The drive from Doolin to Galway, along the coast (R477), was spectacular – more limestone, farms and ranches, stone houses adorned with bright flowers, and ocean views that mesmerize. We arrived at our condo in the Salthill area of Galway early for check-in, which gave us a chance to check out the neighborhood.
We only had a short time to explore Galway, but what we saw was great. The downtown is a maze of narrow cobblestone streets with shops and restaurants, cafes and, of course, pubs aplenty. Similar to Dublin’s Temple Bar area, but smaller, cleaner, more intimate and quaint.
One thing I was hoping to get in Ireland was a Claddagh ring. I had one long ago, but somehow lost track of it. The story of the Claddagh originates in Galway, so I figured it was the best place to find one. And is that ever the truth!! You can practically get a Claddagh at a gas station in Galway, but we were lucky enough to stumble upon Thomas Dillon’s, which has been in business since 1750 and is the original producer of the Claddagh ring. The small store also has an even smaller “museum” of the Claddagh with a short audio explaining the history. With patrons such as Queen Victoria, Princess Grace, and Maureen O’Hara, I feel like I’m in good company.
The night before we arrived, Galway beat Waterford in the National Hurling Championship (see Mick’s post) and the team arrived home the next day for a celebration – think SF after a SF Giants World Series win (I know, hard to imagine right now). As you can imagine, the town was jumpin.’ Fortunately, the crowds diminished enough for Jeff and I to enjoy a pint and a shot of Jameson in yet another pub by the name of O’Connor’s (this one right by our condo in Salthill and perhaps even more charming than the one in Doolin) while Mick stayed home to get his homework done so he could watch a movie. Imagine a dimly lit, low-ceiling bar with all kinds of antique stuff hanging from the ceiling and decorating every nook and cranny and that’s O’Connor’s. We talked about world events (N. Korea mainly) with our very engaging bartender and before we knew it, it was 9 o’clock (which actually isn’t too much past our normal dinnertime).
Limited on places to pick up dinner, we found ourselves with a convenience store quiche and a packaged bacon (ham)/mashed potatoes/cabbage dinner to microwave at the condo. Feeling like bad parents and knowing that sugar is a surefire way to Mick’s heart, we picked up three Oreo cookie ice cream sandwiches, some peanut M&M’s and a Reese’s and all was copacetic. (All kidding aside – our son is the best – easygoing, kind, smart and, of course, funny!)
