The O'okie Bar

I arrived in Waterford and it was pouring down rain. I had to walk in the sideways rain from the train station to the tourist office which was several blocks away. I entered the tourist office dripping wet. I said, "What's you least expensive accommodation?" The lady informed me that they had no hostels in town. The cheapest room in town was 35 Euro or I could take the bus to a little town called, "Tramore" where they had a hostel for closer to 15 Euro. Since the bus station was right across the street and it was still early I decided to go into Tramore. I hoped on a bus and showed the driver my EuRail ticket.
Note: The EuRail Pass is good for all national train, bus, and boat services in valid EU countries. Ireland is one of these countries. The UK isn't, but I did get a discount on the boat ride from Holyhead, Wales to Dublin, Ireland. Anyway, my pass is good.

The driver looks at the pass and says, "This is a rail pass, not a bus ticket". I tried to explain to him how it was valid and continued to say, "I double checked this information with the lady in the ticket office moments ago and she said it to show it to you and that you would accept it." He kept saying, "But, this is a rail pass." After much debate from this burly Irish Bus Driver he reluctantly let me on. My thought in the back of my mind was that my pass might cause some delay later on if I decided to use the bus. I prefer train rides, but the buses in Ireland are more frequent. I had brought my EuRail terms and conditions booklet, but I ditched it in Austria since I never encountered a single problem and it was more weight in my pack.

The bus stop was right across the street from the hostel. The lights were off and the door was locked and it was still raining. I walked around back and saw an open door. I talked with a guy sitting there who said that the office was next door and was part of the Bed & Breakfast. I met the owner whose name was Avery and he was from San Diego. I guess it was just my and the guy I had just met who were staying in the hostel. The guy I met, his name was Christopher and he was from Alberta. After I put down my stuff I went back to the communal room where Christopher was. He was bundled up in warm cloths and was sitting next to the fire because he was cold. Not what I would expect from an Alberta boy. Anyway, he was about my age and he was one of these arrogant backpacker types. He was nice to chat with, but only for a while though.

I took some time to jump on the computer and decide what I was going to do the following day. While I was searching around I noticed that Ma was on Skype so since it was quiet (Christopher had left by this point) it was a good time to talk. I chatted for a while with Ma, Dad, and PupPup the Wonder Mutt. I guess that Wonder Mutt has been sleeping on my bed during the day and hides under the desk when I'm on Skype. She can hear and see me, but since I'm not "there" she's pretty confused I guess. Poor dog!

Even though it was rainy and the Town Center was quite a walk, I decided to be a man just deal with the rain and checkout some local places. Avery recommended a good local pub for food and drink. I suited up and went in cold rain to search for this place called, "Ragland Road". The town was nice, but the rain prevented me from looking up too often. I found it. It looked like a crappy bar from the outside. I thought, "Finally!" I don't know I've always preferred the "mom-and-pop" places. I mean, the best and worst food I have ever had have been in these places. Plus, they always offer a fun story and memorable experiences. While the food might be better and you'll know what you getting at a chain place....I prefer the small places. Not that I don't like the chain stuff, I just prefer the small places. Anyway, I walk in thinking, "Finally, a nice old local Irish pub!" Well, I walk into this place and the best way I can describe it is.....it's an "Irish Ookie Bar". An Ookie bar is a term that they used when I was living in Sanger as a very very very western/country/hick bar. Irish Ookie is an odd combination. Since I'm in Ireland....I'll call it an, "O'okie Bar". So, I'm in this O'okie bar and it's pretty full of people. I found a spot at the bar and had a beer with dinner. No one really to talk to and the bartenders were all busy. The food was good! I had what can be described as Fried Chicken that had garlic, butter and spinach stuffed in it. Very good! It was on a bed of rice. Now, they cut the garlic in giant chunks to the point where I couldn't tell the difference between the rice and the garlic. Good thing I'm single, because my date would have not enjoyed the smell of my breath after! I noticed that the bar sold Blue Moon which is my favorite American Beer and they also sold 7-Up in a glass bottle. Sweet! I didn't have any, but I thought it was cool. After dinner I walked back and went to bed.

This morning I woke up at 6am and caught 7am bus to Waterford. The bus driver looked at my ticket....looked at it some more. He asked, "Where you headed?". I said, "Waterford". He thinks for a bit and says, "Ok, on you go." Whoa, that was close! When I arrived in Waterford and walked around for a bit. The river was clam and the sun was rising. Beautiful! I grabbed some breakfast and a coffee as I waited for my bus to Cork. I got to the bus station early and talked with an Inspector about my concerns with my EuRail Pass. He said, "Yep, you'll be able to go on any national trains, buses, and boats. Yeah, I've never seen one of these before, but you'll be good." I asked I could explain to my bus drivers that this was a good ticket. He was nice enough to provide with some contact numbers that they could call to confirm. I hope this works!

The 9am bus to Cork arrived. I showed my pass to the driver. He said, "I don't know if this will work. I need to go into the station and check." I take a seat. He was gone for about 7-8 minutes and now the bus was late from it's scheduled departing time. He comes back and doesn't say a word to me. The doors close and then we were on our way. Whoa, that was close!

I'm on the bus now headed for Cork. I'll change buses there for Tralee and then it's onto the Dingle Peninsula. I should arrive by 3ish. It's a long time on a bus, but it should be worth it. So far the scenery has been beautiful and there is green grass everywhere. Every so often you'll see fog roll over the hills which look pretty spooky. It's beautiful!

Morning in Waterford

View from the Bus