(Craic means fun, by the way) Because I've been completely spoiled by going to college next to one of the most vibrant and happening cities in America, I'd been eyeing Galway for a while. After a false start two weeks ago, I actually made it there this week. With all the hype I'd heard about its reputation as Ireland's most bohemian, artsy, and student friendly city, I wondered if id be disappointed. but after 5 minutes of walking through the city centre, i was sold.
Although galway is smaller than dublin and cork, the city is positively overflowing with opportunities for fun. Flyers for comedy festivals and concerts were posted on every corner and the main street was packed with pubs advertising live music. Luxury department stores, souvenir shops, outlet stores, and boutiques fill the street, so of course I filled my afternoon with some window shopping and wandering around. After grabbing some dinner, I wandered into a pub where a show was about to begin. At the bar, a guy in his 30s and I got to talking. True to irish form, he was really friendly and gave me some tips about the city and, naturally, recommendations for pubs. In between, his father would grab my hand and start messing with me a little- asking me if I was married, that sort of thing.
I was headed to a pub they recommended when i finally got my first dose of true irish rain. My hair, totally unprepared for the downpour, got destroyed so i went back to my hostel before hitting another pub just across the street. The trad band played a lot of covers of 60s and 70s classics like "bad moon rising" and "folsom prison blues". The music was bascially blues with little infusions of Irish traditional music. The combination was incredible, made drunk guys start dancing, and electrified the room.
Once i left, I spent a mostly sleepless night at my hostel. This isn't a knock on hostels, as mine was way more comfortable, clean, and safe than even the excellent reviews suggested, I just felt keyed up with residual excitement. When morning finally came, I walked a few kilometers along the Salthill, which is a promenade overlooking the water. Standing on the beach's rocky shores while the winds and fog rolled in from the sea was mesmerizing, if not kind of cold.
After that, i headed back to the city centre and undertook more sightseeing. I stopped at the Spanish Arch, a stone arch dating back before the 1600s, as well as Eyre Square, which is the city's cozy public park. Along the green lawn are 14 flags, each of which representing the coat of arms of one of Galway 's founding tribes (families). For some reason, I was totally enchanted by the visual.
In all, Galway is a incredible place. Especially because the city centre only consists of a few tightly packed streets, it's a warm and friendly place that offers quality music and good times everywhere you look. It reminded me a lot of how much i appreciate the chance to use Chicago as my playground in college - for the concerts, sports, and fashion. The only downside, if any, was that traveling alone probably kept me from having as much fun as possible. But Galway is insanely into Halloween and is holding a huge festival on Halloween weekend. The windows of all the pubs and the mannequins in stores are already decorated for it. So if I find a crew, I could definitely be back!
Miscellaneous highlights:
1. An entire store dedicated to cake decorating, decked from floor to ceiling in the most colorful prints I ever seen. And it smells like frosting inside. I only freaked out a little.
2. A lot of storefronts have chalkboards illustrated with snarky little messages. Personal favorite: "unattended children will be given an espresso and a free kitty".
3. I'm over half way through the semester. What. The.
No comments:
Post a Comment