Letterkenny

Today was pretty awesome. we got up and kathleen cooked us a traditional irish breakfast, full with fried eggs, bacon, sausage links, toast, and juice. then noel drove us around and we saw some of the oldest graveyards in the donegal and letterkenny area. The first had a cross that dated back about a thousand years. most of the other graves ranged from the 1700s to the 1800s. The churches that stood in each graveyard were crumbling and all that remained were half the walls and steps.
we also went to see where our great grandmother was born. a small cottage set back in the trees and overgrown in shrubbery. if anyone watches lost, jacobs cabin is a good equivalent. it was really cool. we then saw the house where noel was born, and its abandoned now, and we snuck in and saw the entire thing.
Tonight they are having a bunch of friends over, including jeff and gema who im looking forward to meet so it should be fun. Write again soon...

Ireland.

So we flew into Dublin, and I met Kev mcgee, sarah froberg, tom callahan, and vince paglione in the jameson bar. I had my first glass of legit guiness there with everyone, then we headed to our hostel. The hostel was cool, right in the temple bar area of dublin, one block from the oconnell bridge on the river liffy. We got some food at a little pub called fitzgeralds, and then hung out in a park for a little while. We met some sweet people at the hostel. A girl named Sophie from Germany, and a girl named Eliza from california. Later on we met these two other guys from Germany, and all of us went out to the temple bar area to drink! It was so much fun, bouncin from bar to bar. The last bar we got to, we ended up irish dancing with the whole bar, including some crazy 50 year old women haha. Nuts. Dublin was great.

Now we are up in Letterkenny, near Donegal, with the family, Noel, Kathleen, Emma, and Natasha. Melissa is still down in Dublin right now working. Their house sits right on a hill that overlooks mountains and green hills, with sheep and cattle all around. Right around the corner are two lakes that sit down below the mountains, the views are incredible. So far we have visited Glenveagh Castle, some beaches, downtown letterkenny with Natasha to some night clubs, Giants Causeway, and Dunluce Castle. I also met Noels sister, and her kids who are also our cousins. The views are amazing everywhere, and it stays light out here until about 11:30pm so it really throws my timing off, but its cool. Uncle Chris has been here too! The food has been delicious, lots of fish and chips, and the guiness is a lot easier to drink over here. Anyway, until next time...