South African Adventure: New York to Cape Town

March 20, 2012

I didn’t do much preparation for South Africa. Josh, my partner, had been training for the Absa Cape Epic for almost six months and watching how much work went into that, I figured that was enough preparation for both of us.

I feel like I must state a somewhat obvious: A common mis-conception is that when you say, “I’m going to South Africa!” people assume you mean the wild safari of the African continent. South Africa has wild safari areas but Western Cape and the areas we were in were definitely colonial Dutch, very settled and developed. Cape Town is a modern metropolis and the surrounding suburbs are gorgeous with gated communities and multi-million dollar homes along the coast.

South Africa – We were in the lower Western Cape area.

Don’t get me wrong, there are dangerous areas, poor areas, wild safari areas – we just weren’t really in them.

It was a non-negotiable topic that we would both bring our bikes – mine, a steel stallion singlespeed Bronto and Josh, a fancy full suspension Anthem 29er. We needed to pack light so, beyond our bikes, I brought an Arcteryx pack with about six days worth of clothes, all the media gear I could shove in, and toiletries – all for a two week long trip where I had no clue what the conditions would be or where we would really be staying.

My Bronto has S Couplers so I can break it down into a small bike box.

Bronto packed up in my bike box and the Arcteryx bag are ready to go to South Africa!

We departed a wet and dreary New York City for sunny and warm South Africa. The flight was a long 14 hours to Johannesburg where we then had to switch over to a new airplane for the final leg of our trip to Cape Town.

Soggy NYC, South African Air

Dodging the red-shirted “assistants” who were hoping for crazy amounts of cash to walk you to your next gate (don’t do it!!), we made it to our connector and found ourselves planted in Cape Town, South Africa. We shook out our legs and grabbed our bags to head through customs. We met up with Jackie, Josh’s race partner and went through the challenge of fitting all of our gear into a modest-sized SUV.

3 bikes, 10 wheels, 6 bags…

We could have gone all out and rented the larger truck…it would have been double the price. We made this little guy work. With very little space, we head out to Stellenbosch (about 30km from Cape Town) for some pre-race riding and relaxation.

We’re all in!

Arrival in Stellenbosch was exciting. I had no idea how beautiful this town was. We settled into the Bonne Esperance and immediately started building bikes.

Patio off our room

Bonne Esperance courtyard

 

Settling into South Africa up until this point has been incredibly EASY.

 

A Journey to South Africa – Absa Cape Epic

My partner, Josh, signed up for the Absa Cape Epic 2012. He asked if I wanted to and, at the time, I thought it was the craziest idea I’d ever heard of. The South Africa Absa Cape Epic is an 8 day, 800km mountain bike stage race and must be done with a partner. As I tapped out early on, Josh recruited his colleague, Jackie Baker, to join the adventure.

Since October, Jackie and Josh have been training for the toughest mountain bike stage race in the world. I’ve been there to document, badger these two for blog posts, help in securing sponsors, getting media coverage and overall, doing all the little things that they don’t have time to do since they spend 2-6 hours a day on a bicycle.

Now, it’s 13 days until Jackie and Josh will be sitting at the starting line and I’m starting to realize that I, too, am going to South Africa. I’m bringing my Bronto singlespeed and I’ll be shredding on some trails in Stellenbosch with the likes of mountain bikers I’ve never seen before.

My favorite

I’m more of a recreational rider. I’ll train, sure, and I’ll ride bikes a lot but I’m a sprinter. I’m not a long distance kind of girl.

I have a habit of taking these kind of breaks...

Stellenbosch is the informal meeting place for all the pro riders doing this race. Absa has about 50 world-class teams that are to be watched and include pro racers from around the world. Out of 600 teams, 300 of them are highly competitive. I’m way out of my league. But who cares? I’ll be riding bikes in South Africa amongst mountains, trees, hills, grasses, and villages like I’ve never seen before. I’ll be following a group of amazing mountain bikers each day snapping pictures, taking video, and enjoying some leisurely rides along the way. I’m getting excited.

The next few days will require a ton of packing, planning, re-packing, and learning how to use the camcorder. So far, this is the only decent footage I’ve taken.

But, it says it all.

We’re going to the 2012 Absa Cape Epic!

Follow our adventures at www.roamlife.com.

 

Hello summer mountain biking! I can’t wait to see you!

