Day 52 (cont.)
The bus ride took forever. I had to catch the bus to Limerick, and then catch another bus to Galway.
I got some great pictures of the sunset though. And, bonus, Lisa and Melissa were still in Galway so I met up with them for a drink and some Irish music at The Kings Head! We were all pretty tired, so we called it an early night after that.
Day 53 (5/13)
I spent most of this day just relaxing around town, making some new friends, and enjoying a day off. I didn't really take any pictures. I was just really in need of a break.
I got brunch at a cute place around the corner from the hostel, and it was so good I ended up going two more times. I'm really bummed, though, because I can't remember the name of the place!
After that I got hooked up with a tattoo shop and made an appointment for a few days out. I ended up spending most of the day with the Artist, Jim.
When Melissa and Lisa got back from their tour we grabbed dinner, and then popped over to the Galway Escape Rooms. It was so fun, but really difficult!
We stopped by a local beach party for a beer, but the cold had rolled in, so we decided to move along.
Then we headed over to a place called The Roisin Dubh (the black rose in Gaelic) to do some dancing and get some photobooth pictures. The girls left early, but my hostel was right around the corner and I was having a great time, so I decided to stay out. I ran into a couple of the guys from the tattoo shop and we danced the night away!
Day 54 (5/14)
I woke up a tad sleepy and hungover after the previous late night, so I thought a walk along Salthill Promenade would be the perfect cure. And it was. The ocean is such a lovely shade of aqua!
I strolled along the beach, found a good spot, and read for a while, I also settled in for a short nap (don't worry, mom, I wore sunscreen). On the way back I stopped at a little beach hut for some ice cream.
By the time I got back to Galway, it was time for food. I'd heard about this little place called Napoli's (best pizza in Galway!) and made my way to that part of town. As I was sitting there, eating delicious pizza and considering what I wanted to do with my evening, I was joined by a lovely Canadian girl called Kristen. We immediately hit it off and decided to walk to the docks and have a beer in the sunshine.
Apparently the entire town of Galway had also decided that was a good idea.
After beer we walked over to a bar called the Blue Note, where we joined up with some locals and settled in for a nice, creamy Guinness. They were all wonderful people, and we had so much fun!
Then it was time for the Roisin (I ended up there most nights of my stay). It was Prince night, and the place was packed! We danced, we drank, we hopped in the photobooth. Needless to say, we had a great night.
Day 55 (5/15)
Finally, I made it!
My hostel is there on the right, and next door was a dance club. I didn't sleep much, but I had loads of fun!
I spent most of this day just relaxing around town, making some new friends, and enjoying a day off. I didn't really take any pictures. I was just really in need of a break.
I got brunch at a cute place around the corner from the hostel, and it was so good I ended up going two more times. I'm really bummed, though, because I can't remember the name of the place!
After that I got hooked up with a tattoo shop and made an appointment for a few days out. I ended up spending most of the day with the Artist, Jim.
When Melissa and Lisa got back from their tour we grabbed dinner, and then popped over to the Galway Escape Rooms. It was so fun, but really difficult!
We stopped by a local beach party for a beer, but the cold had rolled in, so we decided to move along.
Then we headed over to a place called The Roisin Dubh (the black rose in Gaelic) to do some dancing and get some photobooth pictures. The girls left early, but my hostel was right around the corner and I was having a great time, so I decided to stay out. I ran into a couple of the guys from the tattoo shop and we danced the night away!
For all the single ladies out there:
Statue of Oscar and Eduard Wilde.
I know, a food picture. But look, bacon as I know it!
We, unfortunately, didn't make it out. But we did have a great time.
Day 54 (5/14)
I woke up a tad sleepy and hungover after the previous late night, so I thought a walk along Salthill Promenade would be the perfect cure. And it was. The ocean is such a lovely shade of aqua!
I strolled along the beach, found a good spot, and read for a while, I also settled in for a short nap (don't worry, mom, I wore sunscreen). On the way back I stopped at a little beach hut for some ice cream.
