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Greetings Gunn Runner

I'm back from my Celtic Invasion Vacation and my vacation with my wife. Here's some pics from our trip to Barcelona and the countryside. We enjoyed the architecture and art from Gaudí.

I had a fantastic time on my Celtic Invasion of Galicia. This felt like my most-relaxing Celtic Invasion to date. And I learned a LOT too.

Like the Siesta. I finally understand the siesta. And it's the best thing ever!

It's not just about taking naps after lunch. It's a big part of the Spanish culture.

Let me illustrate with a typical day on my trip and my life.

I normally get up early. 6 am is normal for me. Though on these trips, it was more like 8 am. I'm never hungry. In fact, I don't really want breakfast until about 9 or 10 am. So I grabbed a bite around then, with coffee.

We went and saw something. That took 3-4 hours. It was about 1 pm when I was finally ready for lunch. Spanish servers are in no rush. So let's say it's 2 pm when we finally ate. 3:30 when our meal was done. By then, the food coma settled. The afternoon heat was hottest then too.

Now, I love naps. But I've long had a rule that I need to keep my naps short, about 20 minutes tops. I wake feeling refreshed doing that. But after a nice lunch, I went back to my house and took a nap, no time constraints.

I typically slept for 1-1.5 hours. That had me waking up at 5 pm. In my book, that's crazy. I would never fall asleep at night. And yet...

I went out for an early evening activity. By 9 pm I was hungry. But 11-12 pm I was in bed asleep.

Again, for my lifestyle, that seemed crazy. But it also felt good... and relaxing.

The Celtic Invasion sort of followed this routine. And even with random changes for the day, it worked.

It also might solve one of the big problems I've had in the past on Invasions. Without the siesta, everyone was too tired to attend a 10 pm Irish session at a pub. Could this make that happen? Maybe...

Any case, I will continue to explore this idea. Next year, we're going on a Celtic Invasion to Hike the Isle of Skye. I feel like the siesta will work there too.

But we shall see. I'm gonna start working on my 2027 itinerary this month.

And I have more blogs from this year's invasion that I'll share in the days to come. So stay tuned.

Oh! Please be safe this summer. We're getting record heats. My mom in Italy is struggling with the heat there. And my nephew in Germany said it hit 107 degrees. I think Atlanta is hotter than usual.

Sláinte!Marc Gunn, "The Celtfather"

PS. If you want to get involved with Plastic Free July, here's a link. I'm gonna do my best to reduce or remove plastic use. It will be difficult.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Jul 16: Bandcamp Internet Concert

Jul 30-Aug 2: Gen Con, Indianapolis, IN 

Thu: Comedy Music Cabaret @ 7-9 PM

Thu: Sci Fi Drinking Songs @ 9 PM 

Fri: Hobbit Drinking Songs @ 9 PM

Sat: Doctor Who Drinking Songs @ 7 PM

Sat: Firefly Drinking Songs @ 9 PM

Sep 3-7: Dragon Con, Atlanta, Ga with Brobdingnagian Bards

Here's a complete list of What I'm Doing Now.

STATS

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LATEST SPOTIFY ALBUM STATS

Most-popular songs on Spotify, Last 28 Days:

The Widow and the Devil 4453

Hero of Canton 2243

Mingulay Brogue 909

Doctor of Gallifrey 1033

Hobbit Hornpipe 1306

A-Working in the Garden 707

Calton Weaver 347

Hobbit Polka 357

Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster 166

Reavers Malcolm 134

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits 115

May Will Bloom

I'll tell My Ma 69

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Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits 586

Firefly Drinking Songs 182

As Long As I'm FLyin' 129

Kilted For Her Pleasure 114

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Doctor of Gallifrey 807

Prancing Pony 194

Hero of Canton 85

Spotify playlists:

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 815

Firefly Drinking Songs: 169

Fun Christmas Songs with Family: 1954

PATRONAGE HAS ITS PERKS

Thank you. Truly.

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Thank you for being part of this adventure. 🍀

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