On the morning of the first of July, I packed my bags, left a postcard and a small gift (a Birmingham fridge magnet and a bag of pecan brittle) for Ronan as thanks for his hospitality, and set out for Galway on the west coast of Ireland.
I met Jenny and Rick once again at the Spire, and we hopped over to the internet cafe to print out our bus tickets, purchased the night before. Then it was around the corner to the bus station, and two hours later, we had arrived in overcast and slightly misty Galway city. Our hostel was up the hill and about half a mile from the bus station, and dragging a fifty-pound suitcase was starting to wear on me, but we finally made it, a bit wet and a lot tired, to the hostel.
We couldn't check in for another hour, so we dropped our bags in the luggage room and headed out to find some lunch. A surprising number of pubs in Galway don't serve food, so we stumbled in upon McSwiggan's pub for a Guinness before realizing we'd have to go somewhere else to satisfy our rumbling stomachs. Across the street was a Spanish place whose name eludes me, so we went in for what we thought would be a quick bite. Jenny, Rick and I shared a pitcher of sangria while we waited for the very "European" service (i.e. slow as molasses). I ordered the special, fish soup, Jenny ordered some chicken and potato tapas, and Rick ordered the paella. Our server informed us that the paella was made fresh and would take at least 30 minutes, but we went ahead with it. A very long wait later, when our stomachs had begun to digest themselves, our food finally arrived, and well worth the wait! Who would have thought Spanish food in Ireland could be so delicious, but as for my dish, I blame the extra-fresh Galway seafood. My soup was a clear broth packed full of clams, mussels, and different kinds of fresh-caught fish, with hints of paprika and saffron... divine!
After lunch, we headed back to the hostel to change and get ready for our first night out in the city. Rick and Jenny stayed in a private suite, but I was roughing it, and opted for a 9-bed female dorm room. When I first walked in, there were two American girls from Arizona already in the room, and we chatted for a while before I changed clothes and got ready to hit the town. When we were ready, Jenny and Rick and I headed out towards the Quays, where all the best pubs in Galway were, so we could watch the Euro Cup Final game between Spain and Italy.
That night made for a very good, but rather long story, so I'll save that one for another time...
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