So this time around I traveled alone. I was nervous and a bit scared the day I arrived in Ireland. I spent 3 glorious days in Dublin, managed to collect a stalker on day 3 who followed me to Galway, Ireland on day 4. By the time the train arrived in Galway I had made up my mind that I'd have to be downright mean to the man to make him go away. "Nice" attracts the stalkers. He went away...thank God.

2 days in Galway, 2 days in Killarney, and then I went back to Dublin for the last 2 days. You know, the scenery is so beautiful in the countryside that words do not exist to accurately describe it, but I was blissful to be back in the city where I felt much more at home.

So, it was on the evening of Day 8 that I met, John. I was staying at a posh hotel in Dublin where one can stay relatively cheap if they're willing to accept one of their shoebox sized rooms. I had taken a nap and gotten all dressed up for the evening, headed downstairs to a patio in front of the hotel for a smoke when a well dressed, nice looking man wanted to know "what bloody time is it in this country anyway??" I was more than happy to strike up a conversation with him. We spent the rest of my time in Dublin together. He's currently working in China where he works as an engineer and is from Scotland. His accent is so thick that I spent a great deal of time nodding and smiling because I had no clue what he said. I sincerely thought that last morning that it had been a nice fling and we'd never see one another again. That was ok with me. Something in the way he put his arms on my waist, looked into my eyes, and gently kissed my lips .....and I thought "oh my god I think this guy actually LIKES me!" He will be coming to the states at some point for work and would like me to meet up with him when he does. I'm not sure how I feel about that right now. I really cannot say that I'm ready to ever do long distance again. Rather than make a snap decision, I'll stay quiet and just let things play out.

The most amazing things happen when we venture out alone.