Quick Update: Day 3....

...Where we take a bus tour from Dublin to Galway via the Cliffs of Moher; meet Bud, the bus driver; meet Rachel and Sam; and figure out that Nimmos is a sweet hostel.

So, today's day three, starting bright and early. Some not-fitting-in points... Teddie and I have started the "Giant Teddie Plays with Europe Storybook" that will be a separate page to the right. It's fun. Check it out for yourself (when we get it up there). [Teddie's comment: That's what she said]

Instead of giving you the blow-by-blow of our day, which mostly consisted of us riding on a bus, I want to introduce you to our bus driver, Bud.

Bud the Driver
       Bud is an older guy, probably in his 60s. He's hilarious, kind-hearted, and loves driving the tour buses. As we drove around Ireland, this time heading to the Cliffs of Moher, I was constantly amazed with his knowledge of the history of Ireland, the area, and specific sites. Of course, it's his job. But that's not something that comes easily to people. Clearly he loves what he's doing.
      Let's get this straight. Coach bus drivers everywhere are amazing drivers. They fit those things down streets, around corners, and into spots that any mere mortal driver could never fathom. I've long since lost that sense of dread when in a coach bus and approaching a tight spot. Instead, I see it as a form of sport. I think that would be a great Youtube video, a bunch of shots of coach bus drivers fitting into and around the most insane spots. C'mon interwebs, make it happen.
     Bud is one of those guys. But I digress.  We got to one of the last spots on the tour and we took the advantage to talk to him about his life a bit. He said he used to drive trucks for 5 years on the continent, and he's been driving coach buses for this company (Extreme Ireland) for 4 years. In between those two, however, he owned a successful furnishing business. I asked him what that meant, and he explained that he made furniture, but also contracted guys and would put together teams to fully furnish houses... so, lay electrical, plumbing, insulation, and do the whole house altogether. It was a successful business, and that is definitely something right up my alley.
    So why did he leave? Bud said he reached a point ("pint" in the Irish brogue :-) ) in his life where he wanted a change of things. So, he left the company, sold it. He said that he didn't know what the next step would be, but that he didn't want to drive trucks or buses again, at least not on the continent.
   This is the cool part of Bud's story (not saying the rest isn't cool, buuut). Someone he knew handed him a slip of paper with a number ("gnome-burr") on it, and told Bud to call it. He didn't get why, and put it off for a bit. That friend asked him if he'd called yet, and Bud replied "No, what is it? What am I calling fer?". The friends response was puzzling. "Just do it fer me, will ya?"
    So, Bud called. Someone picked up. I imagine the conversation went down a little something like this:

    Bud: "Hello!"
    Person X: "Hi what can I do ya fer?"

    Bud: "Uh, I actually don't know meself. I'm jus' callin' cause [coze] a frien's been pesterin' me to call this number, so I'm just obligin'."
    Person X: "Ah, well, can ya drive a coach [coh-ch]?"

    Bud: "Sure I can, I have me license and drove on the continent fer a few years. But I don' know that I want ta be doin't again."
    Person X: "Tell ya what, try it out fer a few weeks, an' if ya don' like it, ya can leave."

    Bud: "Arright, I don' see why not..."

    And so his stint as a coach bus tour guide/driver began. Out of the blue, friend handed him a number with no explanation. That number left him to this job. He explained that he loves driving, and he gets to meet a whole lot of people that way. I think one of the coolest things was watching him interact with locals or shop owners at each place we stopped. He knew his stuff, and he got to know the people he saw fairly often. Great guy, great country, and great feeling!



So that's the story of Bud. I'm posting this on Day 4, after we had a whole other bus tour to Connemara with a whole other unique bus driver (Old-man winter beard, lives on the border with Northern Ireland, has relatives on both sides, the conflict landed him in jail for 7 years, but there's plenty of love for family on both sides. His quote: "We're jus' people, ya know?").

More to come! Love and peace,

~Sean