The Official Roam Life Mountain Biking Agenda, 2012

What’s your plan? 

Join us in 2012 for fun, festive, and competitive mountain biking. We’ve mixed singlespeed, competitive, festival, and ridiculous into the agenda

ALL SUMMER LONG.

For more information or to talk about mountain biking adventures, contact Christine at christine@roamlife.com or  visit www.roamlife.com

 

An Irish Journey: Day 12, Shannon Airport to Back Home

August 30, 2011
Day 12

Shannon Court hotel had the best shower out of all my shower experiences while in Ireland. Great water pressure, long hot showers and able to adjust temperature easily. One thing I’ve learned from international travel is that Americans take their showers for granted. Water pressure, hot water, and other things we tend to expect in the US are commodities while traveling in other countries.

Our morning routine had a weird and somber vibe to it. Our last morning in Ireland, for me, had a sadness to it…and I wasn’t looking forward to returning to our daily routines. We knew we would be heading back to the airport in a few minutes so we enjoyed our breakfast and lingered a little longer than we had to. The hotel has a Chinese restaurant that, of course, serves Irish breakfast. It was about 6.50e and was good.

We threw our bike bags onto our backs and hauled ourselves out to the bus stop right in front of the hotel. 2e and 10 minutes later we were at the front door to Shannon International Airport.

Waiting for the bus

We got halfway through security and got stopped by a lady with a bad attitude who refused to allow a multi tool and wrench for bikes through. Odd, since we made it through the checkpoints by European security but TSA (oh, lovely, lovely TSA) didn’t like our tools that could possibly be weapons…Phunner grabbed the tool and ran back through security to check an additional bag (luckily, we didn’t have to pay!) while I sat glaring at the TSA employee.

Oooooh, lady in white....

Ireland and Wales are amazing countries full of culture, hospitality, and awesome mountain biking. We travelled all over and felt welcome, at well, and met many amazing people. We biked and then biked some more…and biked more. We were on TV, drank a shit-ton of Guinness, camped, dressed in costume, looked at old stone shit, and enjoyed some of the best scenery in the world. Visit Ireland. My heart is still in Wales.

Ireland to Wales - On Singlespeeds

Shannon - Limerick – Blarney – Cork – Dublin – Penmachno – Betws-y-Coed – Llandegla – Kilfinane – Ballyhoura - SSWC – Doolin – Cliffs of Moher – Galway – Gort

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An Irish Journey: Day 11, Galway to Gort to Shannon

August 29, 2011
Day 11

Galway turned into kind of a blur after the awesome homecooked meal we made at Snoozles. I woke up with a sore throat and heavy limbs. I still blame those ignorant French guys from Dublin for coming into the hostel late and obnoxiously loud and then coughing all night. Their germs plus the lack of quality sleep really did me in from the beginning.

Leaving Galway

Snoozles is a pretty rad hostel. It’s super clean, has a community living room, a huge kitchen, wonderful eating area and free breakfast.  Be sure to give your key card back – they charge a 5e deposit. Groggy and exhausted, I slept in the back of the car on our way up to mountain bike at Derroura Mountain Bike Trails. Derroura is a system of 19km of trails about 45 minutes north of Galway. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything about these trails other than the fact that my travelmates had an awesome time on them. I woke up feeling horrid and encouraged my friends to go on without me. I slept the whole time they shredded…

Feeling a little more alive but starving, we stopped at Texaco and bought baguettes and cheese with orange juice for 4.90e. Coming to the end of our trip, we were on a tight budget.

I’ll be honest: the baguette was nice and fluffy, the cheese was really good and the orange juice gave me some much needed recuperation energy. Gas station food in Ireland is not so bad. We made a habit of also stopping and getting powdered soup and using the coffee cup and hot water at the gas station to have soup for snacks and lunches. It was an awesome way to curb hunger and in cold, windy, danky Ireland, it was a perfect option for in the car eating.

Boozy wanted to see more old stone shit so we  complied and stopped in Gort and looked at a monastery from the 7th century. This monastery has a really interesting history. Kilmacduagh is the site of several churches from over the centuries, including an old cathedral. The large spire tower in the center was built by monks sometime in the 13th century as the location was known for its wealth and historical significance. The monks built the spire to hide in during the plundering. There are no doors on the tower – you have to get in from underground.

