The Irish Chronicles - Galway City
Galway feels like an apartment the morning after a really good party. At least it does when walking through it at 5:30 in the morning after a full night of beer-induced sleep. Pigeons pick at the trash piles left out front of the metal shutters of restauraunt doors opened by stray dogs in the night. Cans and cups roll around in the cold sea breeze that has kept the city below 15 Celsius ever since we got here. Corey remarked, yesterday, while we were walking down the street: Have you seen all the beer bottles and cups propped up in corners around the city? I think Galway goes under a complete change at night.
He's probably right, too. Though we've only been up for what seems like the opening wave of drinkers. Trying to cohere landmarks as we walked back from The Crane Bar down on Sea Road we were surrounded by people walking about, lounging in the patios in front of restaurants and pubs that line the ancient pedestrain section of town. And ancient is right, a wall in this place could be older than the US and no one would give it a second thought. You can feel it in the space, most of the streets here weren't built with cars in mind and each road feels packed. All the houses and buildings touch eachother at some point. It's hard to find a building that's removed from the mass of the city itself. It's a new feeling and I'm interested in seeing how many places follow this paradigm, or finding out if most European cities feel like this. There's even a smell, the weight of so many living and so many dead. Perhaps I'm allowing myself to be to poetic.
Visited Galway Cathedral, Spanish Arch, a few other places. Had drinks with a Swiss and German couple. More to do, Connemara soon, then Dublin.
He's probably right, too. Though we've only been up for what seems like the opening wave of drinkers. Trying to cohere landmarks as we walked back from The Crane Bar down on Sea Road we were surrounded by people walking about, lounging in the patios in front of restaurants and pubs that line the ancient pedestrain section of town. And ancient is right, a wall in this place could be older than the US and no one would give it a second thought. You can feel it in the space, most of the streets here weren't built with cars in mind and each road feels packed. All the houses and buildings touch eachother at some point. It's hard to find a building that's removed from the mass of the city itself. It's a new feeling and I'm interested in seeing how many places follow this paradigm, or finding out if most European cities feel like this. There's even a smell, the weight of so many living and so many dead. Perhaps I'm allowing myself to be to poetic.
Visited Galway Cathedral, Spanish Arch, a few other places. Had drinks with a Swiss and German couple. More to do, Connemara soon, then Dublin.