Galway is a neat town. Today I wandered inland, toward the university and the cathedral, and I stumbled upon a castle. It seemed to be part of the university, full of offices, but it also had a museum type attraction called "The Human Brain," that mothers and their children were flocking to. I felt like a creeper being a lone adult among all those small children, so I didn't go in. Instead I wandered around the inner courtyard and around the outside. Then I continued on toward the cathedral.
Since it's Sunday, I didn't go in. I admired it from afar and walked past it to the river. The river had another tract of water running parallel to it at street height, and it was calmer and smooth as class, with ducks and swans paddling lazily along. Occasionally a pipe or a shorted wall allowed water to spill from the higher leveled water to the river, and it gushed in small but powerful waterfalls. Between the river and the moat ran a boardwalk, which I happily followed all the way back to the city center.
The town was surprisingly packed for a Sunday. Since I had a hard time finding a place open for breakfast, I figured all the shops would be closed, but only the restaurants were. I stopped into a few shops but resisted the gourmet chocolate shop, though it smelled really good.
After walking through the city center I went back to the river and followed it the rest of the short way from the bridge to the mouth. A few neat little wooden boats were moored along the wall of the West side of the river, and open rugby fields ran the length between the bridge and the ocean. I walked to the shore, following the sidewalk the long way back to where I was staying. The ocean smelled of kelp and salt water, but it wasn't as strong or foul as I remember from the Pacific.
There was a mile long pier out to an an island that had a small, church-like building with a lighthouse attached. I'm sure there were more buildings but the whole island was surrounded by a tall stone wall, and those were the only things taller. On the far side from the lighthouse a freighter was docked. Given that, I was sure it was closed to the public, but I joined the handful of others walking that way and ventured down the pier anyway. Out on the water it was significantly colder and winded. Winds were probably sustained at around 30 knots. I zipped up my outer layer, pulled my hood over my head, and kept going anyway. Sure enough, it was gated and posted with a large warning in bold red letter, no unauthorized personnel past that point, at the entrance to the island. Just as expected. I tried to peak through without trespassing to get a better look at the lighthouse, but had no luck. I turned around.
By the time I got off the pier, my legs were a little sore. I was glad the house wasn't far. In fact, where I was walking was part of the view out the window of the room I was renting. I headed back, realizing how tired I suddenly was. I set an alarm for 4:15 so I wouldn't miss the sunset at 4:30, and took a nap. I was so tired!
I actually did get up, but the sunset just fizzled out in the clouds. It was a bit of a bummer. However, the Aran Islands were easier to see, no longer shrouded in mist as they had been earlier. I took a few pictures then went to find dinner.
I headed in the opposite direction of where I'd gone before, away from the city center, to a part of town called Salthill. It's a somewhat separate part of town, attached to the old town and the city center only by a mile or so of neighborhood. It's the more modern part of town. The buildings are a little taller and closer to the shore of the Atlantic.
I found a brew house advertising North American beer, and I was curious. They also looked like they might have the best food on the street, so I went in. I ordered fish and chips, which were AMAZING, and a beer the bartender said was similar to Guinness (I was trying to branch out) but she was wrong. It was only after I got the second rate beer that I noticed they had Founders beer! How funny! Apparently the Irish love the Breakfast Stout. Go Grand Rapids! They also had Sam Adams and Twin Peaks, but I already knew those were widely dispersed.
After dinner I wasn't ready to go home, so I walked back to the city center. There was a small park nearby in which a fair was set up, with red and white pinstriped tents lining the side, and a merry-go-round, and a ferris wheel. I felt a little weird doing it, but I bought a ticket for the ferris wheel and went by myself. I wanted to see the view from above. It was pretty neat! The lights stretched on and on. Galway was bigger than I thought! Flatter, and more uniform too, like flying over the suburbs of Chicago.
When I got off the ferris wheel it was drizzling again, and I didn't have much interest in the rest of the fair, so I headed back to the house. It's a perfect night for tucking in with a good book, which is what I plan to do now. Tomorrow will be packed full of adventure, so I'd better get my sleep!
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