7th Century Monastery - Kilmacduagh

Gort itself is a really colorful town with a funky feel. We found our best dinner in Ireland while in Gort – at O’Grady’s. A definite ‘locals’ kind of place, Boozy insisted on pointing us out as tourists, “What’s the most Irish thing you have on the menu?” Phunner and I cringe…

The barmaid looks at him as though he just threw up on her counter. “Well, the menu is right there. I guess the beef stew?” She answers with a hint of humor.

Phunner and I ordered chicken pascal with steamed veggies and French fries – it was, hands down, our best meal in Ireland.

Downtown Gort

Really Cool Cafe

We drove on from Gort and back into Shannon, our trip having officially become full circle. We checked in at the Shannon Court Hotel for the online booking rate of 45e. We suggest trying to book online as it was significantly cheaper. We also hid Boozy out of the way so we didn’t have to pay an “extra person” fee.

We unpacked the car and vegged out in front of tv and checked out all the pictures of SSWC on Facebook. We were highlighted several times!

SSWC - Phunner and 'Le Dave' (me in the background)

 

Raddest Mountain Bike Races on Earth.

The raddest mountain bike races on Earth.

After longing for my bike over these dull, frigid winter months, I’ve begun to fantasize about spring time, green trees, and sick single track again. I know, it’s a little early here in the east coast of the United States to start anticipating any quality dirt time without hopping on an airplane…so I’ve let my imagination take over and the airplane idea to take hold…

Sondershausen, Germany

In a small little village in Germany, lies an old salt mine that has taken to innovative ways to increase revenue: host races and events of all kinds in it’s underground tunnel system. Erlebnisbergwerk “Glück auf” Sondershausen (Adventure Mine “Good Luck” Sundershausen)  is where you’ll find the Race to the Center of the Earth. Pro DH bikers like Brian Lopes have claimed victory in this dark, and sometimes dangerous, race. Falling is doubly painful as the salt seeps into your wounds and teams are formed on the fly when light batteries go dead. You bet your ass this is a rad race. Good luck getting in – space is limited and it’s more of “who you know” than anything else.

Cape Epic, South Africa

Some call the Absa Cape Epic the ‘Tour de France’ of mountain biking. Some call it insanity. Others are drawn to the adventure. The Absa Cape Epic is a test of strength, endurance, resilience, and preparation. This 800km, 8-day stage race is the longest in the world and is not for the faint of heart. Two-person teams are required and as one rider put it, “You will carry your partner and you will need to be carried by your partner.” You’ll ride through lush greenery, majestic mountains, and alongside the wild nature that represents South Africa.

Downieville All-Mountain Classic, United States

Downieville All-Mountain Classic is a 2-day, cross-country/Downhill mountain bike race in sleepy Downieville, California, USA. What makes this race on the rad list is that not only is it in beautiful northern California, but the race conditions are unpredictable. In 2011, the race route had to be altered because of snow cover. Volunteers were shoveling snow the morning of the race to continue to clear trail paths. On top of that, it’s a 46 mile battle to the finish line. You’re required to use the same exact bike for cross-country AND downhill – the bike has to be the same weight both days and have the same tires. A killer climb plucks the weaker participants out of the pack almost immediately and the rocky, technical downhill makes it anybody’s race.

A Way Of Life Downieville – Yeti Cycles from Yeti Cycles on Vimeo.

Single Speed World Championships, Location Varies (South Africa, 2012)

Costume? Check. Beer? Check. Singlespeed? Check. The major requirements for the Single Speed World Championships include these three plus…you have to be fast. This race has been won by world champions and locals alike but the real heart of the race lies in the “don’t take yourself so seriously” culture that has been created around the event. The kick off starts with a contest to see who will host the following year’s race (this year won by leopard suit wearing guys with afros singing “In the Jungle”), lots of bike riding and beer drinking leads up to race day. Race morning the camp is turned into a circus of costumes and bike decoration while local reporters try to take it all in. You’ll laugh the entire way to the finish line while pushing yourself harder than you ever have – in one gear.

Valparaíso Cerro Abajo – Urban DH Race, Chile

Valparaiso has some of the most dedicated and energetic cycling fans I’ve ever seen. As you screech through someone’s backyard, they fly after you waving a banner and screaming encouragement. This race takes you along the backside of houses, through busy streets, down stairs, over sidewalks, through crowds, ending at the center of town. Possibly unsafe, totally unbelievable, and incredibly fun…it’s a bucket list kind of race.

