This morning we took a taxi to Heuston train station in Dublin for an overnight trip to Galway. We kept our room in Dublin so we only had to take an overnight bag with us. The train ride was scenic as we went through Portarlington, Tullamore, Clara, Athlone (a bigger city), Ballinasloe, Athenry, and Oranmore. Galways is on the west coast of Ireland. At one of the stops, Jack jumped out to clean the window on the outside of the train in order to take photos (it was very dirty). Kathy was nervous and frantically gesturing, worried that the doors would close before he got back on the train.
Our hotel in Galway was right next to the train station, very convenient. We were able to check in early, then head toward the city center which is very popular with tourists. Ate lunch at the Quay Street Kitchen, which had an interesting mix of Asian and Irish menu choices. But it was good — we have been pleasantly surprised with the food choices at restaurants and pubs in both England and Ireland.
Then we set off for a walk along the bay which was very pretty. We saw the memorial dedicated to the 100 ships that carried emigrants away from Ireland during the famine and walked along the Mutton Island Causeway, which we thought led to a lighthouse. Along the way, Tomas started up a conversation with us. He is a resident of Galway and likes to talk to tourists. He told us about the cladach there — which means rocky beach — and explained that a sewage plant was built not too long ago at the end of the causeway (and blocked the lighthouse access). He also explained the cliffs on the opposite side of the bay, similar to the Cliffs of Moher - another tourist attraction too far away for a half day trip.
Then we walked back to the bustling shopping area to have dinner and of course shop! Afterwards we walked back to the promenade along the bay so Jack could take pictures at high tide before sunset while Kathy walked towards Salt Hill, the seaside resort part of Galway.
By the time we got back to our hotel (around 10 p.m., sunset wasn’t until 9 p.m.) all the hotel’s big glass revolving and regular doors were locked and we couldn’t get inside. We had to wait for a passing bartender to let us in — not sure why. It’s not a bad part of town, if there are any in Galway.
We grabbed a drink from the bar and we were done for the day. Our room faced the bay and the window opened which was a nice touch!