Saturday morning in Galway started off with an early morning 12 mile run. I am training for a marathon in October and trying to stay on schedule even with all this traveling. The Galway Kellys live in a pretty rural area, and the evening before they showed me how to get to Salthill so I could run along Galway Bay. As I have mentioned before, I am not very good with directions. As soon as I turned out of the driveway, I was going in the wrong direction. This led me to be on country roads for 12 miles. I am not used to driving on country roads never mind running on them. After the first 2 miles I had to have a talk with myself. See, I wasn't enjoying the run at all, and my heart was beating a million miles a minute. I was really nervous running on these roads. So, I said to myself, "relax and calm down or just turn back now because it won't be worth it." Being a big girl, I continued on and calmed myself down. Then, it became a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I passed 3 cyclists on the road and 1 walker. That was it for 12 miles. Along the way, I stopped to take in the view and admire the beautiful animals I saw along the way: cows, horses, donkeys, and even a little bunny. Many people can attest to the fact that I really am not a pet person, and in fact have admitted to my 3rd grade students in the past that I hate cats, but I really love animals that don't reside in your home. Cows and elephants are my favorites. I did see a dead cat this evening just lying on the sidewalk and felt a little sorry for it. See, I am not heartless. If you get the opportunity to run on country roads in Ireland, take it. I would go earlier in the day around 8 or 9 on a weekend to avoid more traffic. All in all, I felt like I really accomplished something when I returned back to the Kelly's, and the rest of them were chowing down on a traditional Irish fry (fried eggs, sausage, black pudding, rashers, beans, homefries).
Next up in the day came a trip to Connemara. See Tim's uncle and aunt live out there, and Maura and Tim happened to bump into his aunt on Friday night at the grocery store an hour away from their house in Ros Muc, Connemara (you'll find the more you travel, the more you realize how small the world is). Driving out there, I couldn't get over how out in the middle of nowhere we were and how different the landscape was. Apparently, feel free to correct me if I am wrong, when Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland in 1649, he pushed many Irish out to Connemara where the land was nowhere near as fertile which made it difficult for them to survive. I was thinking exactly the same thing as we continued further into Connemara. I asked no one in particular, "how do people live out here?" Tim answered, "oh, Kate, I think you'd love it out here. You'd be like a duck to water!" We all know how far from the truth that is. Despite the barren landscape, the people were absolutely lovely. Tim's aunt had a varied spread set out for us for lunch and served Maura and me Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Ah, a taste of home. Their 2 daughters were just as gracious as their parents, and their youngest took Maura, Ryan, Dylan, and I for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood. Two things that stuck out were the Twelve Pins Mountains and one of the 2 shops/bars in the town where parts of the film "The Guard" were filmed. Great movie if you get a chance to watch it; I highly recommend it. After a few hours of chatting, eating, and drinking coffee, we hit the road back to the Kelly's for an evening of much of the same.
Maura, Tim, and our cousin, Deidre put together a fantastic meal from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals cookbook. It was green curry and an amazing coleslaw. I am not a fan of the stuff usually, but this was made without mayonnaise and was the favorite dish by far. We all sat around the table talking and laughing and drinking red wine. If you are ever at their house, I am sure Eileen will make you an Irish coffee, and you should not refuse. For those of you who have never had an Irish coffee, it is made up of coffee (duh!), Irish whiskey, and whipping cream. So yummy! You should really try to limit yourself to one. We all retired to the sitting room (living room) where we caught some of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. I am really rooting for the Saudi women; it is the first time they have been allowed to participate in the Olympics. I have to say, I really appreciate the Kellys and spending time in their home. They are all so welcoming and make us feel right at home.
As you can see, I didn't do much sightseeing while in Galway. I will give you some recommendations from previous visits. 1. Salthill - it's a terrific place to walk, run, people watch, or take in a beautiful view. There is a fun fair there for kids and a leisureworld with a pool for rainy days. 2. The Aran Islands - risky boat ride, not for the faint of stomach. I was there 14 years ago and was amazed by their way of life. You can do a day trip there to get a feel for it. 3. The Cliffs of Moher - these are actually in Clare, but it is only about an hour drive and well worth the trip. These cliffs are breathtaking. 4. The Galway Races - these take place the last week of July/ first week of August. Great fun and people watching. The atmosphere is spectacular, and if you get some good tips, you can win a few bucks (euros). 5. Cactus Jack's Restaurant is a good spot for Mexican. I have been there a few times and have never been disappointed. 6. Galway City Centre - small, walkable area that is very pedestrian friendly and has many shops, restaurants, and pubs. The King's Head is a favorite of mine.
Hope you take some of my suggestions for a visit to Galway. It is truly one of my favorite cities to visit.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
It's Not a Start until the Stops are Done
On Friday, we headed to Galway City to visit the Galway Kellys (including my buddy Triona). The previous evening we, Maura, Tim, and I, decided we would leave as soon as possible in the morning because it looked like it was going to be a sunny day. If you are in Ireland at the moment, you know that this is not something you take for granted. I am not one of those consummate complainers about the weather in Ireland. The weather has been pretty cooperative with me through the years, but this is not one of those times. Let's just say I would like Tim to start a fire in the evening, and he has denied me my right to warmth because it is summer. Summer, really? I don't recall wearing a fleece in the summer in Boston, but back to Galway.
