i just got back from quite an exhausting weekend in galway on the west coast of ireland. i will spare you some of the dramatic details, but if you want to know more just ask mom because she knows it all ha. in any case, i made my way across the country by train with seven other students from my halls. i absolutely love traveling by train, especially through irish countryside as you pass by thatched roofed houses scattered among the endless hills that seem to look almost neon green. we made it to galway mid afternoon on saturday and explored the town on the harbor after one of many many hot chocolates at a local pub.
we found that the historical sites of the town lacked a little umph as the 'town castle' was now an AIB bank branch, and the spanish arch was just a stone arch about eight feet tall. however, galway is pretty much how you picture a quaint irish town to be with a beautiful harbor filled with what they call the 'galway hookers' (the traditional sailing boat, also the name of their beer).
as we were exploring the harbor we got caught in the most intense wind and rain storm I have ever been in! the hurricane-like winds almost blew us away (as seen below by my friend kate and her now demolished umbrella). we were so drenched and windblown that the only thing we could do was laugh our way all the way back to the pub to dry off, and maybe have another hot chocolate =)
we stayed inside the rest of the afternoon and evening playing cards, writing postcards and making frozen pizzas to avoid the rainstorm outside. not to mention massive amounts of kit kats on sale that became a significant staple throughout our trip (wow... chocolate became its own food group in galway, huh?!). we ventured off that evening to meet up with basically the other half of our hall at an apartment they had rented that evening. it was pretty fun, although it felt basically like we were back home: same characters, just a different setting.
the next day was our bus tour to the cliffs of moher and other sites around county galway and county clare. the tour was awful actually: our tour guide could not have been more uninteresting, monotone, and annoying. we stopped at very touristy sites that were hardly worth stopping at. some of the stops were actually quite cool, but we would only get to run off the bus for five minutes to take photos.
but once we made it to the cliffs, the long bus ride and the obnoxious tour guide was definitely worth it. have you ever been somewhere so remarkable that it made you feel so infinite and yet so small at the same time?! these cliffs are what people come to the west coast of ireland for, and for good reason. the sheer cliffs are absolutely terrifying especially when you are past the 'no trespassing sign' that everyone seems to ignore. but of course my camera battery runs out right as we are exploring the cliffs. luckily i managed to take a photo before it died. though i don't have visual evidence of the cliffs themselves, i assure you any photos that are taken at the cliffs of moher hardly do them any justice at all.
that night after an incredibly long and exhausting day, most of the group headed back home which left julia and me still in galway. my friend jake came up from a small town south of galway and we spent the evening at the crane bar. we went to the top floor of this pub to find a local band playing for the small crowd upstairs while random locals would go up to the band and sing beautiful irish songs. it was the perfect way to spend our last night in galway.
the next morning, julia left for the aran islands off the coast of ireland... and then there was one. luckily jake had come up for the night and we spent the morning eating delicious breakfast crepes, walking along the oceans edge, and visiting the massive galway cathedral. the four hour bus ride home was hardly a burden as i was just thrilled to be on my way back home. what an eventful weekend to say the least, but all in all i definitely enjoyed my time on the west coast and i am so looking forward to showing my family around when they come to visit! until next time...
we found that the historical sites of the town lacked a little umph as the 'town castle' was now an AIB bank branch, and the spanish arch was just a stone arch about eight feet tall. however, galway is pretty much how you picture a quaint irish town to be with a beautiful harbor filled with what they call the 'galway hookers' (the traditional sailing boat, also the name of their beer). 
as we were exploring the harbor we got caught in the most intense wind and rain storm I have ever been in! the hurricane-like winds almost blew us away (as seen below by my friend kate and her now demolished umbrella). we were so drenched and windblown that the only thing we could do was laugh our way all the way back to the pub to dry off, and maybe have another hot chocolate =) 
we stayed inside the rest of the afternoon and evening playing cards, writing postcards and making frozen pizzas to avoid the rainstorm outside. not to mention massive amounts of kit kats on sale that became a significant staple throughout our trip (wow... chocolate became its own food group in galway, huh?!). we ventured off that evening to meet up with basically the other half of our hall at an apartment they had rented that evening. it was pretty fun, although it felt basically like we were back home: same characters, just a different setting.
the next day was our bus tour to the cliffs of moher and other sites around county galway and county clare. the tour was awful actually: our tour guide could not have been more uninteresting, monotone, and annoying. we stopped at very touristy sites that were hardly worth stopping at. some of the stops were actually quite cool, but we would only get to run off the bus for five minutes to take photos.
but once we made it to the cliffs, the long bus ride and the obnoxious tour guide was definitely worth it. have you ever been somewhere so remarkable that it made you feel so infinite and yet so small at the same time?! these cliffs are what people come to the west coast of ireland for, and for good reason. the sheer cliffs are absolutely terrifying especially when you are past the 'no trespassing sign' that everyone seems to ignore. but of course my camera battery runs out right as we are exploring the cliffs. luckily i managed to take a photo before it died. though i don't have visual evidence of the cliffs themselves, i assure you any photos that are taken at the cliffs of moher hardly do them any justice at all.
that night after an incredibly long and exhausting day, most of the group headed back home which left julia and me still in galway. my friend jake came up from a small town south of galway and we spent the evening at the crane bar. we went to the top floor of this pub to find a local band playing for the small crowd upstairs while random locals would go up to the band and sing beautiful irish songs. it was the perfect way to spend our last night in galway.
the next morning, julia left for the aran islands off the coast of ireland... and then there was one. luckily jake had come up for the night and we spent the morning eating delicious breakfast crepes, walking along the oceans edge, and visiting the massive galway cathedral. the four hour bus ride home was hardly a burden as i was just thrilled to be on my way back home. what an eventful weekend to say the least, but all in all i definitely enjoyed my time on the west coast and i am so looking forward to showing my family around when they come to visit! until next time...
1 comment:
plus the bus ride back was so good because I am a master story teller
jake
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