Galway Luck, Galway Girls

We made it out of the city yet again for one of our many adventures. This time, we took a bus across the country (the thought of being able to take a bus across a country is still staggering) to Galway on the west coast, which only took about four hours. We checked in to our hostel, where we got one of our two nights for free because of Erin and Erica's job benefits from Abby Court! Sarah just pretended that she worked at Abby Court too and avoided questions from the receptionists so that she could the discount too. The job perks went even further: we booked bus tours for the following two days, which normally costs 20 Euro a day, and got it all for free (saving a total of 120 Euro between the three of us)! Anyway, we were all famished when we arrived and went on a quest to find an inexpensive lunch, finally settling on a delicious crepe café which happened to be right next to an outdoor market. The market was filled with aromas from various types of food- from freshly baked bread, to espresso, to fresh fish- as well local craftsmen showcasing their trade. After resisting the urge to buy everything in sight, we continued to wander around the medieval city. We walked along the beach and came across an intense soccer match with dozens and dozens of male spectators. As we walked by they stared at us like we were aliens from another planet, it was bizarre. Later that afternoon we stopped in a café for coffee and dessert, and then went back to the hostel to take both HOT and LONG showers- neither of which is possible in our bathroom at home! We went out that night for a few pints and both the pubs were really fun and lively.

The next morning we got up for our (free) tour of the Connemara region to the northwest of Galway. Our driver, Michael, was funny and informative, telling us all about the history of the region from legends of leprechauns and fairies to the potato famine. The countryside was scattered with remains of old castles, tiny houses that were abandoned and left to crumble because of the famine, and of course cows, sheep and horses. We first stopped at an old friary from the 14th century called Ross Errily Abbey, which was really interesting. We drove by many different lakes and through gorgeous mountains covered in ferns and speckled with colors of changing leaves. A highlight of the day was Kylemore Abbey, a castle from the late 19th century which currently is a Monastic home for nuns and a private school for girls. There are still a few rooms open to the public, and you can also explore the grounds to see the Neo-Gothic Church and the Victorian walled garden. The house itself, Erin noted, looks exactly like one of those 3-D puzzles, and is situated right on a lake surrounded by mountains- quite the picturesque setting. The Neo-Gothic church was pretty inside with its marble columns, and the garden was lovely with geometric shaped flowerbeds and patterned designs. That night we went hit up the town again in search of live music. First we stopped in a small pub and listened to a group of four old men play traditional Irish sounding melodies with a fiddle, recorder, and bodhran (an Irish frame drum covered with goat skin). We happily listened to the music for awhile, but unfortunately they finished playing shortly thereafter so we went to another pub across the street where two men were also playing music. They played guitars and sang traditional Irish songs that all the Irish people knew; it looked like great fun as the Irish crowd sang along and danced to the music. The three of us were highly entertained and had a great time watching the merriment, and now the song “Galway Girl” is definitely one of our new favorites.

We rose in the morning for another bus tour, this time heading to the Burren region south of Galway. Our driver was an old man named Des, who literally repeated himself all day, “We’re heading to the cliffs- be there in about 15 minutes, we’re heading to the cliffs- be there in about 15 minutes, in about 15 minutes we’ll be at the cliffs, the cliffs are where we’ll be in 15 minutes.” Really funny at first, but highly annoying after 7 hours. Anyhow, this area was vastly different from the day before; the changes in landscape happen so quickly it’s pretty amazing. The Burren mountains are not grassy but rather very rocky, filled with limestone bedrocks. The region is great for archaeology, one of the most famous sites being the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a megalithic tomb dating back to the Neolithic period about 5800 years ago (older than the Egyptian pyramids)!! We stopped in the village of Kilfenora- called the “city of crosses” because of its abundance of 12th century celtic crosses- before stopping at the Cliffs of Moher, the main attraction of the day. The cliffs are one of the biggest tourist attractions in Ireland and were really cool. They touch the Atlantic Ocean, making it the closest we will be to home until we actually come back next year. We were extremely lucky with the weather the entire weekend as it didn’t rain once in our three days there, but apparently had rained almost every day since June before our arrival! Because it wasn’t muddy we got to wander on parts on the cliffs that often would be too dangerous. Despite the sign that warned, “Please do not go beyond this point,” there were many people who ventured past it and we decided to follow suit. Erin was pretty nervous being so close to the cliff edge, but we made our way slowly and it was well worth it. The views were stunning and we had fun taking pictures (see our Picasa web album). It was an incredible weekend!!