This Land is Ireland

Seriously getting back on the blogging track peeps - because we have some serious traveling ahead! Thanks for bearing with me while I slooowly go back in time to document our Europe travels (which yes, happened an entire month ago). I've been in lovely but blog-unworthy Boston, so stretching out the Europe posts like this just lets me re-live it all. At least that's why I'll tell myself I'm taking forever, rather than the fact that I'm too busy to breathe lately let alone blog! But that's besides the point - on to Galway!

When we arrived we went immediately to our hostel to check in. The Salmon Weir Hostel was not our best stay of the trip with its rickety bunk beds and tight quarters, but the price was right. We then decided to walk around to shop & take in the sights. Luckily it was a Saturday so we were able to enjoy the festive Galway Market (shops, snacks, flowers & live music everywhere) as well as Shop Street and historic sights around Galway.

We decided we'd walked around enough just as it started to rain, so we decided it was a good time to take a drive  west to Spiddal, a nice coastal town Jim had once been to.

The coastal drive was beyond gorgeous - we finally felt like we were really seeing what Ireland is all about. We looked at the map and were enticed by a little peninsula (that we thought might have views of the Aran Islands), so we decided to keep driving! Everything was so green and the air was amazingly fresh. As we got further out there, it became more and more barren - just coarse green and brown landscape, with curvy stone walls and tiny little cottages with their covered peat piles scattered about.

We went to the very end of the road and wandered around for a bit, taking in the sunset and the smell of peat fires, and saying hi to the crazy Irish livestock. When it started getting dark we finally headed back, stopping at a gas station for some hard ciders. I literally couldn't get enough hard cider at this point in the trip - they have so many delicious flavors there!

Back in Galway we walked around the downtown area, stopping for the BEST fish and chips ever at McDonagh's then checking out almost every Irish pub we walked past for a drink. Favorites were The Quays, McSwiggan's, and Roisin Dubh. 

Cheers to Galway!!

After a long day of exploring the area we were so exhausted that we had no trouble falling asleep in our rickety, red bunk-bed! Next stop: Cliffs of Moher....