After a great night of Samba percussion, drinking Irish whisky, and almost setting the house on fire, I took off back to the airport in Dublin for the next adventure. First I stopped in Kilkenny town to see the castle and hear my last bits of traditional Irish music. I visited 3 pubs...first pub had no music because everyone was immersed in the futbol game of Liverpool versus Club Atletico de Madrid; second had a group of three men sitting around a table with instruments and pints in a trad session which sounded great; third pub had a more formal music session with four musicians and actual sound equipment. Both sets of musicians were playing traditional music and it sounded great, especially with my pint of Guinness in hand. Kilkenny was a nice last stop in Ireland, and I must say I miss the solitude and peacefullness of that lovely country already.
Currently I am back in Maastricht, The Netherlands revisiting friends and indulging in waffles as much as possible. I spent last weekend up in The Hague and was able to visit the Keukenhof which is like a flower theme park. We saw tulips, hyacinth, daffodils, muscari, lilies, and the list goes on. It was a beautiful display of God's artisty, and a treat for the eyes and soul. While in the Hague we also met up with a friend from Maui and partied Dutch style, meaning we sat outside in the cold weather along with everyone else talking story and drinking bier. I am amazed at how the Europeans just love sitting outside no matter what the weather is...I love it! Before we headed back to Maastricht, we stopped at Schenevenigen to walk on the beach and sit outside by the sea to drink fresh mint tea. Finally I got a glimpse of the sun again, since it has been cloudy the whole time I have been here. But, this may be the last few bits of cloud, because next stop is...Italy. Hopefully the next blog will be about pesto, pasta and wine....oh my!