Galway Potato

So, we’re working our way through day two of my planned couch potatoing.

Oh and yes, for those who didn’t see my post on Facebook, I am off the island at last! No disrespect for Inis Mor and the Aran Islands. I am sure they are a splendid place in the summer, spring, and fall probably, but in the winter, i spent too much time there. Especially that last marooned day! I think I also have a weird version of claustrophobia. it’s not fear of small places for me, but being trapped anywhere. Back when my home town had its flood many years past, the fact that the main roads were pretty much all washed out made me concerned even though I had probably spent MONTHS of my life there without leaving, never mind a few days! So, being trapped on an island was just… too much!

Anyway, yesterday, I wandered and wandered while I waited to be able to fully check into my room (I got here too soon). I found the section of Galway that is not so tourist, jammed with the irish version of American shopping malls, walkable, but very much built with the car in mind. I also found the movie theater! So, yesterday at 5pm, I was watching the new Sherlock Holmes film. I quite enjoyed! I’m not major Holmes fan. i have only a memory of reading one of the stories, The Hound of The Baskervilles, in school. So, bear that in mind with my saying it was a good film. It was funny, had a good pace that kept me awake (no mean feat yesterday), and i felt like the actors were really into their characters. So, there’s my take on it. That and apparently world over, movie theater popcorn is huge. I got a “regular” popcorn and a “regular” coke. I very well could have swam in the over-flowing TUB of popcorn that came across the counter. The coke, not as much as I would have liked.

After that, I spent the evening doing really thrilling things. Like what? Washing and folding laundry! I know. These are the types of edge of your seat stories that you come here for! Still, all told, it’s surprising (and, yes, lame) how much happiness you can get from a bag full of clean clothes! Never mind the joy of putting on clothes that aren’t “clean enough” in the morning.

This morning, I spent time going through my bags for my momentos and such from the trip. I have actually bought far less than on past trips, but it adds up no matter what you do. I bagged up everything and went out today and found an office supply store and got a box and packing tape. I haven’t mailed it yet, but tomorrow I’m mailing home some of my stuff along with a book I finished. Would that it was a week later so that I could also mail that honking big Ireland tour guide as well! But then I’d be wishing my trip away, eh?

This morning, I made the plans for the remainder of my time here. I’ll be in Galway until Sunday morning. I’m taking a tour of Connemara – lots of things on the tour. It can actually be completed in a day, but Sleepzone, the hostel I’m in here, has a hostel out there in this sleepy but beautiful place. I’m staying there two nights. Hopefully not a repeat of Inis Mor! Tuesday afternoon the bus will pick me up and I’ll finish the Connemara tour getting back into Galway late afternoon. And then hopping straight on to a bus for Dublin that night. Back to the Jacobs Inn for the rest of my time in Dublin, leaving from there for Paris. I will probably try to take a day tour out to Newgrange, one of the last places on my really wish to see list.

Today was to be day 2 of my Couch potato fest. And while it was very relaxing, there was very little couch. After I made my plans for the remainder of the trip, I read email for awhile and then wandered out to the Galway City Museum. I would have sworn to you that Lonely Planet said there was a fee for going there, but not so. Not a massive museum, but cool. There are displays on the history of the city, a large display on the traditional Irish boats – Currachs which means “skin boats.” Traditionally they were willow basket type affairs with animal skins wrapped around them. The lore is that they predate the Vikings and were the first boats that brought the ancient Irish to this land. According to the info. that accompanied it, they were originally used on the open sea as well before the vikings stamped them out. There was also a photo exhibition of a locally well known photographer. I had seen a few of his pieces here and there along the trip. He had some excellent stuff – sorry blanking on his name. The last exhibition was a changing exhibition, currently modern art… Some of it was beautiful and haunting, but all in all, I can’t help that I don’t always appreciate modern art. I still have respect for the work the artists put into it.

Afterwards a general wander. Another Mexican meal and then I checked out a book shop. Didn’t buy anything now but saw some books I may add to my Amazon wish list. There was one I was looking for that I’d heard about on the trip but couldn’t find. That one was added to my Amazon wish list! LOL

And thus my rampaging fest of fun goes on! I’m enjoying the down time. I may wander one more time with the camera for some more Galway photos either Friday or Saturday (depending on which has the best light), but otherwise, I’m just being a bum here until I leave for Connemara. I’m hoping to get to do a little more camera wandering in Dublin when I get back since it was so cold and icy when I left. I haven’t looked at the weather recently but it’s much warmer here in the west than even last week when I first got here.