Life at G42

As I was laying out on the beach this weekend, basking in the sunshine of the Costa del Sol and soaking up the spray of the Mediterranean, I suddenly realized the urgency of communicating what exactly I'm doing here in Spain. I know I've mentioned G42, but most of you are probably still pretty much in the dark as to what it is and what I'm doing and learning, so I'm hoping to shed some light on that today :)

First and foremost, G42 is a leadership academy for young adults (at 23, I'm the youngest one here) who are yearning to bring life and freedom to a world where we too often see poverty, destitution, and bondage reigning. God created the earth with the desire for his beloved creation - human beings - to fill it, subdue it, and bring LIFE. Our goal here at G42 is to share this abundant life of hope, joy, and excitement by building God's kingdom here on earth and acting as Christ's hands and feet to make dead things come alive and to restore the earth to what God originally intended it to be - full of life! This ambition may be worked out in a variety of ways in each of the interns' lives. For some, it will mean planting churches around the world. For others, it may mean starting a non-profit organization or ministry to provide help, love, and stability to troubled people. For others still, it might mean venturing into the corporate world or starting a business of their own to change their community from within. Whatever or wherever it may be that each person ends up, our goal at G42 is to equip and prepare ourselves to reach the potential of who God created us to be and to accomplish on earth the vision he put in each of our hearts!

We start by attending classes in a building down the road (the Epicentro) four days a week, Monday through Thursday. In the mornings, we begin class at 9:30 and go until 12:00 when we break for lunch. The interns all usually head back to our house to make lunch, nap, read, or hang out until 2:00 when we go back for our second session of class for the day. At 4:00, we finish and are free until dinner at 7:00. Dinner time is one of the best parts of the day, because all ten of the interns, plus whatever guests we have over for dinner that night, gather around our table out on the patio and eat, laugh, and chat for as long as we want. Dinner here is never a short affair, but rather we linger, take our time, and relish in good company and great food. While classes and teaching are important, G42 has recognized that some of the most influential times and conversations of our lives happen around the dinner table, amongst community and friends, so we make sure to enjoy and delight in these times.

Fridays are our cleaning and grocery days, and we all split up the chores around the house so that it gets cleaned at least once a week. Throughout the week, we are paired up with a partner (the same person for the whole semester) and assigned the nightly duties of cooking, taking out the trash, or doing dishes. Since we have four teams but only three tasks, that means each team gets one week a month off :) The cooking team always has the most work for the week, since they have to spend every evening cooking for 10-15 people, but preparations are made well in advance - the menu is planned out and the grocery shopping is completed on Friday morning - so things actually go quite smoothly. Most of us don't have much experience cooking for ourselves, let alone for fifteen people, but we enjoy the adventure and the learning experience, and somehow we always end up with delicious food on the table!

Dinners are every night of the week except Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), since most people are usually doing their own thing (which oftentimes involves the beach!). On Fridays the house has dinner together and then everyone involved with G42 comes over for tapas (Spanish tradition) around 8:00. That includes the founder of G42, Andrew Shearman, and his wife Mo, and all of the G42 staff and their families, plus whichever guest teachers may be in town for the week or whatever friends we may have invited that we met on various outings or in town. It's a great and relaxing time - everyone just gets together and hangs out on the terrace enjoying the tapas and drinks everyone has brought over.

 

As you can see from our schedule, we do have quite a bit of free time, but somehow living with 7 other people and being in Spain leaves me busy almost every minute of the day. In between and after classes, we spend lots of time hanging out with each other, reflecting on what we've learned, talking, watching movies, reading together, having dance parties, or wandering around Mijas. During the summer months here in Mijas, you can get tapas and a small drink at any restaurant for only 1.50 euro, so several nights of the week after dinner we hop from restaurant to restaurant to sample a little taste of everything. Some nights we'll worship together, some nights we'll play card games, some nights we'll work on assignments for class, and other nights everyone is in bed by 10:30 (except me of course!). On the weekends, we interns spend a lot of time catching up on life - contacting family members, writing blogs, responding to emails, journaling, and sleeping. When we've had enough time inside, we like to go out to nearby towns and find whatever festivals may be going on that weekend, go shopping, go dancing, and of course.... go to the beach!

