By the time we reached Galway, we passed the midway point of our trip. We were both feeling a little worn out and we welcomed a stay in a city where we didn’t really have much on the agenda. From Rossaveal, we drove straight to our hotel where we were hoping to check in for a quick shower given the cold water at our Aran Island hotel. As it was still early in the day, our room was not ready yet so instead we parked the car at the hotel and decided to walk into town for a bite to eat.
At 10 a.m., we were surprised to find that few restaurants were open for breakfast. We wandered up and down Quay Street in search of a good place to eat, but found most places did not open until 11 a.m. on this weekday morning. We wandered into a few souvenir shops before finding a place for a quick bite.
Our big plan for the day included a visit to the Galway City Museum, where we were able to learn more about the history of the western city. The museum explores the history of the city from prehistoric times to the last century.
While we were in Galway, an Oyster festival was under way and under normal circumstances James would have been all about it, but he was still feeling under the weather. After our museum visit and a stop by the Spanish Arches, we headed back to our hotel for a rest and showers. Later in the afternoon, we returned to seek out some traditional music. Several restaurants and bars had advertised music in the afternoon. We settled in at one place, James with a pint and me with a bottle of Orchard Thieves apple cider. A sign read that music would start at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. We kept an eye on the area reserved for the musicians. 4 p.m. came and went. 4:30 came and went. We saw a few folks come in with guitars, flutes and other instruments. They ordered pints and sat down to drink them. 5 p.m. came and went. After two hours of waiting, we realized that the musicians had no intention of playing for a while so we gave up and headed out.
At this point, we were both tired and admittedly a little disappointed, perhaps a bit cranky. Many of the restaurants on Quay Street were filled with diners and we inquired at a few places that said the wait for a table would be at least two hours. We ended up at an Italian place with no wait where the food was mediocre.
The next morning James was feeling even more sick so I left him to sleep in at the hotel while I treked the few blocks to a pharmacy. It reminded me a little bit of my time as a student in Ireland, when I walked alone into town for groceries or lunch. Galway had the same brick pavement as the city center in Coleraine. I picked up cold medicine (none of which proved as effective as the over-the-counter options in the U.S.) and picked up a little comfort food for breakfast in the form of sausage McMuffins from McDonald’s.
After a late start, we left Galway for our next destination: the Cliffs of Moher.
Andersons+Ireland 