For the rest of us that stayed behind, it is actually kind of a weird feeling to be at the Park Lodge with so many people missing. For as confined and huddled together as we usually are, which is often a source of complaint especially when the internet is slow, it is a weird feeling to not have the livelihood of all of the Bennies and Johnnies around the cottages. I actually think this is the first time that I've been able to sit in the lodge, which is where we get our wifi, in the middle of the day by myself. But at the end of the day the rest of the group will be back before we know it, and we will soon be looking forward to next week's big excursion to Dublin. Plus, I probably needed this weekend to catch up on some much needed rest. I shamelessly went to bed last night at 9 pm, slept for 12 hours, woke up and ate breakfast, and then took another hour long nap. Until last night I can't remember the last time I had a full night's sleep, as we've been truly taking advantage of every night we have here in Ireland.
This brings me to my latest Irish adventure that was a huge contributor to my lack of sleep: Arthurs Day. Arthurs Day, or Arthur Guinness Day, is "celebrated" on the 26th of September, and is kind of the Irish equivalent of Valentine's Day in America, if you replace the candy and flowers with alcohol.... I say this because, as we were told by so many of the older locals, it is not exactly a holiday as much as it is a day that Guinness created to encourage the younger generation to drink more Guinness. Similar to the way that many people say Valentine's Day was just created by card and candy companies in the US. But whether or not it is an official holiday, it sure gets its fair share of hype. Sarah and I were the brave souls who ventured into Galway for the experience that was anything but what we expected.
We started off our day by killing time at the Kings Head Pub, which is a very famous and sort of touristy pub in Galway that we had been advised would be a good place to be for the 17:59 festivities. The "organized" moment of the day happens at 17:59, or 5:59 pm, because Arthur Guinness founded the Dublin brewery in 1759. So at around 5:30 we bought our pints of Guinness, which were served in plastic cups because of the masses of people that were buying them and taking them out of the pubs, and headed into the street. We had heard that at 5:59 everyone wanders into the street, raises their glasses, sings a little song, and then drinks their pint. Sounds pretty adorable right? Well what we find outside the door was nothing we expected.
When we arrived at the door of the Kings Head, we discovered a mob so large that we literally could barely make it out the door. College students had literally taken over the streets as far as the eye could see, and it is a miracle that we were able to push ourselves into the crowd at all. The crowd was full of people all yelling and cheering and climbing up onto street posts and garbage cans, and it was truly one of the most hilarious and craziest things I've ever seen. Finally 17:59 rolled around, and for a brief second we had a nice moment of raising our glasses, cheering, and listening to the song everyone was singing. That was when some lovely person in the crowd, who I would like to thank, threw their glass of Guinness in the air and 90% of the crowd followed.
Most of the people reading this have not tried a real Irish Guinness, so let me paint a picture. It is incredibly dark and thick, and the consistency reminds me more of a latte than a beer. It was enough for me to try to choke down my first full pint in honor of the "holiday," and it was entirely another for me to literally be showered in it. By the time Sarah and I were able to force ourselves out of the riot that had ensued, I was drenched and sticky from all of the Guinness that had been thrown from every direction. Once we had a chance to breath and take in what had happened, there was nothing we could do but laugh. We were so unprepared for the whole thing that it was actually funny, and it was definitely an Irish experience we would never forget. The rest of Arthurs Day was just spent wandering around Galway, hanging out in the pubs, and mingling with the always friendly and as drunk as ever locals :)
For me, experiences like Arthurs Day are the things I live for on this trip. And Mom if you're reading this, no its not because of the Guinness :) It's because during experiences like that, I feel like I'm getting such a full experience of the Irish culture, not to say that they just form mobs and get crazy drunk alllll the time. :) I know that being in Galway for Arthurs Day is a once in a lifetime experience for me, and while it was crazy and at times overwhelming, it is going to be such a good memory for Sarah and I of this trip. I just love going out and getting involved in things that are going on in this country that a normal tourist, who is only here for a week, wouldn't necessarily know about or get the chance to experience. Meeting and hanging out with the local people has been my favorite part about this trip, and I am seriously so thankful for everything I've gotten to do thus far! With how friendly and welcoming the majority of the Irish people are, I think you open yourself up to endless opportunities if you just put yourself out there and risk showering in a little Guinness :)
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