Last week all the girls from the house took the bus down to Benalmadena, a town we hadn't been to before, and walked around near the beach. We found a company offering hour-long boat tours for only ten euros a person, so we all hopped on and sailed out onto the Mediterranean for the afternoon. It was such a beautiful day! We even got a chance to stop the boat and jump out into the water and swim around for a bit. The water was freezing, but it was totally worth it :) That may have been the farthest out I've ever been in the open water before! After our boat ride, we walked around a little more until we found a beach that was packed with people and staked a prime spot right in front of the waves. Three or four hours later, completely sunburned and waterlogged, we packed up our things and headed back home on the bus, exhausted but thrilled by our long sunny day at the beach.

Besides our awesome days soaking up the sun on the beach, we also spend a lot of time soaking up new information in class as well. Each week, we have a different teacher or guest speaker that comes in to share with us their stories, knowledge, and advice, gained from years of practical experience in their specialized fields. G42 is structured into four three-month semesters per year, starting in January, April, July, and October. The full program is six months long, or two semesters, and an intern can start at the beginning of any one of the terms. January and July are identical terms, focusing more on the business side of things and trying to build up our entrepreneurial skills. Likewise, the April and October terms are the same, really concentrating on personal spiritual growth and developing the vision that God has put in our hearts.

Andrew and Brook, one of the interns, playing a game of cornhole

Over the past three weeks that I've been here, we have had three different speakers, two of which live in Mijas and are full-time staff at G42. The first week, we were taught by Andrew Shearman, who introduced to us the basic vision and premise of G42. We talked about core values of G42, what God's point is for us on this earth, our inheritance as children of God, and what exactly the 42nd Generation is (be watching for a future blog on this). His teachings are radical and thought-provoking, and I left class every day overwhelmed by the all the new information I was taking in. He absolutely blew my mind with his interpretations and life-giving attitude, stretching me to think about things in a way I have never even thought of before.

For more information on Andrew (and David below), you can read their bios on G42's website here.

The next week, we had David Fredickz, originally from Holland, teach us on the topic of leadership. He started by discussing leadership roles within the church and then moved on to cover Christian leadership and servant leadership (flashback to my DBU days!), leading in difficult times, character, attitude, communication, and leadership development. We had several great discussions in class about each person's opinion on church structure and what works best, and we also got a chance to practice our public speaking and communication skills by giving a ten minute presentation in class on any subject of our choice.

This past week, we had a guest speaker named Steve Holmes come in from England. Steve is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word and has begun dozens of different businesses and organizations over the years, all for the betterment of his community. After pastoring a church for several years and starting a charity, Steve pursued a dream of bringing free dentistry to the people of his hometown in the East Midlands, England. Now, several years later, Genesis Enterprise Foundation offers everything from dentistry to a family and community center, a resource center, and a Hall that serves as an event venue, only to name a few. Steve was able to share his story with us and offer us advice and tips on how to present a business pitch or get going on starting our own business if that is something we desire to do. After two days of lecturing in class, we were split into groups and assigned a project: develop a plot of land that had been "donated" to us (all hypothetical) into a probable business plan and then present that plan to a panel of judges that would decide which of the three groups they wanted to support by offering grants, loans, and the opportunity to actually develop the property into our plan.

Needless to say, it was a slightly stressful day or two as each group worked to come up with a creative and unique plan that would be more likely than the other groups to receive an offer of a grant or loan (still hypothetical). Unfortunately, my group didn't win, but we all definitely learned a ton about what it takes to actually start up a successful business!

Next week, Andrew is teaching us again, and I'm really looking forward being challenged and stretched by his teachings once again.

Hopefully that gives you a little better idea of G42 and what I'm learning and doing here. I am so excited for how God is working in my life and heart and for where He is going to take me in this whole process. At the end of this semester, in September, we have to present a vision project of what we want to do to bring God's love to life on this earth. At the moment, I'm still pretty unsure what exactly I'm called to do and where I want to end up, but I know that as we seek to hear the voice of God speaking into our lives over the next few weeks and months, it is going to become more and more clear. After all, my vision is just a part of God's vision anyways, and there are so many different ways I can jump in and help it to come alive!

The Little White Village

After spending about five weeks in Ireland, the time came for me to say goodbye and continue on to the next part of my adventure: Spain. I arrived in Spain on July 4 (a little sad to have missed my favorite U.S. holiday) to participate in the G42 Leadership Academy as an intern and student. At the airport, I was greeted by one of the teachers who drove me back to the G42 house where 8 other interns and a few other staff members had dinner waiting for me.

