pictures for you all below.

me, posting to my blog in the Newcastle Airport, drinking a Newcastle Brown Ale

view of the irish countryside as I was arriving to cork … in three months i managed to forget how unbelievably green the irish landscape is

kinsale, ireland

irish pub of the year, 2004

note to self

when I was leaving ireland, i had a 12 hour layover at the dublin airport. i didn’t really want to spend the day in the busy city of dublin, so a caught a bus to this small, seaside, suburb north of the city. terrific place to spend the day.

a rather unimpressive view of the edinburgh castle

view of the city from atop calton hill

arthur’s seat

bottom of the royal mile … the high street in edinburgh. it stretches approximately one (go figure) mile. at the top, you have the edinburgh castle. at the bottom, you have hollyrood palace – which is where the queen stays when in scotland.

a loch in the area surrounding arthurs seat

view of the firth of forth from the top of arthurs seat

Thistle Street. You can see the entrance to the pub on the right. I lived about five doors down.

stay well, mk.

week in ireland

After a week long holiday in Ireland, I’m back home in Edinburgh. And, I must say, it was a terrific trip. As I mentioned in my last post, I was quite stressed in the days working up to my departure from the Burgh. I wanted a perfect week for Lauren and myself. Nearly everyone I voiced my concerns to in the days before the trip had the same response, “Matt, you’re going to be in Ireland – it will be great no mater what happens.”

They were probably right – plus, everything went as good as I could have planned. A special week in a special country. Numerous times we’d be driving through a small Irish village, or sitting in a small pub, or taking in the beautiful scenery that Ireland provides and I’d just smile. It was such a terrific feeling to be back in the country and taking it all in with someone who had yet to experience the Irish way – their laid back attitude, the ambiance of their pubs, the spontaneity of traditional Irish music, and of course the many beautiful landscapes on the island the size of Iowa.

Considering the time and money we had at our disposal, we saw a good deal of things in the South and West of Ireland. We kissed the Blarney Stone at the Blarney Castle. We spent two nights in the picturesque seaside village of Kinsale in the posh accommodation of Dempsey’s Hostel (sarcasm). We toured one of the best surviving examples of a 17th century star shaped fort in Summercove. We somehow hired a car (when they gave me the keys I said to Lauren, “Run before they change their minds!”). We made the slow, meandering drive around the picture-perfect Ring of Kerry. We experienced Doolin and impromptu trad sessions in its three lovely pubs. We did the Cliffs of Moher. We made it back to my favorite County Galway town and had the craic with my mates. We drove the Sky Road of the Connemara which brings tears to one old Irish fisherman’s eyes. The craic was mighty.

The week flew by and it was difficult to say goodbye to a face from home – but, goodbyes are never easy. It was indeed an unforgettable week. Thanks Lauren for coming to visit.

Technorati Tags: Backpacking

jessheim

Brian and I got off the train in Jessheim (yes heim) yesterday evening around 11 or 12. It immediately felt like we were in Norway – it was cold, clear, and the streets were lined with snow. We were unsure of where we were supposed to go. Our couchsurfing host was at a party and hadn’t yet returned our call. I’m sure we looked of lost travelers as we walked up the main street of Jessheim (a town of 14,000) with our backpacks – surely not an every day site in the middle of a Norwegian winter.

As we walked past a number of small bars, a couple of things became clear to me. Firstly, I was premature in my evaluation of the Norwegian women. They are beautiful. Secondly, it became clear that the people of Norway are wonderful. Three or four guys drinking outside of a pub had flagged us over to them. They wanted to know what in the world we were doing in Jessheim. We explained our stories. As we were getting ready to leave, one of the guys reached into his pocket and tried to give me a 100 Krone note (equivalent to about €15). I told him I couldn’t take his money – he then insisted on going inside and buying us two beers.

We made our way to meet up with our couchsurfing host – Oyvind. We were greeted by Oyvind and his friend Espen and they immediately insisted we take some shots and go to the local bar. We had too many expensive pints, made fools of ourselves on the dance floor, but had a wonderful night out in our first Norwegian town. We spent most of today sleeping – Brian and I are both drained after the Christmas festivities and a day of traveling.

We plan on getting up early tomorrow and heading to Oslo to catch a train towards either Bergen or Voss. Our Lonely Planet Norway book describes the Oslo – Bergen railway as, “one of the most spectacular rail journeys on Earth.” Sounds like a plan?

Below are some of my latest pictures as well as a video of our Christmas day swimming adventure.

Technorati Tags: norway

the latest …

The latest craic – craic being news. It’s been some time since I have last sat down to write and post to my blog. Today is Christmas day. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very, “Happy Christmas,” as the Irish say. Sadly, this also marks the last time I’ll post to my blog from Ireland. Twenty four hours from now I’ll be airborne, in route to Oslo. My time in Ireland is nearly finished.

My last week in Ireland has been great. It has, though, been full of goodbyes. I’ve said goodbye to many wonderful people. It’s often difficult to say goodbye, but this is an inevitable aspect of the lifestyle that I’m choosing to live. I’m going to find places I love and have to leave them. I’m going to meet and get to know great people only to say goodbye. It’s all part of the adventure.

————-

As I write this I’m sitting in the Dublin airport. It doesn’t seem like four months ago that Brian and I arrived. I’m not ready to leave, but I am excited for the next stage of my journey. I’m drinking a pint of Guinness with Brian – our last pints on the Emerald Isle.

I must say that I’ll never forget Christmas of 2007. Yesterday afternoon, myself and about ten other friends made our way to the Salthill swimming pier. It was cold, windy, and raining. This somehow didn’t stop us from jumping off a twenty-five foot swimming platform into the frigid waters of the bay. It was extremely cold, yet unbelievably invigorating. What a way to end my stay in Galway.

