Hi everyone! I'm sorry it has been so long since I've had a chance to write.
It started to become a bit hectic here with the start of classes, the new roommates arriving, and sorting of my schedule.
Hmm, where did I leave off?
Ok, so, two weekends ago half of the group was taking the tour of Italy while the rest of us remained in Dublin and to take an Irish history course and day tours throughout the local counties.
The four girls who were on the tour, myself included, decided to get out of Dublin for a bit and hopped on a bus to Galway. Most of the time I was able to sleep but every so often I brought out the camera to capture the beautiful country side passing outside my window. Although...after about 200 pictures, all sheep begin to look rather similar :)
After a bumpy four hour ride from Dublin to the west coast of Ireland where Galway is located I wanted nothing more than a hearty meal. The girls and I dropped our things at our hostel, Kinlay House, and set out to explore Galway.
Our first stop was at a little crepe shop named Zatsuma where I ordered "the Spicy Galway"- a crepe filled with cajun chicken, tomato, cheddar cheese, and a sweet&spicy sauce. It was absolutely delicious. When we finished our meal we took a stroll down the main, cobble stone streets of Galway which were lined with little shops, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, and pubs. After learning about the history of the "Claddagh" the girls and I continued down the path towards the bay where we were greeted by dozens of beautiful swans (almost taller than me!) and other birds and ducks who were unphased by our presence. The coastline was breathtaking. With the little seaside town behind me and the Atlantic in front of me it felt like I had never even left home. Dogs were running freely in the green fields to my right and I wanted nothing more than to have Peaches with me running around and swimming by my side. Ok, I guess the rest of the family could be there too :)
As the sun was setting we decided to head back into town, grab some dinner, and see what Galway had to offer for pubs. When we returned back to our hostel we were greeted by a woman who was sharing our room with us. Her name was Nahdia; she had been traveling throughout Europe for 5 weeks on her own while on vacation from teaching where she lives in Australia. She had already been in Galway for about a week and offered to show us a few pubs she liked. (Thanks for the advice Johnny!!! Galway misses you!)
The first pub we went to was Taaffes Pub. It was exactly what one would expect an Irish pub to look like- wooden floors, stone walls, dim lighting, people packed in like sardines, the smell of smoke in the air coming in from outside, beer...everywhere, and a four person band in the back playing traditional instruments- one of the men switching back and forth between playing the penny whistle and doing a jig. Everyone cheered and clapped though no one had more than a few inches of room and in Ireland there is no such thing as "personal space". If you're in someones way they will literally pick you up and move you, though they are always kind about it. After Taaffes we went to a second pub called The Quays. This pub was a bit bigger though still very traditional. The entrance had a bar that opened up to a staircase. At the bottom of the stairs was a dance floor, a second bar, and another set of open stairs leading up to a third bar and a balcony where a band was playing. With a few beers in us and a new Aussie friend we decided to go to one more pub named The Kings Head. Like the others, this pub had dark wooden floors, a wrap-around bar, and traditional style decor. A live band was playing in the rear on a stage where the female singer was singing every typical American song possible like...ug...Love Shack. The best part was, the Irish knew more words than any of the four of us did. After a long night it was time to head back to the hostel and get some rest. Wandering the streets of Galway trying to find your hostel is even better when you have a crepe filled with Nutella and whipped cream. If you happen to see a street performer with a guitar, feel free to sing "Leavin' on a jet plane" with him, too...and throw him a few euro. :)
The next day the girls and I had hoped to go to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher but we unfortunately woke to what seemed to be a small hurricane. The cliffs would have to wait for now. After having a crepe (which became a huge problem for me while in Galway and the only thing I ate) we battled through the storm to Galway Museum where we learned a bit about the history of Galway and discovered JFK was a god in Ireland, having an entire section dedicated to him. The rest of the day became too awful to even go outside so it ended with a quick stop at a small street market where I bought a type of potato and pea curry/stew, followed by a long nap and a Guinness or two.....and maybe another crepe.
When we woke the next day the sun was shining, which is like gold in Ireland, so we hopped on a bus that took us on a scenic tour of the western coastline to the Cliffs of Moher. The ocean was a magnificent blue-green unlike any shade I'd every seen before and several quaint little towns passed by my window nestled between the Atlantic and the rolling green hills of Ireland. An hour after getting on the bus it pulled up to the tourist center at the cliffs. The center was built into a hillside and looked like the home of the Teletubbies with only a few windows giving away it's presence. This was because there had been a long debate about having an info center at all with arguments that it would take away from the natural feel of the cliffs if a huge tourist center was built. With only a few minutes to spare to beat the rain I walked towards the footpath along the cliff's edge. More than 500 feet below me extending as far as I could see was the Atlantic. The cliffs were absolutely massive and beautiful. As quickly as the sun had come though, it was once again hidden by the dark storm clouds coming in from the ocean. The winds picked up and the rain managed to find its way to every one of my remaining dry spots. My trip to the cliffs had to be cut short, but was absolutely breathtaking to say the very least. When I returned home to Dublin later that evening I was thrilled to be greeted with a package full of rice krispie treat sent from Memere (je vous aime avec tout ma coeur)! Galway was amazing...and wet. The pubs had a more authentic feel and I can't wait to hopefully return there later on when the weather is a bit nicer. :) I'll leave off here for now because I just wrote a novel, though I do still have many updates to write about! Tomorrow I will be going to a Gaelic Football Match!!! I can't wait to share stories about it :)
I miss you all and love you.
<3 Slainte,
Sam
