A Galway Girl

Immediately after the goodbyes I finished packing up my stuff and hopped on a plane to Dublin. Then began my AMAZING roadtrip through Ireland with my dad.

From Dublin we headed to Galway and it is a marvelous town. Like it is definitely up there on my list of favorite places. We knew it was going to be a good trip because the first thing we saw there was Fagan's pub! Of course we had to stop there and get a bite to eat. The food was basic but the vegetable soup was quite tasty. From there we just explored the Spanish Quarter which had a bunch of cute shops and restaurants and bars. Also all the buildings are brightly colored and it just makes it look adorable. I even happened upon a storefront that I have seen on Pinterest.

Thank goodness we have a car 'cause it allowed us to explore the coast even though it was raining a bit. Turns out they have white sandy beaches! I had no idea. I thought the beaches were going to be more like the pebbly ones you get in England. Also having a car meant that we got to see more of the coast than I would have ever seen on foot. And it just smelled like the ocean, which was heavenly.


To top the wonderful first day off we had a ridiculously fantastic meal at a restaurant near the Spanish Arch! I got to try monkfish and pickled crab and prosecco. It was just divine and I do not use that word in reference to dining willy-nilly.
You would think that such a spectacular first day would perhaps instill unrealistic expectations on the rest of the trip, but honestly its surprising how perfectly things seemed to come together.

We took a mountainous drive to this beautiful abbey next to a lake. Honestly is was very serene and an apt place for such a building. Even the drive up there was filled with breathtaking views. I just didn't realize Ireland was so mountainous. Clearly I just didn't know enough about the place.

We then had a lovely snack on the coast before beginning a rather stressful drive back to Galway. I must give my dad props for driving here because it is on the opposite side of the road. The roundabouts were kicking his ass at first, but he seems to have the hang of them now. The stressful parts come when a one lane road tries to be a two lane road with cars going in opposite directions. Some of the time you just have to pullover to let the others pass, but most of the time there aren't shoulders. You'll have a stone fence directly to your left. Its even more challenging when they throw in those blind turns. Honestly I just don't know why anyone would ever have a nice car here. It is just way too easy to damage it. Oh! And I also wouldn't bike here. I mean there is barely room on the roads for the cars. It also didn't help that there was heavy traffic do to either a football or rugby match that had just ended.

We did manage to make it back in one piece (only a few scratches on the car) and we rewarded ourselves with another delightful dinner. It wasn't as good as the night before but it was definitely up there.

The next day we drove to Ennis, but not before grabbing breakfast and this breakfast is not to be overlooked. I ordered pancakes and bacon, and they actually gave my BACON! Like American style bacon! It has been too long. I was assuming like a slice of ham 'cause that's what these crazy people call bacon, but it was actually bacon and it was delicious. It was kind of pathetic how excited I was by this, but I feel no shame. And to top it off there were like 3 really good street artists playing around the area. Way to go Galway!