There is so much I would like to share about G42 and what I've been doing here in Spain, but I think the best way to start is to tell you a little about where I'm at and the town I live in.

the gorgeous Costa del Sol

G42 (which you can be sure I will write more on later) is located in Mijas Pueblo, Spain, about thirty minutes from the city of Malaga. If you aren't familiar with Malaga, it is the sixth largest city in Spain, located on the Costa del Sol in a southern region of Spain called Andalusia. Mijas Pueblo, a quaint "white village" set off the coast of the Mediterranean and nestled up in the mountains, is about thirty minutes from the city center of Malaga. Only twenty minutes down the mountain lies the decently large city of Fuengirola, home to the G42 interns' favorite beach (of course!).


If you come to Mijas, surprisingly you might not find too many Spaniards. What you will find, in abundance, are tourists and travelers on holiday from all over the world. Walking the cobblestone streets of the picturesque town you are certain to pass Japanese, Germans, Scottish, Indians - people from all countries and all cultures - shopping, sightseeing, touring, and relaxing. Along the sides of the windy, narrow roads of Mijas, dozens of tourist shops, trinket stores, and authentic Spanish restaurants boast their bright colors to draw in naive travelers who are convinced they need one more piece of pottery, jewelry, key chain, or glass of Sangria. With unmistakable hats, sunglasses, and cameras, excited new visitors are everywhere you turn, adding a lively and bubbly spirit to a sunny and friendly town.

a little restaurant we often refer to as "the blue chair place"

Beginning around ten in the morning, the town swiftly buzzes with excitement as new tourists arrive, coming spend the day discovering the charm of Mijas. And charm it is - at any moment walking down the street you might need to pause and stand aside to let a horse carriage with delighted passengers spin through or to allow a long line of donkeys transporting weary travelers clop by. In addition to the alluring brightly colored Spanish items outside of every shop, you'll be enchanted by the brilliant white of the traditional houses and apartments all through the town. A leisurely walk out to the Lookout Point offers not only a panoramic view of the Mediterranean coastline but also a perfect display of the white village houses stacked up on the side of the mountain, perfectly accented with red tiled roofs, tranquil terraces, and tiny dark windows.

Inside those windows are stories that go back decades. Most of the Mijaños, or citizens of Mijas, have lived in their houses for their entire lives, meaning there are a lot of old folks around! Since most houses in Mijas don't have air conditioning, you will often find the bright green or red doors of the Mijaños propped open while the sun beams down on the whitewashed walls in the heat of the day. In the evening, the streets tend to empty of tourists and instead fill with Mijaños who have migrated outside to their doorsteps and terraces to enjoy the cool and refreshing sea breeze. If you travel down to the plaza at the end of our street, at any time of the day you will always find a group of old men in wide-brimmed hats, resting on benches and beaming their toothless smiles at all the new faces strolling by. A little further up from the plaza sits a bull ring at the top of a sloping hill, a popular destination for tourists to visit during summer stays. During the summer months, trumpets and fanfares can be heard echoing through the streets of Mijas, announcing the beginning (or victory... to be honest, I'm not sure quite yet) of a bull fight.

old men in the plaza

On Tuesdays and Thursdays in the summer, Mijas holds a market in the Plaza Mayor, proving to consistently be a well-attended social gathering that provides common ground for both the locals and the visitors. Local artists and artisans set up booths to display and sell their creations while salsa and pop music boom through the plaza until all hours of the night. At midnight, salsa dancing lessons start, and teenage girls crowd up at the front while young parents with toddlers and holidaying old couples dance shamelessly off to the side or from the back. Spain is a country of freedom; everybody lives life to the fullest and is not afraid to enjoy it. It's a beautiful thing. Last week at the midnight dance lessons, my heart was warmed watching a mother dance with her baby, a lone traveler with eyes closed dancing with all his might, and a British couple with their arms around each other, nodding their heads to the music. Spain allows people to be liberated, to express themselves, to indulge.... and to be happy. It's a place of family, friendship, laughs, good food, rest, and adventure.

