arriving in Sligo and meeting Clara
In Charlestown, I found a phone and called ahead to Eden Hill Hostel to reserve a bed for the night. Heading up Market Square (N17) toward Sligo, I noticed the rural roads had gradually become modern highways o’er the progression my decreasingly scenic drive. There were still pastures and the odd ruin, but the general landscape could just as well have been New Hampshire. Having been through stunning Connemara and the Ring of Kerry, of course, my aesthetic sensibilities were had become less easily impressed.
In Sligo, I bought some food at a small grocery store nearby before checking in at Eden Hill. In the hostel, I met Clara! Wow, she was a sweet, hot, Spanish girl who had arrived a few minutes before I did and was still in the lobby. Clara and I hit it off immediately. We shared bread in the kitchen and got to know each other in her room. It was an enchanting conversation as we sat atop opposing bunk beds and applied our respective knowledge of each other’s language to communicate the best we could.
Eager to spend more time together, we went out to Shoot the Crows pub on Castle Street for some tradi’ music and Guinness. A French fellow traveler, whom I had earlier met at the hostel, joined us on our bench and playfully began making passes at Clara. Not to be out done, I sat between them and, placing an arm around my prize with exaggerated confidence, assured him that Clara was with me. We all had fun laughing and joking while consuming cerveza and listening to the band.
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