The Wild West (of Ireland)

I am going to say two things that I NEVER thought I would say. Brace yourselves.
#1. We have met some very nice Americans
#2. I have a problem: I take too many pictures. (although you wouldn't know it with the measley amount I am allowed to post)

This has to be quick... we are being kicked out of Dingle's cute little Gaelic library in 24 minutes.
We will start with Galway... at first I (Kristen) HATED Galway. I figured that if I had wanted to spend a weekend in a touristy, overpriced town, I should have just stayed in Niagara Falls. However, as Jonathan Buchanan Mooney predicted, within a few hours, I had been won over. Let me tell you about the incredible day that won me over. It started normally. It was Saturday morning, and we had planned, after going to the local market and seeing the Galway Cathedral, to take the 2pm bus out to Kinvara for a Medieval Banquet. Upon arriving at the bus station however, at 11am, just to confirm our bus our (although we had already done so the day before as well). To our horror, we discovered that, in fact, the bus did not leave at 2pm, and that the next one didn't leave until 6pm. Since the banquet started at 5:30, we took the more adventurous option... we hopped on the the next available bus to the closest possible town. A town, that we we told, had no bus services, no taxi, and was about 10km from Kinvara. We were assured by locals that hitchhiking was a safe and almost reliable way to get to Kinvara. With Gramma in tow, and ready for an adventure, we set out to Kilcolgan. On the way, Jonathan started chatting up a local Galway-ian sitting beside him. After the young boy got off the bus, the woman across the asile began talking to us. She was very friendly, and right before our stop, she offered to drive us to Kinvara herself, if we kept on the bus a little longer to her town! It was incredible! Not only did she go out of her way giving us a presonal narrated tour of the Burren (a really cool rocky region south of Galway) but she then dropped us off right in the harbour of Kinvara, across from the castle. Someone is definitely watching over us. Corny, I know.


The banquet was awesome! Gramma got to hear some of her favourite Irish songs, and Jonathan seranaded the ENTIRE crowd with his rendition of "Mull of Kintyre." On the bus ride home, we drove right through a town that was having an oyster fest and a number of very drunk Irish boys got on, pints and all! They loved Gramma Mary! Although none of them believed we were from Canada. That, in part was because Jonthan was talking in this ridiculos "Canadian" accent (think 'hockey hick meets newfoundland meets something definitley NOT Canadian) and also in part because, according the the Irish guy who 'really knows Canada', Niagara Falls, is not actually a city, but a site. I told him that about 80,000 people would probably disagree with him.

Thats Galway, and our 24 minutes. We will post pictures from Dublin, and believe me, they are BEAUTIFUL!!


ps. mom and dad: you don't have to write my personal messages in the blog comments! Just EMAIL me!! We can check our emails! You guys are hilarious!

pps. If my spelling and grammer were not up to par, sorry. You try typing with someone yipping over your shoulder. No names.


Wish you were here .. with us and Fungie (the dolphin!)