On Friday, I had lunch with Melon and her dad and great aunt who had come to visit her. We went to the little deli we like so much across the street from the Galway Cathedral. After lunch, I saw the inside of the Galway Cathedral. The entire floor is made of Connemara marble and is absolutely stunning. Even though it was only built in 1965, it has the appearance of a church that has been around for a few centuries. For the next hour or so we wandered around the harbor of Galway until I had to head up to the train station to pick Maggie up.
Maggie and I went to Griffin's Bakery so she could get some lunch and so I could try out their hot chocolate! Melon had gone to Griffin's the previous week with her great aunt and told me I could not pass it up. And she was right; it was very good! Maggie and I made the hike back to my apartment after lunch to put her things down and figure out what we would do for the rest of the day. Melon called us and offered to drive us to the Salt Hill Prom because she was going there with her family. We didn't hesitate to take her up on her offer and soon we were off the the prom. (For all of those who don't know, a 'prom' in Ireland is a beach.) It was a perfect day for a walk on the prom. Maggie and I wandered the beaches and took lots of pictures (as you will see below). We then met up with Melon and her family to go to Lohan's for dinner. We got two GIANT pots of mussels for appetizers and I got Guinness beef stew. Maggie also had her first fish and chips in Europe! It was about time that happened...
(Salt Hill Prom)
(Mags and me at the Salt Hill)
(Beautiful Sunset)
(Mags)
(Beef Stew!!!)
That night was my unofficial birthday night. I got ready and headed over to Ashleen's to meet up with everyone before we went out. Upon arrival at her apartment I was showered with balloons and streamers! They gave me a shiny banner-thing that said "21 It's Party Time!" on it. I draped part of it around my shoulders and the other part I tied around my head as a bandanna. We all met up at The King's Head for my birthday celebrations. Everyone in the bar kept wishing me happy birthday! Allie even got the bank (The Naked Bears- really good cover band) to wish me a happy birthday and give me multiple shout-outs! Once The King's Head started to close down we went over to The Front Door for about an hour before heading back for the night. It was such a fun night and I'm so glad I got to spend it with Maggie and all of my Villanovans!
(Mags and me on my birthday night part 1)
On Saturday, Maggie, Ashleen and I got up and went to see Donut Man. I couldn't let Mags come to Galway without seeing him! She, too, was impressed by his donut-making abilities... I'm not surprised... they really are phenomenal donuts. We walked around Galway city and then spent a an hour on the beach because it was such a beautiful day. I collected more beach glass... of course... and now my collection has doubled in size!
(Maggie with her Butler's Chocolate drink and Donut Man donut)
(Galway)
(Galway Prom)
(Mags on the Prom)
(Ashleen on the Prom)
That night was a laid-back night. Maggie and I made jalepeno burgers for dinner with Ashleen and Joe. Then Allie and Erin made me a birthday cake (my first birthday cake since senior year of high school!) and everyone sang to me! After that we just hung out at Gort with a few friends until midnight and called it a night since we had to be up really early in the morning.
(Vanilla and Oreo birthday cake!)
The next day, Melon and I took Maggie to the train station to catch her 8am train back to Dublin and then we headed off with everyone else to catch the bus to the Aran Island Ferries! To get to the Aran Islands from Galway, you have to take a 45 minute bus ride to the ferry and then a 45 minutes ferry ride to the islands. Once we were there, Melon, Ashleen, Joe, Owen and I rented bikes for 6e a piece and began our trek around the Inis Mor (the biggest island with a population of 800). The sights were beautiful since we had yet another clear day in Ireland. We stopped for lunch on a small beach off the route we were supposed to take. After getting back on the road we continued to make short stops along the way to see the sights or talk to the animals. I made friends with four horses and a cow that day. Melon named the cow Betty. The horses' names were: Seamus, Biscuit, Lavender, and Heather. The horses liked to bite Ashleen's coat. Joe has some pretty hilarious pictures of her attempts to befriend them! We reached the farthest point that we could travel to, the fort of Dun Aonghasa. We couldn't decide if we had enough time to climb up the hill to the fort, but after a few minutes of deliberating we decided it would be well worth it. And it was. The views were spectacular. You could see the entire stretch of the 9-mile long Inis Mor island from that point. It was a lot like the Cliffs of Moher there. The cliffs were perfectly vertical from the top of the fort and you could go right up to the edge and look over. We hung around the top of the fort for a little bit and then began our journey back to the main town where the ferries were. On our way, Joe made us stop at the beach so he could jump in the water. Yes. He jumped into the Atlantic Ocean at the end of September in Ireland. How he managed to handle the cold water I will never know! Once back in town we had a little bit of time to explore the shops. I didn't get anything else there because I had bought a few little things at the stores out by Dun Aoghasa, but there were so many beautiful items that I was tempted to!
(Owen on our little beach we found on Inis Mor)
(Seamus)
(The beach where Mike and Joe went swimming)
(Melon was tired at the end of the day)
(Melon and Sam waiting for the ferry)
To finish out my birthday weekend, a group of us that went to the Aran Islands went to La Salsa for dinner back in Galway City. It's a lot like Chipotle back in the States, and boy did it taste good. Later that night I went out with some people to The Front Door for one last hoorah on my birthday! It was a great finish to my 21st birthday extravaganza weekend. I'm so glad I got to spend it here in Ireland where, yes, they do make it a big deal, especially for the Americans!
(Part of the crew out on my 21st!)
(Me and Joe)
(Me and Ashleen!!!)
"Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter
Lullabies, dreams, and love ever after.
Poems and songs with pipes and drums
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes.
That's the Irish for you!"
Lullabies, dreams, and love ever after.
Poems and songs with pipes and drums
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes.
That's the Irish for you!"
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