Sunday, October 05, 2014

Galway Folks--Part II

The most important part of travel is, of course, the people that you meet. The whole point of travel is to stretch your mind and test your ideas and learn new ways of seeing the world, and to be happy that the ugly American has not ruined it for us all.  You can see all the stone edifices, drink and eat at all the pubs, and take all the tours, but the real richness is in meeting the people, the ones you can actually have one on one time with.  While I have photos of lots of interesting buskers, tour guides, shop owners, etc, the time we spent at two B&Bs on our adventure is one the best ways to talk to real citizens of the area you are visiting.  B&B owners are some of the most interesting characters because they usually love being a host or hostess, and therefore, you get a genuine feel for the area.  They love to answer questions, to tell tales of their country, and tell tales of other visitors.  Unfortunately, while Ireland has many B&Bs, as the older owners retire, new B&Bs are not being opened and the numbers of B&Bs are shrinking.


One B&B where we stayed was just outside of Galway.  The owners were the ones that told us that the first day of the International Galway Oyster Festival was the very next night ...which also happened to have free admission!   So, we headed out that Friday evening and Hubby was looking forward to tasting a few of the famous Irish oysters.   He was impressed...although the prices were not cheap.  The festival band was truly energetic and fun!  I had a camera backpack and camera and had no where to leave them (that is my excuse), but hubby was hands-free and joined in the merriment.  By the third Irish dance the young girls were down to their tank tops and other young men joined the circle.  I was a little surprised that more people were not dancing.  The band also played for professional Irish dancers in between times.  What a pleasurable experience!  You cannot listen to Irish music and not at the very least tap your foot.









Since my readers seem to want to learn more about this trip I will next post photos of our two hours watching people hurl in a bar in Dublin...;-)

18 comments:

  1. Well, I'm thoroughly enjoying your trip.

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  2. Have not been to Ireland, so really enjoy your tour. I think all the B&Bs are moving into Fredericksburg...all coming here for the festivals and the wine tours. Octoberfest is in full swing and the hotels and B & Bs are full with visitors. Have a lovely Sunday.

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  3. You've got me tapping my foot just seeing your photos!

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  4. I fill a bit Irish just enjoying your pictures.

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  5. Would have loved to hear that music. What a great trip. Sláinte!

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  6. My husband would be in heaven with all those oysters! Irish music is certainly toe-tapping.

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  7. Sounds fun- although I'm allergic to oysters! :)

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  8. Oh, yum! That was a fortuitous find of a bed and breakfast.

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  9. I like Irish music and dancing! Bring it all on!

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  10. We have have had wonderful experiences staying in B&Bs and small hotels too. Some special things have happened because we changed our plans and followed their advice.
    We have a cruise coming up, and with just one day on each port, we have felt it necessary to book a lot of guided excursions. I am concerned that we will miss out on meeting the people and getting real life experiences.

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  11. A neighbour of mine likes to look at travel photos but asks to be spared the stories. I couldn't believe my ears! What would travel be without the stories, the people you meet along the way? No surprise, I guess, that she has never travelled. Love this post about Galway. Did you hear anyone singing "Galway Bay"?

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  12. It is wonderful to return to my blog reading and catch up on your touring of my heritage homeland. Your pictures are fabulous and the tales going with them are in your usual grand style. Love it.

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  13. Yes. Please post more!

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  14. A most enjoyable post.

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  15. What? you’re going to show people ‘hurling’?

    the word has another meaning, perhaps it’s only slang though.

    I’ve never been to Ireland, which is a great shame. Show me more.

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  16. Oh, delightful. There are so many places I want to go, and Ireland is among them. Thank you for taking us. And that guy with his tongue out is??? Who I think it is? What Magic stuff.

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  17. We traveled in western Ireland a few years ago, and loved how it was filled with music. Fantastic.

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  18. We went to a step dance and even though I contra dance (similar) I would not give it a try because they didn't call the dances.

    I can't remember which direction the pound goes to translate it to dollars, more or less?

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.