Back In the States

So, after two of what may have been the most fun/interesting weeks of my life, I’ve been back in good old Pennsylvania for exactly a week now.

I meant to write an update the day I landed, but my family and jet lag held almost all my attention for the next two days.  Thursday marked my painful return to my gym routine (two weeks of Guinness and potatoes takes its toll) and a night out to celebrate my brother’s departure to law school (which will hopefully result in more posts about Pittsburgh and western PA).  On Friday, I was off to a Brewfest in State College (which I’ll be posting about) for the weekend and then used yesterday to travel back to Lancaster and get settled.  Moral of the story: I have terrible excuses AND have been finally enjoying a restful day of nothingness.

All in all. Ireland exceeded my expectations.  I could’ve stayed at least two more weeks.  I’m in the process of creating a top-ten Ireland post as well as a top-ten things to do on my return (which is already being planned) that will require some more time before they are ready.   The scenery there is just about as gorgeous as you can imagine, and cliché as it sounds, pictures really don’t do it justice.  I heard a lot of great Irish music (as well as a lot of great live music in general),  drank more Guinness and Bulmers (a hard cider marketed as Magners here) than I should’ve, and mastered the art of driving on the wrong side of the road.

More updates will come later this week.  And don’t worry, I won’t turn into an everything’s-better-abroad-and-if-you-haven’t-been-you’re-ignorant asshole.  I still really dig the greater PA area; I just might leave it some day to move to Ireland.