Our day started like any other day except, today, I get to see Bernie and Nigel, my Camino friends and the last of them that I saw in Sanitago over a year ago. I had not realized how much I was looking forward to seeing them until the time approached.
As usual, Bernie sprung into the lobby of the hotel with a huge smile on her face which, put a huge smile on my face. It felt so good to see her and to give her a big bear hug. No time to chat, traffic in Dublin was hectic and Nigel was illegally parked outside.
Getting out of Dublin was slow but, we talked and Susan got acquainted with them both, I was just happy to see them and to spend the next couple days seeing Dingle and the West of Ireland with friends. Our destination for today is Kilorglin, a small town and our jumping off point for this tour.
Nigel had recommended the Bianconi, a small inn and, his recommendation was a good one. Very nice and inviting with a bar and restaurant on the first floor, we put them both to good use.
After dinner, we walked over to a small bar, J.D. Falvey’s which is about as quintessential Irish Pub as I can imagine. We sat and talked, locals came and went and I talked to a couple gentlemen at the bar, one asked me where I was from. When I said Dallas, he immediately said, “where John F Kennedy was killed”. There was no implication, just noting it. It was a good evening.
Nigel had sent me a link to a YouTube video that was created there, it’s a bit long and it can be hard to understand but you can clearly see the passion the man had for his departed friend. Mr. Brightside.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my reunion with my friends, I’ve noted in the past that they made their mark on me on the Camino and it’s clearly a lasting mark. I’ve said it before, I’m a lucky man and much more rich because of people like Nigel and Bernie.
I’ve rambled a bit, sorry.