Red Bull Holy Ride, Japan

Dude…it’s at a SHRINE! Amongst the endless amounts of stairs it seems you have to ride down, this race is held at Ishizuchi Shrine which is for worshipping the god of wishes (convenient). Nestled in the mountains of Japan, the shrine has been around for over 1,300 years. Sacred and transcendent meets downhill racing.

Want to add to the list? Disagree and want to rock-paper-scissor to see who has the best list?
E-Mail: christine@roamlife.com

www.roamlife.com
www.roamyoursoul.com 

 

My Bike is Me. I am My Bike.

It’s the dead of winter and as I type the wind is howling and snowflakes are bumping up against my window. It’s sub-zero temperatures and my bones ache from cold and all the while I’m seriously jonesing to get on my bike. I’ve lost all touch with my biking buddies, I don’t remember the last time I’ve stepped foot in a bicycle shop and I’m starting to feel lonely.

Bicycling is more than just about being on the bike. It’s about the entire culture that goes with it. It’s a way of living. It’s a part of who you are.

The Bike(s). They are extensions of you. Each bike holds a special place and has a special relationship with you. Your first bike, your road bike, your downhill bike, your ‘get over anything’ bike…doesn’t matter. This bike defines and expresses who you are and what you’ve accomplished. Each scratch, each mud mark, each wear on the cog has a story. It’s more than just a machine. You and the bike work together and finish rides together. It’s with you when you struggle, there to blame when you fail, and there to stand tall in the picture as evidence of surviving that epic ride.

The ‘Flow.’ What is so addicting about biking is that rhythmic, exhilarating, flying through the air state of ‘flow’ that is created when your feet start moving in that familiar circular motion. The tingling in my arms, the stretch of my lips as I break into a grin (or grimace), the burn in my legs, and the air in my lungs are all incredibly present when I’m on my bike. Fear, pride, excitement, accomplishment, FUN…I want to stand up and give a “WOOHOO!!!!” just thinking about it.

The Bicycle Shop. We all have our favorite. The place where everyone knows your name and the mechanic can tell you the entire repair history on your road bike, mountain bike, and single speed in less than 30 seconds. It’s where you meet pre-ride, where you run in to change your clothes…your home away from home. You can come in muddy, bloody, loud, laughing, or crying…you’ll get the same raucous welcome. Somehow, this cozy, supportive home is abandoned when your bicycles sit in the corner of your living room, ignored.

The Peeps. Recently, Sh*t fill in the blank videos have been going viral. Shi*t Mountain Bikers Say and Sh*t Bicyclists Say made me laugh so hard I think I really did give a little pee down there. Roadies take themselves too seriously (and get made fun of by mountain bikers) and mountain bikers don’t take anything seriously (and thus are completely crazy). The truth is, eventually, the roadies sneak over to the other side (the funner side…) and the mountain bikers begrudgingly slide over to the ‘dark side.’ In the end, we’re all bikers which makes us all part of the big happy family. When you challenge yourself, work hard to accomplish something, and physically make it through…you all come out supporting each other and respecting each other. We bike for the love of biking. We bike because we don’t know how else we would live. There are key people in every community that are involved in building, supporting, loving, and participating in the bicycling communities around the world that make it possible for the rest of us to come together. They keep the trails open, create the community events, raise the money, raise the awareness, and advocate for a better tomorrow.

The trails. If there were more non-car paved trails in this country, I would be able to say, “I love road trails!” but there aren’t. I will say, “I would love to ride road trails!” but it’s not in the cards for where I live right now. But really, my heart lies in the woods. I love dirt trails. I love twisty, windy smooth singletrack. I love gnarly, rooted, rocky downhill. I even love when I sailed over my handlebars and slammed into that tree in Vermont. I love the smells, the colors, the sounds…I love being in the forest and riding as fast as I can on my bike. I have my favorite trails, my secret trails, my group ride trails, trails on my wishlist, trails for breakfast, trails for lunch…

My bike is me. I am my bike.

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Life Moments: Sometimes…the adventure can be a real challenge to see.

When I woke up today, I regretted how I went to sleep. I went to sleep angry and frustrated. And that’s how I woke up.

Life can be disappointing.

and then I fell on the sidewalk on my way to work.

Son of a bitch.

If only my 11 hour day had been this easy…

I left work angry and frustrated.

