The week leading up to my trip to Galway was not very exciting. I had a few classes, enjoyed some pick up basketball, and won the volleyball match on Thursday. A few of the team members hung out outside the gym awhile teaching each other dances and listening to music. The weekend brought more exciting events.
Four of my friends and I, Eve, Colleen, Ali, and Allison, headed for Galway Friday morning around 7:30 in the morning. We had around a 7 hour trip ahead of us and wanted to leave early so we had some time to do things Friday in Galway. Besides sleeping, talking, and being on our phones, none of us did a lot on our way to Galway, which consisted of both buses and train. Once we got to the bus station in Galway and found our hostel, we dropped our stuff off and went out to walk around town. There was nightlife all around with people shopping, drinking in pubs, performing on the streets, or just out for dinner. We were all starving after our long trip so we found a nice little cafe to eat and get some hot drinks. I ordered a chai tea latte and was amazed with how good it was; cinnamon sprinkled on top with a heart shape of cream made it all the better. The rest of the night took us around the block to look at all the Christmas decorations and eventually into a pub for a couple drinks. We decided that the next morning we would go to the Cliffs of Moher so we headed back to the hostel to catch up on sleep.
The next morning, day 2 in Galway, we woke up bright and early to eat breakfast and get ready for a long day at the cliffs. Breakfast consisted of the normal cereal, breads, fruits, and coffee, juice, and tea. The bus ride out to the cliffs took a couple hours so we slept some more and took photos of the beautiful country side of rolling hills and stoned walls separating the fields. Arriving a little past noon, we made a group decision to eat before walking the cliffs. There were a few different choices but we ended up eating at the cafe upstairs from the visitor center. Everything was a little pricey so I just asked for some Clam Chowder since it was cheaper and I knew what it tasted like, or so I thought. This chowder was more fishy and saltier than what I was used to but I ate it anyway since I paid for it. I was more than happy to start our way to the cliffs when everyone was done and I got to leave my chowder behind. As we walked closer and closer to the cliffs, my mind was more blown. I figured the cliffs would just be like any other that I have seen but they were truly a beautiful sight and exceeded my expectations. I walked on the muddier path (was not supposed to but could not pass it up), taking photos over the ledges of the 700 ft drop below. I was able to get amazing photos of me sitting on the ledges just looking out over the water and listening to the waves crash into the cliff side and birds flying high. The later the day got, the better the photos got with the sun over the horizon. The trip soon ended with gift shops and our long trip back to Galway. For dinner, we decided on an Asian tapas restaurant called Umbrella. We all shared our meals and ate lots of new foods we had not tried before, soon leaving for a good nights sleep and lots of Grey’s Anatomy for myself. 🙂
The final day in Galway, Sunday, was not as busy as the day before but very stressful at times. There was breakfast along with joining one of our girls for Catholic mass in a beautiful cathedral down the road. None of us really knew what we were doing but it was interesting to see what the service was like compared to what the rest of us had experienced. Afterwards there was more walking around and shopping but we did not get much because prices were high. For lunch, the group of us ate Arincinos at a Sicilian place and got some food-to-go for our trip back home. Arincinos are basically fried meats or veggies with cheese and sauce with them and breading on the outside. I bought one with cheese and spinach inside and it tasted very well. All of the girls bought different ones so we could all try each others since some of us it was the first time having some. That all was not the stressful part though, even though it was irritating that places were closed when the website says differently. No, the stressful part was getting back home. Long story short, we were at the wrong bus station and missed our bus at 2:45 but had already bought the tickets. A conductor was trying to help our group figure out if we should take either bus A or bus B and ended up going to the other bus station anyway after the man helping us for half an hour. At the other station, the men told us what we needed to do but still sounded unsure but we paid for the ticket anyway and hopped on the bus to Dublin. Once off in Dublin, the driver told us generally where to hop on the next bus and that worked perfectly for once during this whole process.
Back in Belfast, we made it in time for the 9:10 train with time to spare. The rest of the trip back went by smoothly until we arrived at Dominos and ended up there for over an hour waiting for a taxi… My group of friends and I looked homeless as we sat on our suitcases at the corner of Dominos eating our pizzas. Turns out, the taxi we called thought we said McDonalds instead of Dominos… Eventually we made it home and got a good nights sleep in our own beds.
Taking on Ireland 