Ireland I spent 3 weeks in Ireland and rode over 2000 miles around the country so I think I got a pretty good feeling for the country. I spent about 5 days in Dublin due to my bike being held up in customs for a long weekend. Dublin seems like it is on the fast track to become a modern city. The nightlife in Dublin is fun and there is no shortage of pubs on every corner but I really did not enjoy Dublin that much. I didn’t come to Ireland to see a modern city with pubs full of musicians going through the motions for the tourists. I would recommend two days in Dublin before moving on to other places. The southern coast of Ireland is absolutely beautiful, I stumbled upon an 800 year old working lighthouse called Hooks Lighthouse. There were several places around their that you could set up a tent, not sure if you are supposed to but nobody complained. For me the best way to explore Ireland is to pick a city you want to go to and head out on the back roads working your way. The scenery you will come across will literally make your jaw drop. When I was in Dublin I was talking to an ol’timer telling him I was heading to Kerry (the Southwest portion of the country), he referred to it as gods country and said I will never want to leave once I go there. I have to agree with the old guy cause I think this was the most beautiful part of the country. There is a tourist trip called the “Ring of Kerry’ which is bunch of tourist sites that form a ring. We hit some of the them but once again get away from the busses and get out and explore, I came across places just a beautiful but with no one around. There are some great towns in Kerry with lots of great music and atmosphere. I definitely recommend going to the Cliffs of Mohr but try getting their early in the morning to avoid the rush and then head up the coast about 9 miles to Doolin for some amazing pub music. I was told it is the music center for that region. Through out Ireland there are B&B’s everywhere but hostels and camping sites are a little harder to come across but they are still plentiful. I would recommend being spontaneous on where you are going to since there is not really a shortage of places. I would think even during peak season you could find places if you are flexible, which is how you should be if you are on vacation. I found the people to be extremely friendly, more often than not driving down the country roads farmers and passing cars would give a friendly wave. The people seemed as interested in me and where I come from as I as with them. The down side to Ireland is that it is ridiculously expensive. Gas is about $5 U.S. per gallon and expect to pay about $10 U.S. for meal at Burger King. Cocktails at pubs are about $5-$7 U.S. and a pint will be about $5. One thing different here is that guys actually drink Cider as opposed the US where it is considered more of a girls drink. They measure all their booze when making a drink so it is even more expensive to get a good drink. Unlike the U.S. you do not tip waitresses or bartenders so you can save a few quid there. Once again Ireland is very expensive. One of my favorite things about Ireland once you get out of the cities you wont come across any chain restaurants or any other type of chains. The best way to describe Ireland is Harmony, there seems to be a harmony between the old world and the quickly developing economy. I don’t know how long it will be able to maintain this but I hope it does. Ireland Cost 3-4 Scenery 4 Friendliness 3 Weather 2 Josh’s Opinion based on nothing but the average size of the smile on my face while visiting 9