Sense a pattern here?

So I decided to break the pattern.

to try and combat my rocky morning and 11 hour work day…I did a snow celebration dance. To prove society wrong about what I am supposed to live for.

And I felt a little better.

These feet, one day, will walk past this same spot again…and keep going. And THAT is what is going to keep me going…   for now.

Trust your journey.

Life Moments: Sometimes…the adventure can be a real challenge to see..

 

An Advocacy Adventure – Roam Your Soul Style

HEY, ANIMAL LOVERS!

My little Peanut

Did you know…

New York State has the HIGHEST RATE in the beating of domestic animals.
New York State is also #2 for kicking/stomping on them.
New York State is also #2 for abandonment/neglect.
New York State holds a top 3 position for over NINE categories of types of abuse.

Source: Pet-abuse.com

Animal Shelters need our help…

Approximately 8-12 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year.
The average cost of basic food, supplies, medical care and training for a dog or cat is $400-$700 a year.

Source: ASPCA.org

Time for Action…

I contacted a local humane society to see what we could do. I asked for a list of items that they were in need of so Meredith and I will be heading to the Tri-Lakes Humane Society next week to drop off donations based on this list of items.

If you would like to make an item donation from the list below, contact Christine@hotmail.com.

If you would like to donate $$$$, click on the donate button below!

List of items needed: dog and cat food, rabbit pellets, hay, treats, blankets, pillow cases, towels, linens, cleaning supplies, paper towels, bleach, Windex, toys

We’ll be posting up pictures from our adventure of donating AND walking some dogs after we are done next week!

Tri-Lakes Humane Society

Our Advocacy Adventure…

I decided to approach my adventure task as a blog and share it so that I a) could get donations and b) share the experience with readers as well as my fellow Roamers in the workshop. It’s a two-fer.

The Adventure Task: Find a friend and choose to participate in an advocacy cause and then share about it.
Original Plan: To volunteer and interview the doctor at the Planned Parenthood in Saranac Lake (I’ll post up about that independently).
Change of Plans: Upon teaming up with my friend, Meredith, we had to choose something we were BOTH passionate about. After a couple of beers and brainstorming, we chose animals and animal shelters.
Why I deviated: Advocacy is all about your personal experience being used to empower and better others. If you can’t connect to the cause then the energy and motivation won’t be there. We had to choose something that we BOTH had experience with and that we BOTH could get in to. We also had to identify the common ground in our advocacy experience. Meredith wasn’t going to be heading to the Philippines to shovel mud any time soon and it had been over a year since I’d done any advocacy work with an organization whatsoever. We found our common ground.

The Adventure: I’m excited to see what kind of response Meredith and I both receive from our friends and family network and hope that people are ACTIVE. I picture Meredith and I heading to Tri-Lakes Humane Society with a box-load of supplies and several bags of animal food. UPDATE: We have $20 raised! Please donate today!

About the Workshop Adventure Thing…

I started Roam Your Soul as an online adventure workshop, with our first workshop commencing December, 2011. Since then, I have met 11 amazing women online and we have begun our weekly adventures together. For more information on that, visit Roam Your Soul – An Online Adventure Workshop for Women.

Week 2 of the adventure workshop is all about advocacy. I posted information about that in my “Being an Advocate” post at RYS.

Our next round of workshops begins February 17th. You can sign up by visiting the Roam Your Soul Website, learning more, and clicking the PayPal button.

 

An Irish Journey: Day 10, Doolin to Galway

August 28, 2011
Day 10

There is always a point in my travels where I don’t want them to end. It’s easy for me to grow accustomed to my new way of living and I feel very comfortable as a nomadic being. I love throwing my backpack on in the morning and heading out to a new place I’ve never been. I woke up feeling a bit sad that my trip was starting to wind down and I would soon be leaving Ireland and returning to New York.

Shuffling my way into the kitchen at Rainbow Hostel, I was greeted by our very round and optimistic hostel-mate from Atlanta who was traveling and writing for his college studies abroad course. Rainbow Hostel has fresh baked scones and freshly made coffee for you every morning and this made my morning. Sad to leave Doolin but excited to start up the Irish coast again, we headed out of Doolin and toward Galway.

