Oh my gosh my Galway

This blog is written in so many sections...I'll try to clean it up. These photos are from around Galway Ireland. Really pretty place, pictures don't quite do it justice! Its just a really nice place. It stays busy and is full of people from all over the place! It must be quite the destination. Who knew. I had heard from almost everyone I've met in Ireland that Galway was a nice place to visit so here I am. This will be my second night. Tonight I'll get cleaned up and head out to have a pint somewhere. There are so many pubs here it isn't funny. I mean, take your pick. Not sure what my pub strategy will be tonight, probably follow the people who sound most local to the place they go to. Who knows.

Here is part one written August 17th at 9am:

I wrote a blog on the way here on the bus, its a much shorter one than yesterday. And alas as I am currently locked out of my room until much later today so I won't have photos until later on. You should just see this place! Each stop just keeps getting better! Galway is so pretty, lots of little alleys, tons of outside seating (all under covers) but it has a little bit of a spanish feel to it! Today I'm headed out to find the water, I know its here somewhere.

I'll try to cut and paste my typing from yesterday.

This was about 3pm Sunday afternoon when I wrote this part...

I am on the bus now to Galway. I have about 1 and ½ hours left. It’s a 3 ½ half hour journey from Dublin. Sheesh!

When I got to the bus station there was a bus leaving for Galway right away but when I discovered it took that long I thought I better wait and do things like go the bathroom and eat some food. The bathroom costs 20 cents to enter and it was pretty funny squeezing all my stuff in again.

They have lockers at the Dublin station 6euro for 24 hours. They call it left luggage, now I know. I think its been everywhere and I’d been missing it. It would have been a nice option yesterday and I could have come back to the same hostel in Dublin after the tall ship stuff. The ships were supposed to be sailing out today. I didn’t stay around for that. I don’t know that they would have gone out under sail and certainly not in a big group so I left town.

The ride to Galway has been interesting. Nothing really special about these little towns. They look new compared to England and there are a lot more run down places here than there too. Not impressed so far, except for the green. I hope that Galway is not too cold and rainy. It looks pretty dark.

Ballinasloe, look it up, there is a really amazing school or something but it looks abandoned.

I think it’s the way the “sun” comes through the clouds, it makes the green seem so vivid! Its amazing! Hard to even describe. I’m listening to a band called Vampire Weekend and it seems totally fitting music for this drive! I think I’m almost to Galway now. There are whole buildings here covered entirely in ivy. Like think of a typical little English church and imagine it covered with ivy up to the top of the spire.

Okay here I am again. LIke I said I'm headed otu for a walk today. It appears the sun is coming out too which is really nice!

My room here is upstairs and the womens toilet adn shower are downstairs which means that I had to trek down to use the toilet and change then walk back through the lobby in my pajamas to get back up to my bed. Sheesh! Not really crazy about that set up!

Since I decided to stay another night I had to check out and move rooms but until they clean them I had to leave my stuff in the kitchen area. Its so weird. Me and about 15 other people from the looks of it...there is stuff everywhere around here! I am going to shower while I have a chance right now adn get cleaned up.

Then off I go again to walk around. Not alot of stuff to do here. Most people leave for ferry trips to Aran Islands or the Cliffs of Man~something. But it costs as much to do that as to stay the night here so I am skipping it. Skipping alot of stuff really. It just goes to show, traveling is one thing but touring adn really seeing stuff means, either you rent a car or pay to be toured around. Otherwise alot of stuff is hard to get to. I'm learning there really is a reason you budget for that fun stuff. Otherwise you are a slave to the bus route and other creative means and I seem to have left my creativity and drive somewhere...Where is it?? What does that mean?

I just don't seem to have the energy to go sit and a pub adn strike up conversation. That means something I'm sure of it.

So, this poor blog is a bit of a mess but now you have photos!

Later,

Karen

p.s.I just ate at McDonalds just to see what it was like and you'll never guess. Same flavor as at home. Down to the oil the french fries (chips) are fried in. Amazing!! And they salt the fries too!! Yeah!! No one salts their fries around here!

p.s.s. the photos are of the Cathedral here in Galway (they were having service so I didnt' look around) then down by the river, some of the alley ways here and thats about it. Prettier than the picture!