Thank you for joining me for the second installment of my journey through Ireland. 最近几周, 和前几个很像, 他们有过兴奋的经历吗, 发现, 还有让人挠头的时刻. Since my last post, I have done quite a bit of exploring, mostly around southern Ireland. In reality, classes have picked up a bit, so I have to pick and choose my days to wander. 仍然, it is mainly just lecture as they do not believe much in homework apparently, 这对我来说很好吗. With that it leaves me quite a bit of extra free time to go to cool places during the week. 

I have a break in class from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening, 这就是我的探索时间. These have been some of my favorite trips because they involve little to no planning and a lot of figuring it out on the fly. 例如, 9月17日, I hopped a bus up to Killarney and spent the day touring the castle and gardens. I walked around for hours before sitting down at a fishing dock away from the crowds to take in the scenery. 在那里我遇到了一个叫约翰的人, who had been backpacking Europe for a few months, 然后开始了一段对话. The conversation lasted a couple hours and ended with John eventually deciding he would buy a plane ticket to head back to the states to get a fresh start. I can’t take any credit for his realizations, but I wish him the best in his new pursuits. 旋风过后, 我试图走回科克, got lost and ended up hailing a cab to get back to my apartment. 那是另一个故事了. 

The next weekend I was lucky enough to embark on a fly fishing trip to a small town in the next county over. 周五的深夜, I made the trek over to the town of Clonmel where I rented a last minute AirBnb. The nice lady who owned the house called me a cab for the next day in order to get to the fish shop. After arriving a bit early the workers and guide showed up and started collecting gear. Once we were armed and dangerous it was time to snag some trout. 这一天的任务是抓几条鱼, 学习一些交易技巧, 看到了很多很棒的国家. The guys were extremely knowledgeable and kind as almost everyone has been. 所有这些都让我在水上度过了美好的一天.

跳到本周, 还是和几个朋友一起, we went and toured the town of Kinsale on the southern coast by way of bike. There we went around the city and out to an old military fort dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. I was able to learn a bit about the area’s history and take in the scenery. To no one’s surprise the views out over the Atlantic were nothing short of amazing.

这就引出了这个星期二. 几天前, I was sitting in my morning class thinking I had not done anything spontaneous in a minute or two, so I headed to the bus station as soon as we were dismissed. I had remembered reading about a bike trip through the Gap of Dunloe that was a must do, 所以我买了一张票就走了. 到达基拉尼后, 我在当地租了一辆自行车, nodded as the guy went through the local stops to make, 然后跑出了镇子. About 8 miles in I chained up and began to ascend a hiking path. An hour or so later I stood at the top of Slippery Bridge or “Big Gun” peak looking over more country than I could even take in. 在惊奇地盯了一会儿之后, I headed back down realizing I would be in a real time crunch to make the last bus back. From there I picked back up the bike trip and headed through the Gap of Dunloe. 我会试着解释一下周围的景色, but it’s just one of those places you have to see for yourself. I attached a picture below, but it does not even do it justice. Five or so miles later of pedaling up the rugged terrain and down through the Black Valley, I finally got a bit of signal and realized I had an hour and a half to bike 15 miles back either direction. With the steepness of the surrounding hills, that just would not be possible. With a little detour and a lot of luck I was able to find a flooded walking path back through the forest and out to the main road. A couple miles and a soaked pair of shoes later I was right back on track. From there it was a long but manageable 8 miles back into Killarney. 双腿燃烧，心跳加速, 我苦口婆心地走着，咒骂着自己, 并在关键时刻做到了. I chained up the bike and hustled to catch the last bus as it pulled in, a great success. 

当我回顾这最后的几次冒险, I realize they are not things that can be strategically planned out. Life is about adjusting on the run, so sometimes you just have to buckle up and let it fly. I know these are the times I will look back and appreciate the most because they weren’t supposed to happen. 我不太确定是不是因为好奇, 的决心, 或者只是单纯的愚蠢, but the three combined seem to create something special, 这是行程中永远无法捕捉到的. 这些旅行更有意义. 它们是关于过程而不是结果, more about the story of getting there and less about the end result. 这就是生活.

 Again, thanks for reading, and I will continue to keep updating as often as possible. 感谢.

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马太福音讲废话 is a sophomore at the University of Missouri- Kansas City majoring in civil engineering. He is attending the University College Cork in Ireland through the UMKC Direct Exchange Program during the fall semester. 马修来自玛丽维尔, MO and is excited to continue his education in Cork, Ireland where some of his family still resides.