It's the end of my first week , and nearly the first full weekend, in Kinsale. It was a short week; I arrived early Wednesday morning and stayed awake long enough to get into my apartment, shower, and eat a small meal. I slept through my first official day in Ireland. Two quick days at work and the week was over. Compared to my trip here two weeks ago, the weather the past few days has been more typically Irish. Yesterday in the lashing rain I made my first trip into town for shopping. I take it as a positive I was only honked at a few times.

Rainy view from my apartment, Sat 10-Jul

These past few days have been a good lesson in everything I take for granted: scissors, decent kitchenware, a comfortable bed, lightbulbs. I've also realized everything that I should have brought but didn't: more cool weather clothing and more kitchen stuff (including my kitchen scale; I have no idea how I will measure things by weight). But all things considered, my apartment is much nicer than I would have expected, and I was able to buy most things I need.

This afternoon I took my first day trip; the short journey to Old Head. It's the name of the closest peninsula to Kinsale. The trip started out well; I felt comfortable driving and was excited when I could start to see tha Atlantic ahead of me. Not sure what happened next, but I managed to slice a 3-inch gap in my front passenger tire, completely flat (I could hear the air hissing out), on a narrow road in rural Ireland with no driveway in sight. But I got it fixed, and spent the next few hours enjoying the peninsula; you can't get to the very tip because there's a golf course there, but you can still see beautiful views of the rocks, the water, and other heads in the distance. For a Midwestern girl, even this is beautiful.

The coastline at Old Head

I'm sitting in my living room now, watching the end of the World Cup. I've become quite the fan during my last few weeks in Europe. I love the overdramatics of the players when they argue against a foul or when they get hurt (or pretend to get hurt), and after watching a few games I'm starting to understand the strategy of the game, and why there are so many fans. I have coworkers from both the countries who are playing tonight, and I'm sure tomorrow there will be much discussion, regardless of who wins.

The Irish countryside