Ireland Day 2 - 10 minutes walk.

My 10 minute walk

I decided to day when I went to visit Spencer to try to find the local Mormon church.  I got directions from my B&B family to the hospital - a 10 minutes walk they said.  I looked on my map and decided if I go a little farther I can go on the road where the church is supposed to be.  I said supposed to be because I never found it, but I did have a lovely hike.  I walked for about 2 hours.  I did visit Spencer and he was sleeping and very drugged, so I had a nice 5 minute visit before he decided to sleep again.  Sleep sometimes is the best medicine!  

This 10 minute walk is so funny to me!  I actually saw a sign that pointed in a direction and said some type of attraction was 10 minutes one way and another attraction was 10 minutes in the opposite direction.  Unfortunately, it was on the other side of the road, and I didn't want to get run over for a great picture.  Half way between the 10 minute walk from the hospital to the B&B, I asked a store clerk for directions, and she said, "It'll be about a 10 minute walk."  I cracked up right there in the middle of the store.  She must have thought I was crazy! 

My Rock Walls

One thing I wanted to see was rock walls along the roads in Ireland.  I have seen several movies with that and it just seemed lovely.  (I'm thinking P.S., I love you and Leap Year.) There are rock walls everywhere, in fact I saw a bridge with flat cement facing the water and stones put in as a facade on the side facing the road. 

Here is unusual bush.  It had these
popcorn-like bulbs.   I wish I had a
better picture to show you!

Here is an example of the many rock walls
I saw on my hike today.

Road Signs are a bit unusual in Galway, Ireland.  They are written in Gaelic and English.  They drive on the other side of the road, so I have to check, recheck, and recheck again when I cross the road.

 

There are great bike paths there.  The bike sidewalk for walkers is one level, the bike paths are a little lower, and the road itself is on the lowest level.  I thought this was great because the bikes have their own lane that is not on the road.

I was so confused by this sign.  I think that it means watch out for the bikes, but I'm still not quite sure.  If a bike was going straight then the bike would still be hit even if they veered to the left to go right.  I don't get it.  Thank heaven I'm not driving here.  I thought it would be easy to get used to since I drove in New Zealand on the opposite side of the road, but it's been way too long!

 Here are some lovely flowers just outside my B&B.  It's a really lovely garden!

I'm in Ireland, Crazy but True

You Are Where?

Well, all I can say is be careful what you wish for.  I was wishing so badly to get away from work and travel.  Spencer, my brother who lives with me, was in Ireland on holiday (that's vacation to Americans).  He got sick and he's in the hospital.  I talked with the doctors and he will be fine, but they wanted me here so I can be with him.  They aren't quite sure when he will get better, but they want me to stay until Monday so they will have a better idea. 

Taken in Dublin from the bus.  I was awake for the 2 seconds
it took to take this picture.

I thought it was really cool that it had both the
Irish and EU flags

 It Took You How Long?

So, I woke up at 4:30 a.m., flew to Chicago got on a plane to Dublin at 6:30 p.m.  (The reason I flew so early is that I wanted to be sure that I got on the plane to Chicago because I was flying standby.) Arrived in Dublin at 8:30 a.m., got on a bus to Galway and arrived here at 1:30 p.m.  In that type of situation, here were my priorities:  1.  Book a Bed and Breakfast.  2. Meet with the doctors at the hospital.  3.  Go back to the B&B and took a shower. 4. Sleep.  5. Eat (Fish and chips!)  I was so tired that I had no desire to eat even though I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Things I Noticed Immediately

So, I noticed that when I hear Irish people talk, it seems they add letters that aren't there.  I'm not sure if they are doing that or it's just me hearing wrong.  Galway for example.  Galway rhymes with hallway.  I swear I was hearing Galaway.  When I asked where I could get great fish and chips 2 people told me the same place.  I heard McDonalds, but it was actually McDonaugh's.  I thought it was a funny name that they made, but McDonaugh's has been around since 1902. (I know because I read the sign.)

I also noticed that no matter where I was in Galway the place I wanted to go was always a 10 minute walk.  I have a sneaking suspicion they are talking about how an Irish person walks instead of how I walk, but nevertheless, it is walking distance.

Most businesses have an O' or Mc something in the name.  It's not just an Irish joke, it's the norm.

My B&B - St. Clare's

I went to the tourism office when I got here and they found me a lovely B&B that only cost 35 Euro a night.  They are this lovely older couple who have a lovely home, I came and they asked me if I would like a coffee or tea to refresh myself, I don't drink either, but it was so nice for them to offer!  It's very Irish with a living room with a wee fireplace and it's lovely.  They bent over backwards to accommodate me and they even got a taxi for me when I told them I needed to go to the hospital (even though it was just a 10 minute walk, I was almost late for my appointment, so I thought I'd take the safe route and get a ride there).  The sweet woman stood at the window and watched for the taxi for me so I could sit down for a second.

When I came back and wanted to sleep, she turned off the radio and made sure everything was quiet so I could sleep.  She said, "I'll turn on the heat for you.  It turns on at 5:00 p.m. and then it will turn on again before you wake up."  That was a little concerning to me because I'm a cold natured person, but I was too tired to question this practice.  So, I put on my jacket over my pajamas and slept!