Rocket Slainte!

Belfry Tower in Bruges. The one that was used in the film In Bruges.

I’ve landed in Amsterdam. There’s a strange whiff about the place, but I can’t quite put my finger on it...

Hello again, this time from the Netherlands! I’ve been hopping on and off various modes of transport to get to this seat here in my hostel. Wednesday, I made my way to Brugge in Belgium, where I left you last. Yesterday I went out and about in the streets of Brugge. There’s not much to be said really other than, it’s BEAUTIFUL! I had to take several breaks along the way, to cope with my weeping. Tears of joy, of course. Every street is more and more enchanting than the next. And the architecture! Oh my God the architecture is amazing! I don’t know what Colin Farrell had against the place, it’s a never ending fairytale. 

Part of the main fountain in the centre of Brugge

So maybe it’s not that magical. Nowhere could be! It is a beautiful city, however, at times I found myself wandering around, wondering if I’d seen this glorious building before! Don’t get me wrong, the city is spectacular, yet one does get accustomed very quickly to the quaint cute image that Brugge presents. Talking to a local of my age at one point yesterday, he told me “It’s a very safe town. Very peaceful. And that’s why I fucking hate it!” In between my suppressed laughter, I could understand what he was saying. You easily forget this is a city of 100,000 people. It is very local, and what I mean by that, is that even the furthest point of the city only seems a short walk away! It reminded me of a city in Ireland. Galway, on Irelands west coast, is a city of a similar size and has that same “nothing is too far away” feeling to it. I love it! In Galway, will you not only find some of the best people you’ve ever met but you’ll also encounter an atmosphere like no other. Hard to describe, it’s best summed up as a party town with a seriously laid back attitude. Everywhere is within walking distance and if you can’t find a decent pint of Guinness here, I’ll take you to the Guinness Factory myself! Still, I came to Brugge to chill out, meet some people and have a few laughs and I got what I wanted!

Then, what is there to do in Brugge? Drink for one. After tuning in to see Katie Taylors Gold medal performance, via a patchy internet connection, I made my way to the local bar to celebrate! Five minutes later, I’m chatting to two guys from Birmingham, UK and an Australian guy too! Hours later we were still at it! The lads were even nice enough to model some Isaacs tshirts too! In the picture you’ll see brothers Jared and Dale, and in the middle you’ll see Alex from Oz. 

I even thought them how to offer a cheers in Irish. Slainte! Meaning ‘health’ in our native tonuge, the Irish often raise their glasses and shout Slainte while clinking glasses. The guys had a unique way of learning how to say it. Pronounced like Launcher, as in rocket launcher, they soon got to grips with it. And lo and behold, I was given the nickname “Rocket Slainte!” Only in Brugge!

I was lucky to meet the guys last night. If it wasn’t for Katie Taylors win, who knows, I might have gone and seen more lovely buildings! Katie Taylor is a modern day Mohammed Ali for Irish Boxing! A true heroine. During the London Olympics, we’ve seen yet again that the Irish excel when it comes to boxing. The Fighting Irish eh? Doesn’t do much to help our stereotype, but a Gold Medal is a gold medal! Not only do the Irish excel in boxing, but also in horse riding and rugby too. Yet, when it comes to an Irish sport, you cannot go further than the GAA! With hurling and football, the passion is stirred nowhere as much as it is with the GAA. If and when you visit Ireland, you must take a tour of the brilliant Croke Park (just a stone's throw from the lovely Isaacs Hostel), home of the GAA in Ireland. It has a fantastic museum and will leave you salivating at the mouth to see hurling or football in action. And that can also be done in Croke Park! What are you waiting for!?

Tomorrow I plan to see the streets of Amsterdam. Don’t worry, I’ve got my protection. Sunscreen! It’s gonna be a scorcher! What I’ll see, who knows. What I’ll smell... well that’s easier to assume. Until then!

Follow me and my travels and Twitter at @ciaran_o_connor and @IsaacsHostel and on Facebook on the IsaacsHostel page!