Time to Think

During my short stay in Galway, I met some really amazing people from all over the world (one really big upside to staying at a hostel). Two of which were a pair of German guys, Jonas and Fabien. They were on a short holiday from their studies and we immediately clicked. We have a lot of the same interests and we are similar in the fact that we can talk about random things for hours, but also communicate on a much deeper and intellectual level; and even though some of our views don’t always add up, we are mature enough to keep a high level of respect for one another. To put it short, they are pretty freakin awesome and I hope to see them again in Germany! I also met a group of Italian girls on a weekend trip and was able to meet up with then again back in Dublin for a fun night of dancing. It’s crazy to think how much dancing I've done on this trip, and the fact that I haven’t managed to injure myself in the process.

Other than that, I haven’t done much in the sense of travel. This past week and the following will be spent here in Dublin with the group of South American’s I met when I first arrived. I’ll be spending time with them, recovering from weeks of cycling, slowing my mind down so I can do some writing, and preparing for my three weeks in the UK which starts September 8^th. I will be renting a car and driving…everywhere. I hope to see as much as I can, continue to build inspiration for the book and meet people, because that’s what travelling is all about.

The reason for the title of this post is because the rest of it will be a little; I guess you could say, deeper and more personal. An attempt to strip away my pride and become honest and vulnerable. 

The first thing I would like to do is say that I'm sorry. I can’t be sure if any of the friends that I grew up with read this blog but if you do, that apology is for you. I was a hypocrite for the majority of my life growing up. I said I was a Christian, but I represented myself as something completely different and I can’t blame you for being confused or seeing religion and Christianity as something weirdly unnecessary. I realized and now have the confidence (although I still make plenty of mistakes) to represent myself as someone truly appreciative of the life God has given me. I am unashamed of my faith and one of the biggest things I've learned during my trip so far is that I wasn't put on this earth to make more Christians. My purpose is to be an image of who Christ truly is. My only hope is that each day people see that I am different, that my life is filled with purpose and a desire to further the Kingdom of God even if  it is as simple as giving someone a smile.

I bring this up to transition into the second biggest thing I have learned during this trip so far. I have been reading through a book written by a former NFL player, Derwin Gray, called HERO. He had a career ending injury but through it all became a pastor and speaks all over the world. The book teaches young men and women ways to live a heroic life. One of the inserts talked about living in the moment and trusting that God will supply your every need. Let me tell you first hand that I have had plenty of days where I wanted to throw this trip away, go back home, get a job and move on. Travelling alone can be extremely difficult, but after reading that I realized that each day has been a reminder of how amazing God has been to me. Cycling 80 kilometres in one day, the sun going down and worried because I'm not sure where I'm going to sleep turned into meeting family I will remember for the rest of my life. It is moments like that, that have kept me going, and knowing that faith (which is something extremely difficult) is what brought me through.

I want to encourage you to live in the moment. You've heard the phrase so many times that “life is short,” well…it actually really is. Don’t just live a comfortable life. If there is someone that you need to say I'm sorry to, tell them you’re sorry; if there is someone you need to say I love you to, tell them you love them; if you need to quit your job because you feel like you’re wasting away, then quit your job and find something that allows you to live a heroic life; if there is a family member or friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while, call them, it’s not a difficult thing to do; if your closet is filled with clothes and shoes you haven’t worn in months, give them away. The difficult thing is letting down our walls and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Vulnerability to me is the gateway to true friendship, true companionship and true love.

Without going into detail, my family life growing up was rough and I know a lot of people in this world can relate. But, tomorrow my parents will celebrate 30 years together. It honestly brings tears to my eyes thinking about how much my family has grown to love one another. I can only thank God for putting back the pieces, for mending wounds that stretched over years and showering our family with his grace. It wasn't long before I left for Ireland that I went for a ride with my parents and I sat in the back seat with the dog just listening to my parents talk. I had to turn my head away because I didn't want my dad to see me in the rear-view mirror with this odd grin on my face. I couldn't help but be filled with joy because after almost 30 years, it was if they were still in their honeymoon phase, enjoying the simplicity of each other’s company and smiling about plans for the near future. That is the kind of marriage I hope one day to be a part of. Amongst the trials my parents have shown me what true love is because of their willingness to be vulnerable.

I hope that this entry brings about a moment of thought and allows you to reconsider living a comfortable life in exchange for something HEROIC.

Non-Stop Moving

I…am…EggsHowsted <<exhausted, for the 99% of you that don’t speak Jalapeño. I tell you what, after four weeks of on and off cycling I am beginning to have some outrageously strong legs; maybe not as much as my boy back home Hotty Piatti, but I reckon I could leg press a SmartCar. It’s hard to believe that four weeks have gone by, but with the number of things I’ve done, the time has flown. The first leg of The Ring of Kerry journey started with Brian at my side encouraging me because from Killarney to Kenmare are some of the most difficult mountains to climb; but once you reach the top, the view is breathtaking. After a short break and a cup of tea (something that has become common for me since being here), I enjoyed the relaxing nine kilometer downhill to Kenmare. With plenty of daylight and a burst of energy, I decided to cycle another twenty kilometers just past the town of Sneem to a pier where I found a pretty amazing place to pitch my tent.

