First of all, I have to say that Spencer is recovering nicely and I have a meeting with the doctors tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I will going home soon. Spencer's doctor said that I needed to take care of myself so I could keep taking care of Spencer. She said that I needed to go out and enjoy Ireland. She said that I MUST go to Connemara. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth! So, I asked my B&B people - Nora and Joe, to book a tour for me and the tour bus picked me up in front of my B&B house!!! Lally Tours www.lallytours.com for those wondering. It was only 20 Euro and if you buy 2 tours it's another discount. This is my first trip to Connemara and my second trip will be on Friday to the Cliffs of Moher. (You pay in cash, so be prepared!) Our Tour Guide was AMAZING! He knew a lot of history, was subtly funny, and also had the traditional Irish kindness!
This is Kylemore Castle in the distance. I don't think you can see it, but there is a Statue of Christ on the mountain. This used to be a private residence, then it was a school, now it is an Abbey.
Angelina Jolie went to school here. The school closed down in 2010. Nuns used to be the teachers.
Check out the Apple symbol in this cloud!
This is the small church on the grounds of Kylemore Abby.
Is it weird that I loved
the doors and the window?
Inside the church at Kylemore Abby.
This is the anti-climatic mausoleum. We were told that Mitchell Henry created this mausoleum for his beloved wife and it was as small as a tool shed and not very pretty - just sayin'.
This is one of the many fun benches they had on the grounds. I had to take this picture because it has a butterfly and my friend Suzanne Tilton is the butterfly lady! (She raises butterflies.)
This picture was taken on the way from Kylemore Castle to the grounds.
Here is the beautiful, but somewhat anti-climatic gardens. The really cool thing about them is that there were cool shapes around where the plants were.
Another part of the garden at Kylemore. I wonder if I were here in spring instead of fall what it would look like.
Here is my new friend Korena I met on the tour reaching for the grapes. She's on a year-long trek around the world. I would LOVE to do that!
I love the natural beauty that was all around us!
This is my tour friend Kris playing music for us!
This is a sign and a map of Kylemore Abby and Gardens.
There are bogs all over Connemara. Our driver said that if you fall in, it's like a sponge and won't let you go, so your mates have to dig you out. He said that he has been stuck in them 4 times. They take your shoes and pants, so it's embarrassing but at least you didn't die of hypothermia!
There are people who speak Irish in these small towns. During the summer, some of these people house teens from 12 - 16 for a few weeks during the summer for an Irish immersion program. In order for the locals to make their houses bigger they made the attic into a room and add skylights.
There is marble rock everywhere. They can't move it because it's too heavy and too hard to move. They try to build their roads so they can avoid this granite. They also build their roads with the granite that is here.
Sheep are everywhere. They roam freely with everyone else's sheep and they are marked with colored paint to show who they belong to. The land is all government land and sheep are welcome to roam where they please. When the Shepard needs the sheep, they send the sheep dogs to go round them up.
This is a beautiful country with water everywhere.
What should I do next? http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186609-Activities-Galway_County_Galway.html
The following is what I did on my way to go see Spencer in the hospital. I call it my 10-minute walk although it lasted for several hours, because I took my time going and coming.
I went back to McDonagh's and had chicken and chips. I was so tempted to try their mushy peas, but I was too full. I will have mushy peas before I leave! I love eating here because they have stools on the outside of the room, so even if you are sitting by yourself, you aren't really because you are so close to other people eating. It's a nice way to meet people.
There is a very nice walkway right next to the river on the way to the hospital. It is beautiful and green and surrounded by people and nature. It was by far my favorite path. I tried to use the panorama feature on my camera, but it made the pictures really small. See what you think. The first on is on the walkway and the second is next to the cathedral.
I had a very nice visit with Spencer at the hospital and he started to cry and told me how grateful he was that I was here with him in Ireland. I was so happy to hear him say that, but when I was on my way home I wished that someone was here with me. So, I went in a nice restaurant and had hot chocolate and shepherd's pie - Comfort Food.
I believe that God really watches out for us and he's always there when we need Him. I walked out of the restaurant when I was done and heard the most beautiful Irish music! I kept walking and there were street performers after street performers. I heard guitars, harps, and even a Didgeridoo!My favorite was this guy.I'm not sure what Marilyn Monroe and Pres. Obama have to do with Irish music, but here it is:
I Have Clothes Now - Sort Of
The original plan was to come to Ireland on Friday and leave the next morning with Spencer and go to the doctor here. By the time I was in Chicago, he was in the hospital. So, I literally had 2 shirts, 2 pants, 2 pairs of socks (one was what I got from the airplane ride), and luckily 3 pairs of underwear. So I have been washing in the sink and hanging out to dry things I wasn't wearing. Today I found the mall. It's so strange, you would never know there was a mall unless you were looking for it. It looks like a tiny alleyway and then BOOM! It's a mall. It's just like an American mall. It was huge! I was very surprised that such a big mall can start off as a little alleyway. I found 2 shirts, socks, gloves, and a suitcase. I tried to find pants, but that was asking the impossible since even when I'm in America I can't find pants that don't need alterations. I was thinking of buying shoes, but this is what I found:
These shoes are a little too cool for me.
I'm a comfortable shoes kind of girl.
Sorry, I don't want to have to balance
when I'm wearing shoes.
These look semi-comfortable, but they had
absolutely no padding on the
inside of the shoe.
Ode To Google
I have had to make several calls since I've been here, both to the U.S. and inside of Ireland. Gmail has a chat feature. Next to the chat feature is a picture of a little phone. I get to talk to America for FREE and I get to talk to Ireland at 17 cents a minute. THANK YOU GOOGLE!!!!!
I finally was able to go to downtown Galway today - after visiting Spencer and a very long nap! I went to find lunch and there is a street lined with restaurants and shops. I found a bakery that had sandwiches and so I walked in and it was warm, crowded, and friendly. I had a bread called bap. I had no idea what that was, so I thought I'd try it. This is bap bread and turkey and cranberry sandwich.
Downtown Galway, Ireland
There are a lot of shops and restaurants on one road and the road turns and there are a lot of vendors and food carts on the other road. There were lots of people and shops!
I had to take a picture because of the funny name!
There is a beautiful cathedral in between the city center and the hospital. I love going inside the cathedrals, there are works of art and amazing architecture, not to mention inspiring worshipers and prayers happening.
This was the river next to the cathedral. Very beautiful!
I was trying to find the hospital when I was done walking around, so I asked a person for directions. He told me which direction and then said, "5... no... 10 minutes walk." I thought that someone was going to say something other than 10 minutes, but I think it's the law to say that it's 10 minutes away. :) I found it easily and I am happy to say that Spencer is doing very well, I think that his stay will be very short hopefully!
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!
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!
