Galway Girl!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

AHHHH! Galway!! This town is SO beautiful! I can’t believe this is just day 2.  I took about a bajillion pictures on the bus because Ireland is actually just like it seems in the movies. Green green green!

This hostel is cute and clean! “Barnacles” is the name. I stayed in a 12-bed room the first night and had a 6-bed all to myself on the second night. Favourite hostel from the whole trip!

10 bed room

6 bed room

View from my hostel room (minus the flowers...it's winter)

The town is nice and small (I really need to extend my vocabulary). I can’t describe how much I love it. It reminds me of the east coast in Canada. You’ll understand when you see the pictures!

The main street is another pedestrian road. They’re the greatest! Day and night, there’s always lots happening there.

Musicians, dancers…

I loved seeing this cute little girl so mesmerized by the dancer

yeah, ice cream in Feb!

...tonnnnnes of pubs and restaurants...

Garvey's, like my Grandma's maiden name

Cute little shops as well. I spent lots of time just walking up and down “Shop street” from Eryes Square (the main square) to the ocean, and just wandering around the town looking for what I could find. The town was small enough that even I couldn’t get too lost, but large enough to find lots of things to see.

I asked a man on the street if he could recommend a good restaurant that night with music. He named off a few places, then said, “You know, I’d take you for dinner tonight, but I’m just a poor hobo…” so funny! I ate at a little restaurant called Riordan’s Traditional Irish Food and had a delicious shepherd’s pie!

The streets were beautiful at night. I found two swans sleeping in the river.

Also made it to a church just before Mass. Churches are everywhere in Europe!

That night, I met some Polish and French girls. I was hoping to find a pub and listen to some music, but we went out to a club.

Sunday, February 12^th, 2012

The next day, I got up early. Apparently this isn’t common on a Sunday morning in Galway because the streets were empty.

I loved it! So peaceful. The  only sound was the seagulls calling from to the water. I walked about by the port/the quay, which is pronounced “queee” apparently, haha.

There's the church where I went to Mass the night before

At the port or the "quay"

I had some time to explore the town. I saw Spanish Arch, the Cathedral, and Lynch’s window. Fro my understanding, Lynch was the equivalent of the mayor a long time ago, and he was known as a fair man because that’s where he executed his guilty son.

Spanish Arch

Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven

Stolen from google images...

Lynch's Window

I saw a beautiful shrine for St. Bernadette (the day after her feast day). I just learned about her before I came from watching a cartoon movie with Donnell and Natalie Leahy’s kids and Frank, so that was cool! You can learn a lot from cartoons!

Webby, I found a statue of Oscar Wilde. Apparently he was from Ireland!

Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest

Gotta be careful with these rivers…

Ya think!?

This boat's seen some better days...

Check out that sign, top right

Walked through some very green soccer fields, over a little hill, then discovered the ocean! The tide was out! AHHH! So excited! (I did a lot of screaming in Galway, it was an exciting place!)

I met Jonathon Carroll from Dublin and José (?) from Spain at the hosel. He was the past Spanish Deputy Prime Minister’s grandson. So that means I hung out with a famous person right? We tired walking out to the lighthouse, but there was no access half way down the bridge.

We had dinner together at my first Irish pub, then went out to another pub (The Crane) with music! We visited with Aunt Joe and his wife that night. Haha, that man was hilarious!

At a pub with Jonathan and José

Aunt Joe, his wife and Jonathan

Monday, February 13, 2012

I couldn’t believe it was only Monday! My week in Ireland was just beginning, but I felt as if I had already done so much. Again, got up early at the hostel. This time, there was an older Irish man awake as well. We had a great visit over breakfast. Like aunt Gail said, in Ireland, it’s not the sites you see, it’s the people you meet. This man was one of those people I’ll remember.

Hostel kitchen

I only had a few hours in the morning to take one last walk around Galway.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

That afternoon, I hopped on a bus and left Galway. One of my favourite cities ever. I truly hope to return some day. Yeah, I'm going to come back.

Next adventure: Three days of farming in Clare County, Ireland! Blog to come.

Cheers!