Knowing I wanted to take the trip slow, I “slept in,” which means waking up and falling back to sleep ever hour till ten because the seagulls squawk like crazy! But I left in the early afternoon in hopes of making it to Valentia Island. Brian told me there were some pretty amazing places to camp there so I took his idea and ran with it. I wanted to be as far away from the small village on the island as I could, so I cycled to the opposite side, found some rocks to use as protection and stepped off my bike. Now I want to slow down for just one moment and give a shout out to JFizzle aka Joel aka my favorite brother. If there is someone in this world that LOVES, and I mean LOVES fishing, it’s him. Before I left for Ireland I starting spending as much time as I could with him and I told him that I would fish for him while I was in Ireland. Little did I know, I would meet a pair of German brothers not far from where I was camping who were fishing from a cliff with blazing winds and crashing waves. Even though I was only able to cast the line a few times, they were great about letting me get out there and give it a try. That one’s for you bro!

My original plan was to spend two nights on the island; but, long story short, the wind nearly blew my tent away and I ended up realizing later on the follow day that my front tire was completely flat and didn’t have a puncture repair kit with me. So I walked the bike 25 kilometers to the closest gas station, filled the tire with air and pedaled as fast as I could around the rest of the Ring, back to Brian’s house, stopping at as many stations as I could to make sure I kept air in the tire. Even though the trip was cut short, each moment was still amazing because of the people I met, things I was able to see and the constant communication God along the way. I spent another two days resting at Brian’s, drinking a lot of tea, cooking and talking for hours before I was back on a bus to my next destination.

THE CLIFFS OF MOHER—Ohhh Myyyy Butternut Squash! I honestly cannot, cannot, cannot<<<a lot more of those>>explain how speechless these cliffs made me. I probably walked four or five kilometers of the cliffs and literally couldn’t make it fifty steps without stopping, looking back, and having a ridiculously giggly smile on my face. I probably looked crazy to some of the other tourists but there was no stopping my lips from curling. You can look up the specs but reading a number can’t honestly explain how high it truly is. I could have spent days there just sitting. I actually did spend a little too much time there in relation to my next plan, which was to hop on a boat to the first and smallest Aran Island, Inis Oirr. 

But God directed my path and led me an amazing B&B where I met the Egan family. If you are going to travel, do yourself a favor and splurge a little for a B&B because they are amazing! Olwyn and her three sons Dylan, John and Flynn were extremely kind and welcoming, and after I went down to a local pub to try their seafood chowder (AMAZING!!) and a smooth glass of Irish Whiskey, I raced back up to the B&B to play StoryTime Legos with the boys before they had to go to bed. I was the evil robot monster while John and Flynn came up with a plan to save there lost Lego friend. Such a fun night!

The next two days were spent cycling and exploring Inis Oirr and the largest island Inisheer. Really cool history about the islands and I found a new respect for those who do manual labor. I always tell people that I would love to just sit in front of a fire, sipping tea and reading a book; but as I cycling around the islands I was blown away by the fences that separated different plots of land. Most people think of a fence as posts maybe fifty yards apart with wire going from one to the next. OHHHH NO. These islands are covered, and I mean covered, in stone walls/fences. Just look at the picture I took and imagine walls like that, some even higher, across hundreds of acres of land. Absolutely outrageous!

After taking the 8:15 boat from the big island to the mainland, I cycled another forty kilometers to Galway City where I will be staying at a Hostel for a few nights before I get on another bus and head back to Dublin. Thanks for reading and staying with along this amazing journey!

Killarney

This is an early and short update on my trip and you will learn why in a quick minute.

After saying goodbye to Cork and all the amazing people I met and that housed me while I was there, I took a bus to Killarney. I arrived in Killarney slightly fearful that I wouldn’t have a place to stay because I hadn’t heard anything from my host in a few days. So I spent roughly four hours waiting at the bus station for an email; but, when it finally came and I made my way to Murphy’s Icecream to meet my host, I was eager for my journey through the west of Ireland to start. I had heard it was the most beautiful and has the potential to suck you in and keep you there, and let me tell you, it certainly has that effect.

I met my host Brian and we immediately connected. He is a twenty-something with a lot of energy and a free spirit. He shared a little bit about the town and how he came to be there, and then we made our way to his home. His house is at the top of a rather large hill, but the view is absolutely breathtaking and later on had the opportunity to take a pretty cool shot of a double rainbow.

