A long weekend in Éire (part I)

What a wonderful trip to Ireland I had last weekend! Not only was it great to see Ashton and spend four days with her in her favorite place in the world, but I finally got to see some of the more "traditional" Irish countryside and culture in the west of the country. We spent two days in Dublin, where Ashton lives and studies, and two days out west exploring Galway, Cong and Connemara. It would be impossible for me to pick a place that was my favorite; I enjoyed all the places that we saw. Connemara was especially lovely, but Dublin had a lot of great sites to see and some of the nicest, friendliest people that I've ever met. Another wonderful thing about my trip to Ireland? Much to my surprise and delight (and to Ashton's as well!) we had four days of bright sunshine and moderate temperatures. We didn't have one day of rain the entire time I was there- something that Ashton and I had a hard time believing was possible. I took many, many photos over the course of my trip so I'll divide my entry about Ireland into two: one entry dedicated to the first two days (Friday in Dublin and Saturday in Galway) and another about the last two days (Sunday in Cong and Connemara and Monday back in Dublin).

Day One: Dublin

On Friday, February 25th I was up early (5:30am) to catch a taxi to Granada's bus station where I would catch a 7:00am bus to Málaga's airport. The morning's traveling went without a hitch and I was in Málaga's airport around 9:30am where I waited for my 12:00pm flight to Dublin to board. I had an easy, turbulence-free flight and I landed in Dublin at 2:00pm. At the airport I caught the Dublin Aircoach bus and was in the city center, O'Connell Street, just after 3:00pm where I met Ashton at the bus stop. She had just come from a trial-run for a waitressing position at a restaurant in Dublin and our timing for meeting up was perfect. We walked to her house where we freshened up a bit and had a quick snack before heading back out into the city to do a quick grocery shop. We stopped at the butcher's shop to pick up some chicken for that night's meal and I made my first Irish "boyfriend" of the trip, a friendly 60-year old Irish man named Michael. We spent ten minutes talking before I realized that he had already handed Ashton the bag of chicken and she was just standing there, waiting for our conversation to end. Irish people are just terribly friendly- always smiling and ready to chat with you. I love it- they're a wonderful group of extroverted and outgoing people! After running our errands, we headed back to Ashton's apartment where we made dinner and got ready to go out for the night. Back in December, I traveled to Barcelona for a weekend with some friends who were studying abroad in Granada. Do you all remember how we met three Irish students from Dublin and spent a few nights in Barcelona hanging out with them? Well, I contacted them before heading to Ireland and let them know about my trip to Dublin. To my delight, the three (Eoghan, Joey and Ciara) were all free Friday night and Ashton and I met up with them around 10:00pm at a bar in the city. We stayed for a few pints and afterward we followed them to a club in the city where they were meeting up with some other friends. It was great to see them again and I was very happy to have introduced Ashton to more people in Dublin. I just love how you're always meeting wonderful people while traveling!

Here are some photos from my first day in Dublin:

Ashton's apartment complex; she lives in the building to the left.

Wandering around the area near Ashton's apartment.

The River Liffey by day.

The Irish Parliament House.

The River Liffey by night.

Around 3:30am, the club closed and we all said our goodbyes before walking home. Ashton and I were exhausted after a fun night out but we were excited about the following day- our plans to travel out west to Galway!

Day Two: Galway

Saturday morning Ashton and I slept until until about 10:45am before lazily making a quick breakfast of toast and coffee. We got ready for the day, packed up our backpacks and headed out the door around 12:30pm to catch a bus to Galway. We hadn't purchased bus tickets beforehand (on account of not knowing exactly when we'd be headed out) and luckily, we were a few of the last people waiting in line able to buy tickets for the 1:00pm bus. Just a short while later, at 3:30pm, we arrived in Galway (although Galway is directly across the country from Dublin, Ireland is not that wide and it only takes 2.5 hours to get from Dublin to Galway). Cameras ready, we set out to explore the city before the sun set. First, we stumbled upon Kennedy Park, a small park in Galway's Eyre Square Centre. From there we walked along William Street, Shop Street and High Street, three of the main pedestrian-only shopping streets in Galway. On these streets one finds lots of cute shops, cafés and some of the city's most fun and popular pubs. From there we walked another five minutes or so until we reached the Spanish Arch and the River Corrib. The Spanish Arch is one of four arches, constructed in 1584, in an open quayside area where French and Spanish ships once docked with cargoes of wines, silks and other goods to sell and trade in Ireland. The Spanish Arch overlooks the River Corrib and Ashton and I spent a good half an hour enjoying the lovely scenery near the river. One special site in Galway that I had always wanted to see is also located along the River Corrib. "The Long Walk" is a promenade to the side of the Spanish Arch and it's Galway's most photographed spot. It's a lovely stretch of colorful houses and buildings along the side of the river. A think I took ten photos of the same place; it was just stunning to finally see it- and above all, on a sunny afternoon! From there Ashton and I strolled over to a walkway stretching along Galway Bay, posing to take a few photos with the ocean and Mutton Island Lighthouse in the background. By this point, it was around 5:30pm and we realized that we only had another hour or so of daylight left in the day. So, we headed back into the center of the city and booked our 1) hostel for the night and our 2) day-long tour of Cong and Connemara for the following day. We grabbed a delicious dinner of fish and chips at a small take-away restaurant on Shop Street and ate our delicious dinner on a table in the street as we people-watched and planned our evening. After a quick stop back at the hostel to freshen up and rest for a bit, Ashton and I headed over to the Kings Head for a pint. The Kings Head is one of the most popular pubs in Galway- it not only has a great atmosphere and live-music seven nights a week, but also a history dating back 800 years! We spent a few hours out that night before heading back to our hostel to get a good night's sleep before another busy day!

Here are a few photos from day two in Galway:

Kennedy Park.

St. Nicolas Church.

The Kings Head Pub behind a really neat "street-sign" in both English and Irish!

The River Corrib.

"The Long Walk," Galway's most photographed spot.

Ashton and I walked along Galway Bay for a bit; Mutton Island Lighthouse is behind me to the right.

Ashton and I in front of the Long Walk.

I'm about to devour a delicious dinner of fish and chips... a must-have while in Ireland!

All in all, Ashton and I had a wonderful first two days in Ireland together! I was so happy to have finally gotten to see Galway. Some of my closest friends from Stonehill studied abroad in Galway in the spring of 2009 and after hearing all their stories and seeing all their photos, I'd always hoped to make it there someday! For Ashton's take on our first two days in Dublin and Galway, click this link to an entry in her blog!

Stay tuned for my next entry: Connemara, Cong and more Dublin!