Giving into Boozy’s complete fascination with what Phunner and I deemed, “Old stone shit,” we stopped at several places along the way that fit the  bill. I was relieved to stop at places for two reasons: #1 – I like to look at old shit, too (just not all day) and #2 – Boozy’s driving was ridiculously scary. From the backseat, I caught glimpses of Irish coast as I prayed and hoped we didn’t swerve into a car or please for the mother of God just slow down when you go into a blind corner so you don’t have to slam on your breaks and swerve into side brush. So when we stopped at Poulnabrone, I was grateful for some fresh air and that we had made it to another destination.

Poulnabrone Tomb:
Poulnabrone (meaning of the word is literally “hole of the sorrows) is probably one of the most photographed ancient monuments in Ireland. This tomb was in use during the Neolithic period between 3,800 – 3,600 BC, well before the pyramids were built. Originally, the burials were at a different location and were moved to Poulnabrone at about 3,000 BC. The first excavation of Poulnabrone Dolmen was in 1986 and then again in 1988. Over 30 bodies were found buried here.Walking around the stone slabs, you definitely felt some ancient spirits and the heavy air of quiet and death.

Poulnabrone

This place was definitely a very cool place to visit but we, of course, stayed and lollygagged around waiting for Boozy so Phunner and I played around on the rocks and hopped to and fro along the rock surface while waiting for Boozy to finish his placard sign reading. We hopped back into the car and headed out on the road again.

Dunguaire Castle:
By the time we got to Dunguaire Castle my stomach was eating itself. I was starving, terrified, and ready for some food and a nap. I also was about to piss my pants. This did not deter me from checking out Dunguaire. It’s a real, full-fledged Irish castle. Dunguaire Castle was built in the 7th-century during the stronghold of Guaire, the King of Connaught, for centuries. There were no “free” bathrooms at the Castle and we didn’t want to pay to see the whole thing so we walked around the courtyard while Boozy attempted to find a “secret way” in. Unsuccessful, he came back around the castle and we headed out on the road again.

Dunguaire Castle

We made it to Galway (by some God given grace because Boozy’s driving was driving me insane) and we checked around at a few different hostels to find the best price. Turns out, Snoozles Hostel is your best bet. For 18.50 euro per night and a 10 euro parking for 24 hours, we were home, sweet home complete with a free breakfast and free wi-fi. There was a bright, large kitchen that I decided would be perfect for making our evening meal.

After securing our room, we headed out to explore Galway. Boozy immediately found an old castle with…placards. Sigh. I gave Phunner the stink eye and a look of, “let’s drop this guy for a little while…” because we obviously had different agendas. I took the excuse of needing money exchanged to head to the bank while Boozy continued to read his placards.

Coming out of the bank Phunner spotted Boozy down the street and waved him over. I screamed, “What are you doing?!?” and then shut my mouth (no need to embarrass myself…). Boozy walked over and after a few minutes of trying to make the “let’s check out Galway” and the “let’s read placards and find old stone shit” work for the  both of us, it was clear that we needed to separate.

Our point of separation

Phunner and I took off to explore Galway and Boozy took off to explore old churches. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and we started exploring Galway on foot.

I love Galways little streets and alleyways. It was fun to get lost in some of the back streets while looking at shops and restaurants.

A side street in Galway

Tart from Oven Door Bakery

We followed the scent of amazing pastries and ended up at the Oven Door Bakery on Middle Street. Amazing items to choose from, we picked up a berry tart pie for 2.50 euro for our after dinner dessert. For a snack on the road, we picked up a brown fruit scone and tea for another 2.50 euro. For 5 euro, it was an amazing steal! The scone was warm and tasty with a fluffy interior and a nice crispy exterior… and the tart, later on that evening, was a perfect dessert.

With food on the brain and economical choices a priority, we stopped at Centra Supermarket and picked up vegetables, chicken filets, pasta and sauce for dinner back at the hostel for 9.89 euro. Cheapest dinner yet! Boozy

Boozy reading more signs

donated some Rosie’s Wood Cider and we had a great time eating and laughing together. Much needed after some of the stresses of traveling together.

We ended the evening at Murphy’s bar which, ironically, had Murphy’s law poster smacked up on the wall. We watched a soccer game between Villanova and Barcelona while all of us started to feel a little under the weather.  Not feeling like the party animals that we thought we were, we came back to our hostel and met our two female roommates from Germany whom we wished a great night out in Galway then we headed to sleep!

Ending the night at Murphy's Bar