My plan was to simply spend a few days at his house preparing for the next part of my trip, but because we hit it off so well, I ended up staying for a third night. Each day we cycled different parts of Killarney, he showed me cool places around the park, a weird circular ritual like shrine in some artistic guy’s back yard and the third day was spent cycling and hiking up some massive mountains so I could see some one of a kind views of the lakes below. Each night was spent cooking, chatting about everything from books to faith and sharing each other’s life stories. I kid you not; Brian is probably one of the most intelligent and coolest people I have ever met. God has truly blessed me along the way.

I am posting this blog a little early because I will be out of reach for at least six days and possibly a few days more. I will be cycling through what is called The Ring of Kerry. It is roughly 200 kilometers and goes along one of the many peninsulas of Ireland. If you are interested, you can go to this website, www.discoverireland.ie or just go to google and type in The Ring of Kerry. It will give a breakdown of what I’ll be doing and what is involved. I plan to take it slow and spend a lot of time continuing to reflect on life. When I’m finished I’ll get back to Killarney and spend another day with Brian and his friends before I make my way to the Cliffs of Moher (one of my most anticipated trips), and hopefully by then I’ll have a full update and details about my trip around the Ring. 

My thoughts and prayers are with you! 

Wicklow to Cork

If I’m being honest, summing up the last week in a blog post would take several pages, but I will do my best to hit the highlights, share some details and leave you wondering what is going to happen next.

I started my cycling journey from the city of Dublin. My route took me along Old Military Road, where there are long winding hills, ha-ha scratch that, MOUNTAINS, with plenty of sheep and simple farm houses along the way. As I reached the top of the first mountain, I began pedaling along in a torrential downpour; and for those that know me well, know that getting wet is not top on my list of things I like to happen. Suffice to say, the day cleared and my clothes dried in time for me to step away from the road and camp alongside one of the many Wicklow Mountains. I have told everyone so far that only God could have brought me to that mountain because the next morning, I walked to the top and to my great surprise and joy, was overlooking a lake hidden in the valley below (sorry, a picture truly wouldn't do it justice). The calming winds and slow moving clouds allowed for a perfect opportunity to just sit and reflect on the man I have become over the last twenty-five years and the man I hope to be in the future.

After three nights in the mountains reading, writing and enjoying the quiet, I cycled through the rest of Old Military Road and made a quick stop in Glendalough to see an amazing old church/cemetery and the famous Upper Lake.  A couple from France helped me with my bike (a little oil and air), and I was on my way again. 

Upper Lake

About three hours later, my water was gone, I hadn't eaten anything all day (my own fault), and I felt like I was going to die; so I stopped at a house to ask if they would fill my water bottle. After making a joke about buying a piece of pie from them, the lovely Mareen Molloy and her son Brendan and friend Russell showed their amazing hospitality and sat me down for a meal. We chatted about who I was and why I was traveling, I learned about them and the business that Brendan runs and they sent me on my way with plenty of water and food. Not to be gross, but hours later while I was cycling, I had several pie burps that thinned my lips to a smile.

It was starting to get late and I wasn't sure where I was going to sleep, but I had been told that some farmers have no problem with you camping on their property as long as you ask. After going as far as I thought I could, I pulled into a farmhouse, climbed off my bike and yelled into the barn. A few moments later a man walked out and I kindly asked if I could camp. And this, my friends is where I met the Neale Family. A simple request to camp on Billy’s land lead to long conversations with him, his wife Mabel and their son Clifford (who loves to play rugby by the way), a hot and filling dinner, a chance to play the piano, watch television, get tips about where to travel and the best routes, breakfast in the morning, food as I traveled and a memory of a family I will never forget for the rest of my days.  Even though I didn’t meet their daughter Adele, I know that if she is anything like the rest of her family, she’s a pretty special gal. I really cannot put to words how blessed I felt leaving their home, and to be honest I wish I could have stayed for several days, helped on the farm and gotten to know them even better.

Mareen and Brendan

So I say to any who have doubts about people in this world; trust me, after meeting Mareen, Brendan, Russell, Billy, Mabel and Clifford, there really is humanity out there, you just have to be willing to be vulnerable, caring and honest yourself.

Billy, Mabel and Clifford

After saying goodbye to the farm, I went to Dunmore Cave (a Neale Family recommendation) which was breathtaking. An adventurer like me would have loved to explore it on my own but the tour was worth every second. Next was the Kilkenny Castle, then to the town of Cashel to see the Rock of Cashel (another castle that sits atop a hill). But, after cycling 160 kilometers in two days my legs were absolutely crushed, so I stopped at a B&B before the town where I met a woman by the name of Cathleen. Although she had a rather foul mouth, she was bright and bubbly with a caring heart and enjoyed my company because I was an American (not going to lie, that’s the first time I’d heard that one). A hot dinner, hot shower, and warm bed were definitely needed and when I woke up I had the pleasure of eating breakfast with a lovely family from Switzerland who were on a short holiday. I have to admit they made me jealous talking about having a 3D printer at their house, but some of the ideas and things their son was working on were pretty incredible! With a hug and a farewell from Cathleen, I made my way to Cashel and even though I didn’t have time to take the tour, I was still able to see the amazing structure. A must see if you’re ever in Ireland.

