Galway

With the sun rising in my rear view mirror, I left for a drive across Ireland.  Galway was the destination, and I had a weekend of beautiful tours planned. 

When was the last time you saw the sun rise?  It's fresh, golden rays bounce off the dewy grass and the whole world seems to come alive, sparkle, and take a deep, waking breath.  New day, new start, new possibilities. 

Around mid journey it started to sprinkle as the sun filtered through the rain clouds, and a huge, full, vibrant rainbow literally arched in front of me, and I drove right under it.  My good fortune and opportunity was not lost on me.  I was traveling through paradise as an open book, waiting for adventures to take up the pages.  I closed my eyes in thanks for the gift of the day.

In Galway, I found cheap parking a few blocks away from the hostel I was staying at. I gobbled down an apple and made me way toward Sleepzone.  This would be my first time in a hostel, and I was very excited for a new experience.  I walked through the door and was instantly transported back to college dorm days.  The place was a friendly, bustling space with college students and young travelers everywhere.  They were drinking coffee, on their laptops using the wifi, watching tv, some just of the shower carrying around wet towels and sporting wet hair.  It was fantastic!

I checked in and would be staying in the female dorm, less drama that way.  Then I was off to catch the Galway Tour Company bus.  Today I was doing a tour of Connemara and Cong, two places renowned for boating the typically beautiful Irish landscapes you often see in the movies.  The weather was cool and overcast, but not raining, so weather lucky!  I hopped on the bus, presented my ticket and the girl driving smiled at me and said "you're very chipper this mornin". 
Once everyone was settled, the bus driver hopped on, introduced himself, and started us on our way.  He had a wonderful Irish accent and was a pleasure to listen to.  Throughout the day he would tell us stories and histories of the lands we were visiting, and it was an amazing experience.

This side of the country is more rustic, and you start to get a sense of real Irish life as it was back in the days of potato crops.  The soil here is so filled with limestone that people had to dig all the rock out of their fields.  They broke up the rocks and used it to build walls around their properties.  This helped to define property lines and keep livestock in, but really it was just something to do with the loads of rock they dug up.