Galway: The Irish OC

It feels like we live here. We have a small apartment in Galway with everything you need for daily life. We have a fridge, microwave and oven, electric kettle, comfy bed and pillows, clean bathroom, plenty of mirrors and a coat rack by the front door. One person can lounge in the kitchen/living area while the other sleeps in. And just outside our door are shops, cafes, and pubs. And it only cost around $80/night. Wow.

We love Galway. It has a great vibe of being historic and modern at the same time. Some stores are kitchy while across

the road you have high fashion stores. It is definitely touristy--but it's okay. It's like going to the mall back home, but actually fun. It reminds me a little bit of the Laguna area in California. It's like an Irish Orange County.

Basically all we have done in Galway so far is go through the shops. There are plenty of Aran wool sweater shops where Preston bought his first scarf. It's cashmere, and magically took away all of Preston's shivers from the chill wind. I even had a realization that worsted weight wool is also called "aran" weight probably because it originated from the Aran Islands. Mind blown. (Natalie will probably be the only other person to have her mind blown).

I found a separate sweater shop where I bought some of my first real yarn. As in, not from Michael's Craft Store, but from a yarn store. And yes, the yarn is green. (And it is "aran" weight).

There was one souvenir I REALLY wanted from Ireland: a new

claddagh ring. I didn't realize until I came to Galway that it is the home of claddagh. Perfect place to buy my souvenir! However, after finding my dream ring and pulling the whole "I'll come back tomorrow and, if I still want it, then I'll buy it" I was sourly disappointed. When I came back to Claddagh Jewelers, they told me they were out of stock of the ring I wanted. We got an online reference number for when it comes back in stock, but it's just not quite the same as actually buying it in Ireland. They sized me for a ring, so at least Preston got something out of it.

We haven't done a whole lot of eating out. Just some pizzas from the pub below our apartment. A pub that provides live music all night long; a blessing and a curse. It's good music, and doesn't keep us awake at bedtime, but I couldn't imagine living with it all the time.

The highlight of today wasn't an expected one while vacationing in Europe. We got to go to a full-size Irish grocery store. And

when I say Irish, I mean Irish.

Irish butter, Irish chicken, Irish beef, Irish fish, Irish cheese, Irish bread, Irish leeks, Irish carrots, Irish parsnips, Irish everything.

And it's not just the fact that we are in Ireland and that automatically makes everything in the market Irish. It is the fact that everything says "Irish This" or "Irish That" on the label. Irish pride, much?

In our breakfast basket, we bought Irish bagels, Irish cream cheese (called "soft cheese" here), Irish rice pudding, Irish yogurt, Irish cookies, and American peanut butter.

We glimpsed an American section of the market. It was represented by overpriced Twinkies, Pop Tarts, and Lucky Charms. American pride on this? Not so much.

These two Americans did find themselves inside of a McDonald's. McDonald's is worldwide, but varies so much from country to country. Preston has been getting Reese's and M&M McFlurries back home since he was a kid. The Cadbury McFlurry in Ireland could not be ignored. Preston bought it. He ate it. And regretted it. Not that it was bad, but it was overly sweet; something that has not yet been an issue in our eating explorations.

They also have an exclusively Irish sandwich called the McMor. Ballymoe relish, Charleville cheese, cabbage, kale, and potato-flaked bread. We will have to try it before we leave! Even if it is McDonald's. I have a feeling we will be sharing just one.

We are getting close to the halfway point. I must admit that I am not as homesick as I thought I would be. Actually, we just started booking the second half of our trip! Tickets and rentals and more accommodations.

For now, it is time to rest up for a big day of biking. Preston is watching Nip/Tuck while participating in the fishing tourney on Animal Crossing. I need to shower away all of my walking grime. And possibly the vomit from what is happening on Nip/Tuck right now.