Galway—Thursday

 April 25th

After two days of touring the countryside and walking the city streets, we took it easy today with a stroll along Galway Bay on "The Prom," a 1.8 mile promenade. You'll see from the pictures that the tide was out and the clouds had moved back in, but this did not deter folks from walking The Prom or the wild swimmers from taking a dip. 

We stopped and watched a woman walk without hesitation into the bay to enjoy a swim. I turned to a couple sitting nearby and said, "Did you see that?" and they giggled and said they'd been sitting there an hour and she was probably the eighth swimmer they counted so far. We had a lovely and lively conversation with this Irish couple about our age. It was a delightful hour. They recommended a pub in Dublin not far from where we're staying. They know the musicians playing next Saturday and said we'd really enjoy the music. The guy told me to tell Gavin, the barkeep, that Anto sent me and that I might get a free pint from him.

A soft rain ended our conversation so we turned around and walked to the Galway Museum. The museum is really well done with ancient artifacts, a full-sized hooker fishing vessel, and multimedia exhibits that tell the ancient story of the Irish people and their culture. We ended our day at Seven on Bridgestreet (again) for linner (lunch/dinner) and then headed back to the guesthouse to read a bit and rest. It's nice having "do-nothing" days, especially knowing that tomorrow is a long travel day to Belfast where we have something going on three days in a row.

The remaining section of the medieval wall that once surrounded Galway City on the harbor.

Hooker fishing vessel.

We ordered the soup of the day and 
the Duo Potato Skins. 

This restaurant is one block off of 
The Quay which is lined with pubs,
restaurants, and gift shops.

At Seven on Bridgestreet the specials
are generous and yummy and the prices
are reasonable. 

Part of the fun of a window seat—
his and mine—is making eye contact.

*Our first impression of Galway was not that favorable, but it has grown on us since. This city is energetic and full of friendly folk.