Thinking it was smart to give my legs a little extra rest and avoid a hundred kilometer bike ride a third day in a row, I decided to hop on a bus to Cork. It is another beautiful city in the south with tons of rich history. I am staying for the weekend with yet another Brazilian, Wesley, who I met on couchsurfing.com (a great website for travelers). I was able to yet again, show more dance moves at the pub, meet some of his other Brazilian friends and connect with a pair of guys from France who are doing a bit of traveling themselves.

In most things, plans change and you have to adjust. One of which has been my writing. After riding a bike all day, focusing on writing is extremely hard, but I am still working out the kinks and hope to get a significant amount done before my trip is over. Also, as the days go by, the sun goes down earlier and the weather gets colder. At the end of my cycle in Ireland, I will be scrapping the bike and using other forms of transportation in Scotland and England, which will give me more time to write.

I’m not going to lie, there have been plenty of down moments along the way, but with the amount of people praying for me and the strength I am building in my relationship with God, I know this was the right thing for me to do. My thoughts and prayers are also with all of you. Until next time!

Dunmore Cave

Kilkenny Castle

Dublin

There is always fear when going to a new place. When things become convenient, it’s a difficult thing to say goodbye to, even for a short time.  In saying that, saying hello to something new can be an amazing experience. After spending ten hours at the JFK Airport during my layover, I arrived in Dublin with an eleven kilometer walk ahead of me. The cool breeze and quiet streets allowed me to ask the question once again…why on earth did I decide to come here?

Leading up to the trip, this was a question I asked myself, friends, family and God. Who decides to buy a plane ticket, a tent, a sleeping bag and travel to Europe for three months with no plan and no connections when they get there? Crazy people! My friends and family poured on support, telling me things like, “why not?” or, “you have nothing tying you down,” and I eventually started telling myself this. Were they wrong? 

Absolutely not; but, as I walked down the cobblestone roads I realized that I could turn this trip into so much more than “why not,” I just wasn't sure, and I’m still not sure yet, how I am going to do that.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

I was picked up by a friend from Venezuela who is studying in Ireland and who lives with four other roommates who are from Brazil. I continue to laugh knowing that I came to Europe and I’m spending most of my time with South American’s. They are an incredible group of people who welcomed me into their home like I was family and allowed me to stay with them for the week if I helped them with their English as a trade. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. The first day (literally two hours after arriving) they took me to their church, and to my great surprise, it brought me back to my church experience in Ethiopia as well as Liberty University. It was absolutely amazing to see God exploding all over the world. That night I was able to cook dinner for everyone which was a great way for me to express my appreciation. After dinner I was introduced to some friends (also Brazilian) and went to a pub where I was able to shake some of the rust off my legs and show a few of my dance moves. I have to admit, I still got it!

Day two was filled with errands and shopping for necessities as well as finding a bike to use during my trip. This was where I experience my first spit-handshake deal with the bike salesman and purchased a bike which he said he would be glad to buy back at the end of my trip; not a bad deal when trying to save money. The evening was spent relaxing at the house and learning more about the people I was staying with.

Trinity College

The rest of the week was filled with a birthday party, a hospital visit (not mine I might add), meeting a BearWolf (no I’m not kidding), sitting on the roof overlooking the city, riding my bike around trying not to get lost, being told my American accent is awesome, watching street performers, taking pictures of some really amazing buildings, trying not to get by cars because they drive on the opposite side of the road, an amazing get together at my new Latvian friend’s house with people from all different countries, going to an amazing Portuguese Church Service and spending the evening talking to new friends, and a few really solid writing sessions. Dublin is a beautiful city with a lot of diversity, from the old churches and the famous Trinity College; to Shopping Centre’s and streets packed with tourists and locals alike; it reminded me a lot of NYC or any other city I've been too.

To: Anabel, Felipe, Junior, Denise, Santa, Carlos, Lodo, Luiz, Rébékah, Miku, So Hyun,Young Kyoung, Genesis and Thiago --- I thank you J

I will surely miss my time and the people I met in Dublin, but they will definitely not be forgotten. My hope is to make Dublin my last stop at the end of the trip so I can say goodbye. As much as I will miss it, I am excited to get away from the city and see the countryside. My next stop is Wicklow where I’ll be able to see some of the beautiful landscape and hopefully find a place where I can pitch my tent and watch the sun rise while I read, write and think.