the view from my balcony

The only downside is that the rest part seems to come at the most inopportune time, at least for my schedule. In the past few weeks, I have come to view Mijas as the city that never sleeps. Up until two or three in the morning, people are out eating dinner on the streets, talking in the square, or blaring music. And even if they're not, city workers will be sure to provide whatever noise might have been lacking - like the trash truck at 2 am or street sweepers a 7 am - all great services, but at completely inconvenient times. I suppose the reason it is such a bother to me is because of the location of our house. G42 owns two houses on Calle San Sebastian, a beautiful street near the center of Mijas. In fact, it's so beautiful that it's the most photographed street in all of Southern Spain. That means that at all hours of the day, there are Europeans, Americans, and plenty of Japanese tourists in bucket hats and armed with cameras meandering down our street, peering into our windows. And since we often leave the door open to circulate the air, we even have a few uninvited visitors come strolling into our entryway every now and then ;-) To perfectly illustrate how popular our street is, I can tell you that the very first day I arrived in Mijas, I walked out onto the balcony outside my room (hanging over onto the street) to hear an British girl about my age proclaim, "This is such a gorgeous street!" She then proceeded to nudge her boyfriend and point up to me, the "girl on the balcony," as I stared questioningly from above. "Smile for a picture!" She eagerly shouted as she pointed the camera nose at me.

our house is right next to the wine museum

This happens all day, every day. Some of the interns told me they used to try to get out of the way when people were taking pictures, but they don't even bother anymore because it would virtually mean being unable to walk to our front door. On the flip side, however, we live on an absolutely gorgeous street! The view from my balcony (even if it often includes tourists taking pictures of me) and from our front door is what people travel miles and miles and sometimes halfway across the world to see! In addition, our house is right next door to a wine museum, so we have made friends with the owner and often take leisurely breaks during the evening to pay him a visit and drink some delicious Spanish wine. Everything in the town is less than a five minute walk from my doorstep, and I can get to the beach or hike a mountain within 20 minutes. One of my favorite parts about our house is the terrace we have in the back, the perfect place to hang out on a warm summer's evening and eat tapas and play games with friends.

I feel so lucky to be able to live in a place like Mijas, but I'm not here for all fun and games! It is an absolute bonus that we get to enjoy such a stunning and magnificent place, but the real reason we are here is to fill our minds and grow our spirits. We attend classes everyday and have been working hard to read, learn, and write, growing into the men and women God created us to be. I will share with you soon who I'm living with and what our daily schedule is like, plus a little bit about what we're learning and what exactly G42 is all about, so stay tuned!

Up on the Mountain: Part 2

I had another excursion in Ireland on a free day I had when the weather was nice, so I took a ferry from Schull Harbor out to an island off the coast called Cape Clear. It could not have been a more perfect day; in fact, I remember saying several times that it was the nicest day of my entire stay in Ireland so far, which was true. I joined some other tourists and Holiday-ers on the ferry and enjoyed about an hour ride across the blue sparkly waters. The tour was guided, so as I surveyed the coast land and other islands we passed along the way, I was well informed about history, interesting facts, and exciting tidbits. Some people tuned out our tour guide and took a nap, but I clung to every word he said, thirsty to learn so many intriguing things about all these beautiful places. We finally arrived at Cape Clear and pulled into a small harbor formed between two cliffs. The tour guide had told us that not many people live on the island (around 100 I think), but many people come to visit often.

After debarking the ferry, I followed signs into the little village on the island. I walked around a couple tiny shops and looked for somewhere to eat lunch. A small little pub a little further outside the main village caught my eye, so I went in to have a look around. The bartender was a guy from New Zealand who had come to work in Ireland for a year. He told me a little about the island and which places I should visit, so I decided to go see some before I ate. My first stop was the lake, only a fifteen minute walk from the pub. The path to the lake led me up a slight hill and through a very rural area, surrounded by nothing but grass, rocks, and a few houses off in the distance. Halfway through the walk, I stopped and looked around in shock. I could not believe where I was.

All through my hike, I had just been walking along, not really realizing what was around me. Once I finally stopped and looked at it for a minute, I felt like the luckiest person in the world. I was walking through rural Ireland, experiencing exactly what I have seen in the movies, exactly what I always imagined Ireland being like, and it was breathtaking. There was nothing particularly special or amazing about it, only the mere fact that I finally realized I was in Ireland. This was it. This was the full Irish experience - the land, the mountains, the green, the breeze, the birds flying overhead - everything anyone would imagine when thinking about Ireland, and I was standing right in the middle of it. What a phenomenal experience.

