So we took a “train to Galway at 8am”
which turned out to be a bus to another train station at 7:40 again
(WTF?!?!?), but eventually made it to Galway. Galway is on the west
coast of Ireland, and surprise surprise it rains there a lot too. We
asked a bunch of people what to do in town when it's raining and they
all laughed and told us to go to a pub. Out of blind luck we happened
to walk into a pub that was known for having the best Irish music in
Galway, and perhaps the best in the country (and 2 bar tenders that
won the national Irish Coffee making contest!). We got there
around 1 and were basically the only ones in the pub except for the
bar staff and the band who was scheduled to go on at 2. Over the next
hour, this place got PACKED, and we were lucky enough to have some
seats. The band was led by a guy that had to be in his 70's that
cracked a joke about everyone in the bar (there were a lot about SF)
and recited traditional Irish poetry (which the locals were awed by
because almost no one knows the poems any longer, or so we were
told). The band played for hours without taking more than a 5 minute
break, and one of the cooler parts was the guitar player split time
between Galway and SF and plays regularly at the Plough and the Stars
in the Richmond District. After a few hours we decided we needed a
change of scenery, and went to the pub across the street. Here we met
a Galway local name Kieran who bought us drinks for the next 3 hours,
a Grandmother from Palos Verdes who's daughter just bought Burns'
florist shop in San Rafael, and got the lowdown as to where to watch
the Warriros game for the night. After the pub, we found a sports bar
and watched the Warriors take it to the Spurs in overtime (I know it
didn't end well the next couple nights, but at least that night was
fun), while sharing stories with some newly weds on their honeymoon
as well. Overall a day for the record books.
Now the next morning we decided to rent
a car and drive an hour north to Ashford Castle in County Mayo,
Google it now. We spent 2 hours walking the grounds and some how
smuggled our way into the hotel to have some tea with the upper crust
of society (they knew we didn't belong). After that, we made our way
to the Falconry School of Ireland, Google that too. This is where we
had our Hawk Walk. Yep, I said Hawk Walk. We each put on a falconry
glove (gauntlet) and got a hawk to take “hunting.” Basically, we
walked around the grounds launching the hawks in the air and then
calling them back with a little piece of meat on the gloves. It was
so cool. You will never believe how fast they can fly, maneuver
through trees, come back to your glove and stop on a dime (to eat a
chicken head off your glove, I mean gauntlet). The talons on these
things can literally rip a piece of meat in half in about a second,
but be as gentle as someone holding your hand if they want (as can be
witnessed when one landed on my glove and the other on my shoulder).
If the birds get spooked by a dog, horse, crazy Irish kid, etc. they
may fly off (sometimes for hours) but they always come back to the
school. They were amazing animals, such a cool experience.
Then we
drove around the southern part of County Mayo checking out the sites
and local restaurants. For a small area, they have amazing food here.
Kelsey took some shots where the The Quiet Man was filmed (I still haven't seen it, sorry Patti) and we
called it a day. We drove our car back to Galway and found out the
bus drivers were on strike, which meant we had to find a different
way to get to Dublin. Luckily, it was just the state bus drivers
union, and the private companies couldn't care less about union
negotiations, so we got back to Dublin just in time for our flight to
London. Thanks for everything Ireland, we will definitely be back!
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