A tired Galway Girl

Where did we leave off…oh right. A very tired Erin was making her way from Dublin to Galway with her brother on a Saturday morning in January.

After a groggy walk through Dublin (due in part to one too many Guinness the night before), we boarded the bus that would take us to Galway. I would love to tell you about the rolling green hills of Ireland and the many cows and sheep I saw roaming around the route, but I fell asleep. That’s right, I was knocked out for about 90% of that journey. A girl loves her sleep, what can I say.

We pulled into a foggy Galway and rolled over to our hotel. After dropping our bags off, we took a stroll around the city and down to the water. It was a cold day, fog settled around the town and the rain felt more like a constant mist. As we got closer to the water, the windier it got. My hair whipped in every direction and my hat was of little help. There were no brave swimmers in the water that afternoon, but there were many other runners and walkers on the path with us.

We found our way back to the Latin Quarter of Galway and started to poke our heads in the various shops. After picking up some trinkets to remember the trip, our next stop was the pub. We chose Kings Head — one of the oldest pubs in Ireland. I had previously visited during my study abroad days and was happy to see it was still going. We waited a while for the band to start playing before heading back to the hotel.

It was an early morning that Sunday. We joined a tour to see the great Cliffs of Moher. It was me, my brother, and a group of students. Our first stop was one of the most photographed castles in Ireland, Dunguaire Castle. It was a pretty castle outside Kinvarra.

From there we passed through Doolin and made our way into the fog. Yes, the fog stuck around while we tours the cliffs. It was a bit of a bummer, but for a brief moment, it cleared. I saw the cliffs through the clouds and once again marveled at how enormous they were. If you ever find yourself planning a trip to Ireland, I strongly encourage you to add the Cliffs of Moher as a must-see to your list.

After the cliffs, we had a quick lunch at the Doolin Hotel. The sun had peeked back out as we made our way to The Burren. This was my first time visiting the park, and it was beautiful. The rocky landscape contrasted the fields of green I had grown to know. I was careful stepping around as not to roll my ankles.

I took in the water’s views and listened to the waves crash. Off in the distance, I saw some surfers braving the cold water to catch some waves. (Something I’m all too familiar with…)

We started to head back to the bus, which took us back to Galway. I had one last pint of Guinness before packing up and heading back toward Dublin. We both had early flights out Monday morning, so we made the decision to spend our last night near the airport. After a very long travel day, we both safely made our way back to the US.

I absolutely loved getting to spend a few days back in Ireland. It was a lot of fun to stop by some of my favorite places and be able to check out some new spots. As much as it could be a pain having your younger brother around, I was grateful I had him around. It was cool to see him experience Ireland for the first time and have a different perspective around.