The lake was just as beautiful too, a small triangle of water with only a short line of trees and a small hill separating it from the vast ocean behind. On the ferry, the tour guide had informed us that this island was a great place for bird watching because many of the birds that lost their course during migration ended up on finding Cape Clear to land and rest on. As a result, there were tons of birds flying around over the lake and sea, every so often dipping down to fish some dinner out of the water. If I knew anything about birds, I probably would have appreciated more what I was seeing, but all I could do was look and think that they seemed pretty cool. From the end of the lake, there was an incredible view of Fastnet Island, home to a famous lighthouse signaling the small rock out in the middle of the ocean. It was only 9 kilometers away.

After my visit to the lake, I went back to the pub for some soup and salad. While I was eating, I made friends with some of the locals working and they eventually convinced me to try this nasty sea creature they were eating called a periwinkle. I told them I would only try it if they took pictures of me eating it. I think the pictures say enough for themselves:

Needless to say, it was pretty gross and tasted just like squid (NOT my favorite food), although I think it was a snail of some sort. 

Before I ran out of time, I wanted to make sure I saw the other half of the island, so I set out from the pub to walk up the hill on the other side of Cape Clear and discover what was over there. The bartenders told me that it was a long walk and I might not have enough time, so they suggested I cut through the mountain on a path that leads right over the top instead of walking along the road that goes all the way around. I set out up the steep mountain road, keeping an eye out for this somewhat hidden path. Out of all the hills and mountains I have had to climb up since being in Ireland, this one was by far the hardest. There were points when I actually considered walking backwards because it might lessen the incline, but I pushed on, reminding myself what a good work out it was. The hill plateaued at the top and continued on a flat level for awhile, allowing me to catch my breath. Eventually I found the path over the top of the mountain and steered onto it, not knowing where it would take me. At first I was led through some trees and a foresty type area. As the trail progressed, the trees cleared and I was left on a small dirt path surrounded by shrubbery and greenness. I paused and turned around to see an ancient castle lining the edge of the mountain in front of me. Only in Ireland... 

The farther up I climbed, the windier it got. I climbed higher and higher and higher, until all of a sudden it got so quiet. I looked below to see all the houses and roads and farms, but I could hear nothing. Nothing except the gentle hum of nature... gusts of wind through the trees, birds calling above, the chirp and buzz of locusts and bugs. I was on top of a mountain, and I felt triumphant being part of the beauty all around me. 

Before I left the island, I made an excursion to see a castle everyone had been talking about. I had to cross fields, fences, bogs, and weeds to get there, but I knew I couldn't leave without seeing it. It's an ancient castle, perched on a cliff at the edge of one of the small fingers of the island, unable to be reached by foot due to the perilous waves and sharp rocks. But man was it cool to look at.  

I'm running out of words to use to describe the beauty and magnificence of all the things I have been able to see. They were all so beautiful, so grandiose, but there are just not enough words in our language to describe them (or at least not enough that I know). All I can say is that when I stood out on a ledge overlooking the crashing waves and the castle in front of me, all I could think of was Eowyn in Lord of the Rings when she stands in a paramount shot outside of her castle at the top of a mountain, blonde hair and white dress whirling in the wind. 

I tried to find a youtube clip with only that scene in the movie, but all I could find was a completely cheesy compilation video someone made with even cheesier music. The only part you should even bother watching starts at 23 seconds and lasts till about 35 seconds.

After fighting to stand my ground and not be tossed into the ocean by the violent wind, I scampered back down from the cliff I had been standing on and hurried back to catch the ferry. Completely tuckered out from all the hiking and steep climbing, I took a nap on the way home. :)

The next day, I had brunch with a friend that I met at one of the local pubs and we headed out to another part of Schull I had yet to discover and went snorkeling. Well, I didn't go snorkeling, but I took a really nice walk while my friend did. When it's only 65 degrees out and the water is quite a bit colder than that, there's no chance of me getting in. Plus, I didn't have a wet suit. Even still, I enjoyed the scenic drive to our destination and observing the whole process of how snorkeling works. I didn't realize there was so much set up that is involved, but maybe that's just when it's cold outside.

Driving up to the small harbor where the snorkeling took place, we came across one of my favorite views in all of Ireland. The road we were driving on, a single-lane dirt road like all the rest in the country, abruptly ended in front of us leaving nothing beyond it except an incredibly clear sea. It almost seemed to drop off into nothingness, but logic could overshadow illusion. Next to the road was a small, rickety fence, with ramshackle posts crookedly sticking out of the ground. Off in the distance, an old castle stood prominently on a hilltop. As my friend splashed through the water, I wandered up and down the roads, disappearing behind tall weeds and shrubs lining the lanes. It was a wonderful and refreshing way to start my morning.