By the time I got back to Galway, it was time for food. I'd heard about this little place called Napoli's (best pizza in Galway!) and made my way to that part of town. As I was sitting there, eating delicious pizza and considering what I wanted to do with my evening, I was joined by a lovely Canadian girl called Kristen. We immediately hit it off and decided to walk to the docks and have a beer in the sunshine.
Apparently the entire town of Galway had also decided that was a good idea.
After beer we walked over to a bar called the Blue Note, where we joined up with some locals and settled in for a nice, creamy Guinness. They were all wonderful people, and we had so much fun!
Then it was time for the Roisin (I ended up there most nights of my stay). It was Prince night, and the place was packed! We danced, we drank, we hopped in the photobooth. Needless to say, we had a great night.
The beach!
Anywhere there was a place to pop a squat, this is what it looked like.
I started the day at the little brunch place, then headed to the tattoo shop. Most of my day was spent there, hanging out as well as getting tattooed.
When they closed up shop Kristen, Jim, his buddy Kastro (also a tattoo artist), and I grabbed some drinks at a place called Sally's. It's the local biker bar, and it attracts some very interesting people. I got to do some good people watching, as well as having a great time with my new friends!
We (again) went over to the Roisin, and up to the rooftop bar. It was crazy busy, but still so fun! We all crammed into the photobooth, which I'm sure was quite the scene. It was Kristen's last night, so we walked her back to her hostel and said our goodbyes.
I love this girl!
I figured I'd see something other than the pubs downtown while the sun was still out, so I hopped on a tour out to the Cliffs of Moher.
Our first stop was the Ailwee Caves. Pretty cool, there was even a waterfall inside. It was a short tour, and then we were off to the Burren.
The Burren is this cool, almost lunar looking, landscape about an hour south of Galway. They've found portal tombs there from the druids, so we stopped to check one out.
Then we made our way over to the coast. The cliffs were absolutely stunning! We had blue skies the whole day, and it was perfect weather, though not as warm, so I'm glad I opted out of shorts. They gave us a little over an hour to hike around, but I didn't even make it halfway on the trail before I had to turn back. I think there's about 8km of coastline you can hike up or down.
After that we stopped for some food, and then stopped by a castle on our way back to town. We saw at least 5 castles on the tour, so I was a little castled out.
When I got back to Galway I decided I needed some me time, so I found some great music at a pub across the street from the hostel, and settled in for a quiet night. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I made friends with a group of college students, and they took me to a local whiskey bar/dance club. So fun, but I was out so late!
Lovely Irish countryside
The Ailwee Caves
The beginning of the Burren.
Poulnabrone, the druid portal tomb.
The Cliffs of Moher
Here, I found you a castle.
Pub music!
I had another tour the next day to Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty bleak. I still got some good pictures, and the scenery was amazing, but I can only imagine how much better it is with a little sunshine and a little less rain.
Since it was my last night I decided to hit the town! I met a bunch of Germans at dinner that were going out to a pub for some Irish music, so I followed them. They were all pretty worn out afterwards, so I headed over to the Roisin by myself.
The Roisin does something called a silent disco every Tuesday night. When you walk inside they hand you a pair of headphones with two separate channels. The two channels broadcast the music from the two dj's on stage. Everyone dances, and you can switch between the two channels at your leisure, depending on your personal tastes. It ended up being a really good time! Everyone was still cheering, and screaming out the lyrics for their favorite tunes. I'd definitely do it again.
While I was there, I met a group of about 10 or so locals who invited me back to a house party. I tried to say no, but they were unconvinced, so I hopped in the taxi and we were off! It wasn't anything crazy, mostly just hanging out, drinking beer, and chatting about my travels (and my tattoos).
Galway Cathedral. This is the newest cathedral I've been into. It was built within the last 20 years I think.
Connemara
Kylemore Abbey
I ate some shamrocks.
We stopped quickly in the city of Cong.
Belfast is amazing, but more on that later.
No comments:
Post a Comment