Aran Islands

At the cliff outside Dun Aonghasa

Right now, I'm on Inishmore in the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland. Originally, I was only planning to spend a night here before returning to happenin' Galway. I get the sense that this place could be pretty popular during the summer (if such a thing exists), but right now it's very quiet- perfect place to stop and relax and catch up with the world as well as catch up with myself.

On my first day, I had some good weather (light showers) and walked most of the island. The highlight was Dún Aonghasa, a fort built in the 2nd century BC. That's B.C.! Click the wikipedia link, they explain it better than I could.

                                    Panorama video from inside Dun Aonghasa

I also was blown away by all the stone walls. I haven't done any research but it seems like they were built both for herd rotation and to clear the rocky land for crops. A fellow traveller told me that there are something like 20,000 miles of stone walls on the island, which is remarkable because it is only 9 mile long and 2 miles wide.

I took a self-timed Giordann pose photo along one of the walls for all the sibies, Greeny in particular, roughly a year after the Barcelona trip. I'm not going to explain this photo for the rest of you bc it's not possible. I couldn't explain it to the Irishman tending to his herd on the other side of the wall either, so don't feel left out.

Yesterday, I barely left the hostel. It was raining, it was pouring, the old man was snoring, it was windy and I was lazy. Around sundown, everything calmed a bit an I decided I needed to earn that frozen pizza, so I took a short walk along the sea. If I learned anything from Vrango, it was that any island, no matter how small or how often the ferries run, has a football field. I was beginning to have my doubts about Inishmore because I had already found the school and there was no sign of a pitch (nice terminology, Sam!). But sure enough, along the beach, I found it, complete with rugby goalposts and probably something for hurling too, but I don't know what hurling is yet.

Today, I set out on a wander and came upon Teampall Chiarain, an 8th/9th century church. I found myself thinking about two people I care about greatly who are in poor health-my great grandmother Gackie and my uncle Freddy. It was an incredibly peaceful place and I found it a great place for a long stop and think, which I dedicated to them.

Eutin Tigers

I took a side trip to Eutin, Germany to meet Bob Alexander, coach of the Eutin Tigers, a premier youth club basketball team.

I'd grown frustrated by the lack of basketball I've seen thus far on the trip. I saw a few kids bouncing balls on the streets of Berlin, but they couldn't even string multiple dribbles together. Occasionally I'd see a court from a distance and hear the sounds of competition, but when I got closer, I always found street soccer.

So, the Eutin stop was refreshing first because I got to get in a gym on the first day of preseason for Swarthmore basketball 2011-2012 (Watch out Centennial!). I got some shots up in my running shoes, which felt great but also made me miss the game more because I wanted to get some live action, but knew that my glass ankles in lowtop NewBalances was a bad combination.

It was great to talk to Bob about basketball and travel. Basketball has taken him all over Europe and he has gotten to coach great kids in Germany and Croatia. Basketball has taken me many places as well-as a player, coach and fan-and I can't really imagine my life without it. Get that labor deal done, the only thing between the Knicks and a 'chip is this lockout!

Vrango

I woke up in Gothenburg with no plans. I had heard good things about the city's pub culture and the previous night confirmed them, but the city wasn't renowned for it's sights or daytime entertainment. A South African guy who'd been there awhile (because he lost his passport at the pubs) recommended the islands off Sweden's west coast, which were only a tram and a ferry away, so I headed out.

The port

I took thee ferry to the last stop, a small island called Vrango. I had no map, plan or any clue what this island was about and I was keen (talkin like an Aussie) to find out...as long as nothing resembled Lost.

The first thing that struck me was that there were more ice cream stands (5) than cars (0), although it looked like the stands were closed for the winter. Boats were the primary vehicle. To get around on land, locals walked, rode bikes or rode on the back of a friends bike. These people never needed cars, never wanted them and probably never will. Props to them.

As I walked along the "main" street I was surprised to see so many Swedish flags. These people were pretty self-sufficient, so I guess I expected a more independent attitude. Every house had a blue and gold flag waving proudly-some had two or three.

The water-as it was in the middle of Stockholm-was so clean, a perfect crystal blue, very inviting despite the whipping winds. In Stockholm, when the weather allows, you can jump right in off the docks in the middle of a metropolis of 2 million people. Try doing that in the Schuykill and you'll emerge with an extra leg and missing an ear.

After covering most of the perimeter of the island, I stopped to check the island map posted in the town center. They had little icons for the ferry, the helicopter and the fotbolsplan. I should have known there would be soccer out here. I followed the signs and stumbled upon the local mens soccer club playing a squad from one of the other islands.

It was an interesting lineup-some of the players were balding, some hadn't finished puberty, some were fat and some were tall and skinny. One of them, who I believe is Doug Yeates' Swedish cousin, was wearing fullbody Under Armor under his jersey. They weren't terribly skilled, but were having a blast playing in front of a small crowd of their neighbors and friends. They must have thought I was terribly lost.

Swedish Doug