Blood Bin

We're staying in a pretty nice place. Everyone has their own room in a three person townhouse. It has two bathrooms, a laundry room, a nice size living room and a really nice kitchen. This is good! With our limited meal plans, I am going to have to do my own cooking for a good portion of my time here. Today, I will eat at the restaurant. So far, the meals there have been alright. I found a couple of items on the menu that I like. These I will stick to but it is important to know a few things.

1. Salad is basically another name for coleslaw

2. Potatoes will be included in every meal

3. Ice cream is extremely hard to come by

Now with the exception of rule three, these rules might be unique to the park hotel. I haven't explored too much outside of it. Though, I was able to find some other places which have had some pretty great tasty treats. The Jitterbean is my number one recommendation. For a pint though, The Anchor, Mary's or Minnie's. Almost everything here, restaurants, pubs, shops are all charming and quaint. I have found that it is more comforting than the states in that regard. Being here has shown me how differently the states view portion.

Drinking is done differently here. It is extremely casual, more frequent and when you are here, you are always celebrating. Once again, cheers to the Dungarvan townspeople. Three open bar nights for us and a world of new experiences. Talk about a culture shock, the sports here. I have never seen a sport as dangerous as hurling. Watching felt dangerous. Every game looks like a scene from Braveheart. No exaggeration. There is a something called a blood bin for wounded players.

Today, I had the chance to play some Rugby. The whole group received an all day lesson and actually got into some 11 on 11 games. It was a great experience. The game is consistent with the other sports here but it is much different than any sport in the states. i.e. More contact, less pads.