Goodbye Galway

I think I’ve done fairly well with my couch potato plans. I haven’t exactly been laying on a couch, but I’m also having an equally hard time coming up with what exactly I have been doing. I have wandered some and seen more of the city, more residential and commercial areas, nothing special but part of the local fabric.

I mailed a package home yesterday. I don’t know if this is true of all Irish post offices, but the one here does not take credit cards… Well, isn’t that nice… and of course I had hardly and cash on me… I can’t believe they let me leave the package there (already had postage on it when they figured this out) while I went and found an ATM. I also can’t believe they don’t take credit cards! Yikes!

I took in another movie yesterday. This time I tried Daybreakers, a vampire movie that I read was filmed two years ago. Don’t know why they hung onto it so long and then released it with no fanfare amidst the glut of vampire mania, but it’s actually a decent movie. Different plot from the general fare and a fairly unique ending. I would recommend it at matinée prices, but take that with the grain that I am not known for liking universally loved movies.

This evening, I wandered with the camera at dusk and stocked up on groceries for the next couple of days. I leave after breakfast tomorrow for a Connemara tour. I’ll have about half a day of touring and then spend two nights at a hostel in the midst of nowhere. Hence the need for some ready eat meals. There’s a village 3 miles away! I may walk there just to see it if the weather is good, which remains to be seen.

The weather her today is more towards the norm for here. Rainy and overcast but not nearly so cold. The ice in the canals and inner harbor is gone. The trees aren’t glistening with ice, the sidewalks aren’t slippery. It barely feels like the Galway I fell in love with anymore! Still, I am so glad I stayed here awhile. It was just what I was looking for.

Yet, I am also ready to move on as well. I’m ready to get back to Dublin and ready to move on for my short stay in Paris. I spent part of last night reading my wee guide to Paris. I’m looking forward to something new. I also, dare I say it, am looking forward to being that much closer to home. I love traveling. I don’t think that will ever change, but as I hit 3 weeks of living out of bags and moving around every few days, I’m discovering that the novelty is wearing on me at the moment. I’m sure a short time after being home I’ll want to plan somewhere anew, but right now, I’d welcome the recharge. If I wasn’t going home, I’d need to find somewhere I could recharge on the road, with a proper bed and bath, and all the trappings of home. As things stand, I know home is on the horizon and can enjoy this all the more knowing that.