Before traveling to Ireland, I looked at pictures from the Connell family's former au pair. In one of her pictures, I saw a cool white cone looking thing propped on a hill. I didn't know what it was, but I was excited thinking about the fact that I might be able to go visit it once I got to Ireland. After my entire month stay there, I still did not know where this white cone thing was or how to get there. During a conversation with Amanda one day, I told her that I wanted to go to a town on one of the other peninsulas called Baltimore, since I had heard really great things about it. Amanda said that would be a great idea and then mentioned the light beacon that I could visit while I was there. Even though I had never heard the proper name before, I knew that the light beacon she was referring to was the white cone I saw in the picture. I was thrilled that during my last week in Ireland, I would finally get to visit something I had been hoping to see for the last month and a half! 

I drove out to Baltimore, about 45 minutes away, with the windows down and the sun shining on my face. Since our little old "West Cork car" has no radio, I brought my iPod along so that I could jam to some tunes along the way. I pulled into the town of Baltimore and attempted to parallel park the car but failed miserably. Apparently I looked pretty pathetic, because a nice couple on the street offered to help me park. I took them up on it. After squeezing the car into an impossibly small space, I meandered through the town a bit, stopping to ask how to get to the light beacon. I found out that I could have driven up there, but it was a nice day so a leisurely walk seemed enjoyable. I walked about a kilometer or two, up a hill, following signs towards the light beacon. Along the way, I passed the harbor that was full of boats tied up, waiting for the next adventurer to come take them out into the shimmering ocean. Out at sea, sailboats were racing against the backdrop of rich, green mountains in the distance. Once again, I turned around and took in the view.

There's something about being up on a mountain. You feel exhilarated. You feel triumphant, a conqueror of steep slopes and burning legs. The world is at your feet, the beauty of the earth surrounding you. Any direction you turn leaves you in awe of the greatness around you and constantly reminds you of your meager, tiny size. And the wind is never lacking, provoking you to keep fighting for your position of victory, not to be dominated by that which is stronger.

I reached the top and finally fell right into the shadow of the light beacon, still pondering what its purposed and placement were on that mountain top. For one last time in Ireland, I stood out at the cliff edge (might I tell you that there was absolutely no protection or fencing lining the edge to prevent falls) and embraced the freshness of the Irish air. The moment didn't last long because in a matter of seconds I was already starting to feel a little queasy from fear of heights... but I felt quite fearless for actually having the courage to walk right up to an unprotected three hundred foot drop off! 

Up on the top of the mountain, there were a few trails to walk around. I had flip flops on and new that they weren't the best option for hiking, but I figured I'd try anyways. I took one step and fell flat on my butt. Unfortunately, my hand immediately went out behind me to brace the fall and was placed right into some kind of nasty Irish plant. After brushing off and settling myself for a few minutes, I looked down and realized my hand was not only covered in blood, but welts as well. And the closer I looked at the welts, I saw that each one had a tiny thistle or miniature thorn at the center of it. I had no idea if this was a poisonous plant or something terrible, but I tried not to freak out. I attempted to ask another family I came across if they new anything about plants in the area, but they turned out to be Spanish and not a whole lot of help. As I started the hike back down the road, I asked a woman with red hair pushing a stroller what it might have been. We ended up walking together and talking the entire way back. I learned that what I had was a common reaction of a nettle bush, some type of bush that is known to cause welts, thorns, and itchiness in people. Great. I guess if you're a country with no poisonous snakes or spiders and no poison ivy, you've got to have something that makes people miserable.

My hand cleared up fairly quickly and I continued my wanderings through the town. I walked through the main square area where everyone was outside eating lunch. Ironically enough, I ran into a girl I knew through Meg and a security guard I had met at Cape Clear a few days earlier (that one was pretty random). Right in front of all the main restaurants, a small castle had been built on a hill so I took some pictures and tried to check it out, but it was expensive. It was still great to see from the outside though!

I got back into my car, narrowly creeping out of the tight space I was parked in, and hopped back on the road home. Along the way, I saw a really cool looking castle in the distance and of course had to try and figure out how to get there. Sadly, I could never find a path to get there, so I never found the way. At least I still got a great picture of it though, a nice reminder to have of my last adventure in Ireland.