It’s 11:40 and Brian and I leave for Oslo in about forty-five minutes. We get into the Oslo Torp airport at 3:45 – it will have been dark for about an hour already. Our plans? Well, we don’t really have any. I need to get the number for our couchsurfing host – we’ll give him a call and see what happens. Thanks to you all for following me throughout my time in Ireland. Cheers, and all the best from Ireland for the final time – mdk

——————

I’m alive and in Oslo. Said Oslo Torp airport is apparently nowhere near the city of Oslo. Thanks Ryan Air for flying Brian and I into the middle of nowhere. After about a two hour train ride to the tune of 630 Krones, we finally arrived in Oslo city center. We met an interesting Norweigan character who led us off the train and showed us where Oslo city center was. I don’t have much time to write, but I wanted to let you all know I’m here and safe. I must say it’s a shock to be in a country where English isn’t the main language spoken. Also, the Norwegian women aren’t nearly as tall, blond, and gorgeous as I expected them to be!

so, i’m going to norway.

I just finished booking my ticket out of Ireland.

Brian and I will leave Dublin on the 26th of December at 12:35 and arrive in Oslo, Norway, at 3:45. We’ll be somewhere in Norway for the night of the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, and we’ll leave Oslo for Glasgow on the afternoon of the 30th. We’ll most likely head from there to Edinburgh for New Years.

How did I pick Norway? Fair question. It was the cheapest way to get out of Ireland and then into the UK. Skyscanner.com is a brilliant website (thanks Emma!) that has some very user-friendly search features. Our total airfare cost less than €60 each.

What will we do in Norway? Yet another fair question that I don’t know the answer to. The days will be short – tonight, the sun set in Oslo at 3:13 (and, Oslo is in the southern part of the country!). We’ll do some research and figure out a tentative itinerary. Hopefully, couchsurfing.com will provide us with some cheap (read, free) accommodation.

Yet another leg in my journey that I’m unbelievably excited for.

Thanks again to all of you that continue to follow me on my journey through this blog. I know you’re out there – some 1,900 plus people have dropped by my blog. It’s this fact that in part keeps me writing. This, and I’ll love to look back and follow my own travels months from now. Remember the comment feature that blogger.com provides. Your comments can allow my blog to be a venue for mutual conversation. Check out this post – comments – for any questions you have on how to post comments.

thanks again, and all the best,

mdk

Technorati Tags: norway

plans (or lack thereof)

Hi all. I had a day off from work today. It was grand – first time in nine days I haven’t worked at the cafe, nimmos, or ard bia’s restaurant. I remember not too long ago, I blogged how I was spending my days floating from coffee shop, to pub, to coffee shop. Killing time. Taking in Galway. This most definitely wasn’t the case last week. I worked 51 hours.

It’s alright though. I need to save money. More importantly, I really do enjoy my job. The cafe was something to get used to. The busiest time of the night at Nimmo’s comes around nine or half nine. This is when our 12 tables turn over. We have to kindly encourage people to leave, reset tables, and tend to the vultures who came to their 9:30 booking but have to wait for ten or fifteen minutes to be seated. At the cafe, we have 17 tables which are constantly turning over – for six hours.

But, I do love the fast paced environment. I love the interaction with our customers. I’ve always said I enjoyed my job at Telefund because I loved working and knowing I was making a difference. At Nimmo’s, I enjoy the fact that I can help to ensure someone has the best possible experience on their night out.

Eating out (at night) in Ireland has a different feel than at home. Often times, I feel when people go out to eat in the states, they hope to get in to a restaurant, sit down, be served quickly, eat, and leave. In Ireland, going out to eat is an all night experience. Nearly everyone orders starters, mains, desserts, and then coffees. The coffees, mind you, must be served AFTER the desserts – it has taken me a while to get this down. I’d want my god damn coffee before my dessert came. Not in Ireland. Also, you wait to clear plates from the table until EVERYONE is finished eating. This, also, has been difficult for me to get used to. I’m of the mindset that when I’m finished eating, I don’t want to look at my dirty plate any longer. Again, not in Ireland.

I’m lucky enough to work in three, brilliant restaurants – each with a unique feel of their own. The ambiance at Nimmo’s is my favorite, by far. I don’t think I could describe either Nimmo’s or Ard Bia better than these two reviews …

So, 51 hours was a lot to work last week, but I enjoyed it. Dad always says, “If you enjoy your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

The second review referenced Aoibheann (pronounced Evann – Irish, go figure), the owner of Ard Bia, Nimmo’s, and Ard Bia’s art gallery. She really is quite the character. I won’t opine too much, though she calls everyone ‘Darling.” I remember the day she asked me where I was living.

“Darling, have you found a place to live?” she asked.

“Yeah, I have. It’s actually a funny story. I’m living over on Dock Road in a massage parlor. The massage parlor is open from 11 – 6 so we kind of have to stay hidden. Not ideal, but it’s cheap and kind of a funny story,” I told her.

“Oh darling, that is terrible,” Aoibheann said.

“No, really, it’s okay. Kind of funny, I think,” I assured her.

“Oh, no really darling, that is just awful. I’m so sorry.”

It was all I could do not to laugh.

I’m sitting in a pub right now, and I’ve been trying to book a flight out of Ireland. I had a couple options lined up, but decided to hold off on booking them until Brian ensures his parents won’t be in Ireland at the end of the month. As for now, it’s looking like we’ll be in Sweeden, Belgium, Italy, or Germany for a couple days before the new year. The flight prices change constantly, so who knows. Tomorrow, it could be someplace completely different.

I’m comfortable with my half-drank pint of Guinness and not ready to walk home from the pub. It’s raining, cold, and windy.

Alas, it’s winter in Ireland. What should I expect?