As I said, we were going to leave at the crack of dawn of Friday to enjoy the glorious sunshine as much as possible. If you knew Maura and Tim at all or me for a matter of fact, leaving early means two totally different things to them and me. To me, it means waking at 5 and hitting the road by 6. To them, it means whenever we get up and get everything together, and I mean EVERYTHING. We were going to Galway for 3 days, but it looked like we were moving to Galway. You should have seen the amount of food we had in the car! Now, in fairness, we decided we would stop for a picnic on the way up to Galway (again to soak up the sun), so we did have sandwiches, fruit, and drinks for lunch. However, there was a cooler bag on the floor in the back seat, a bag full of various provisions on the floor of the front, and food in the boot(trunk). Thanksgiving dinner could have been provided from our car for the Pilgrims and Indians. Finally, after we had enough food to last us in case we got caught in the midst of a blizzard, we all climbed into the car and buckled up. First stop, Ballincollig to return DVDs and go to the bank to exchange U.S. dollars that Grandpa (or Dad as I like to call him) so nicely sent over for all of us to enjoy. Great! We are on the road; well not really as I soon found out. Maura suggested we all get out of the car to stretch our legs instead of having 2 adults do the errands. Okay, everybody out. Climb back in the car and get a phone call from the video store that one of the DVD cases was empty. Great. Back to the house, collect the DVD, and back to town to return it. Is this a start now? I thought so. Tim drove for about 10 minutes, and we landed in Blarney where we had our picnic, went for a walk, and raised our faces to the sun. Sorry, I forgot to mention that it was about 1:00 by this time. See the difference in thinking? Me: 6:00 AM, them: 1:00PM, all of us thinking an early start. I have to give myself a pat on the back because I have come to accept this difference over the years, and to be fair, they have 2 children and I just have myself. In the end, we hit the road at 1:30 PM.
After that the ride was pretty uneventful. Dylan, Maura, and I all took naps for a good bit of the 3 1/2 hour journey. When we stopped just outside of Galway City, we all woke up, used the toilets (yuck, yuck yuck by the way! Why do people write stupid things on bathroom walls with phone numbers there? Quality people you will find in this manner, I am sure.), and of course, got a snack.
About a half hour later, the wary travelers, us, arrived in Barna which is about 10 minutes from the city centre. Dave had the barbeque going, yes the sun was still out, and Eileen asked us what time we started our journey. I replied, "12:30." M|eanwhile, Maura and Tim said, "1:30." I was slightly confused as we had left the house at 12:30. Eileen said, "oh, it's not a start until the stops are done."
As I said, we were going to leave at the crack of dawn of Friday to enjoy the glorious sunshine as much as possible. If you knew Maura and Tim at all or me for a matter of fact, leaving early means two totally different things to them and me. To me, it means waking at 5 and hitting the road by 6. To them, it means whenever we get up and get everything together, and I mean EVERYTHING. We were going to Galway for 3 days, but it looked like we were moving to Galway. You should have seen the amount of food we had in the car! Now, in fairness, we decided we would stop for a picnic on the way up to Galway (again to soak up the sun), so we did have sandwiches, fruit, and drinks for lunch. However, there was a cooler bag on the floor in the back seat, a bag full of various provisions on the floor of the front, and food in the boot(trunk). Thanksgiving dinner could have been provided from our car for the Pilgrims and Indians. Finally, after we had enough food to last us in case we got caught in the midst of a blizzard, we all climbed into the car and buckled up. First stop, Ballincollig to return DVDs and go to the bank to exchange U.S. dollars that Grandpa (or Dad as I like to call him) so nicely sent over for all of us to enjoy. Great! We are on the road; well not really as I soon found out. Maura suggested we all get out of the car to stretch our legs instead of having 2 adults do the errands. Okay, everybody out. Climb back in the car and get a phone call from the video store that one of the DVD cases was empty. Great. Back to the house, collect the DVD, and back to town to return it. Is this a start now? I thought so. Tim drove for about 10 minutes, and we landed in Blarney where we had our picnic, went for a walk, and raised our faces to the sun. Sorry, I forgot to mention that it was about 1:00 by this time. See the difference in thinking? Me: 6:00 AM, them: 1:00PM, all of us thinking an early start. I have to give myself a pat on the back because I have come to accept this difference over the years, and to be fair, they have 2 children and I just have myself. In the end, we hit the road at 1:30 PM.
After that the ride was pretty uneventful. Dylan, Maura, and I all took naps for a good bit of the 3 1/2 hour journey. When we stopped just outside of Galway City, we all woke up, used the toilets (yuck, yuck yuck by the way! Why do people write stupid things on bathroom walls with phone numbers there? Quality people you will find in this manner, I am sure.), and of course, got a snack.
About a half hour later, the wary travelers, us, arrived in Barna which is about 10 minutes from the city centre. Dave had the barbeque going, yes the sun was still out, and Eileen asked us what time we started our journey. I replied, "12:30." M|eanwhile, Maura and Tim said, "1:30." I was slightly confused as we had left the house at 12:30. Eileen said, "oh, it's not a start until the stops are done."
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