Beautiful, Quaint, Galway

Gina, my Dublin friend, dropped me off at the train station and I settled in for the 3 hour ride through the Irish countryside to Galway.  Stunning scenery!!  My hotel was perfectly situated, close to The Spanish Arch, The Latin Quarter and the Long Walk.  I dropped my bags and headed over to the Latin Quarter to just stroll the cobblestone streets and check out some of the shops.  It started raining so I slipped into a pub for a pint and some chips (french fries here in the U.S.) and enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing hour of people watching.  When the rain let up I ventured back out, looking to purchase my first (…and maybe only?) Claddagh ring…..and then just wandered the quaint streets of Galway.  I went back to my room to freshen up, walked over to Cactus Jack’s for a yummy, simple dinner of tapas and then relaxed in my room…resting up for the day ahead.

The Latin Quarter…so quaint!

A beautiful side street

Day two was my walking and wandering day!….

I strolled The Long Walk on the River Corrib, past the Spanish Arch around to Claddagh Quay, along Galway Harbor, through South Park (yes, there’s a “South Park” in Galway…dang, forgot to include Mutton Island Lighthouse in my lighthouse post), and over to Salt Hill, before circling back around to Galway Cathedral and over the Salmon Weir bridge.  I passed the Galway rowing club and caught the Corrib Princess for a 90 minute cruise up the river to Lough Corrib, Ireland’s second largest lake.  Here’s my journey in pictures…

The Long Walk

The Spanish Arch

Mutton Island Lighthouse

Beautiful view of Galway Bay

Galway Rowing Club..established1908, rebuilt 1969

Galway Cathedral…although it looks really old, it is the most recently built stone cathedral in Europe (dedicated in 1965)

Views from the Corrib Princess cruise

views from the Corrib Princess cruise

Lough Corrib….aboard the Corrib Princess

Day three was a bus tour out to Connemara, Kylemore Abbey and Cong (where they filmed “The Quiet Man” with Maureen O’hara & John Wayne).  The most beautiful, green rolling hills, with sheep everywhere…quintessential Ireland!  I spent the evening on the green in front of The Spanish Arch with some wine & cheese enjoying the parade of swans and the late night sunset.   More pics….

Kylemore Abbey

View from Kylemore Abbey

Irish Countryside

Cong…quaint village..site of The Quiet Man

town cemetary…Cong…quaint village..site of The Quiet Man

…more Ireland beauty

Doesn’t this look like an Andrew Wyeth painting? I love this picture!

This was at 9:30 pm!

Just two of the many swans parading in front of the green, waiting for some scraps to be thrown their way…such elegant creatures.

I got back a bit late to my hotel, but had to have one more evening of Irish music and some craic…so I headed over to An Pucan Pub, which I’d heard was a good spot for dinner, people watching and Irish music.  I was not disappointed.

An Pucan Pub

The Claddagh

 The perfect end to a perfect trip!!  I’ll be back!!

You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!