From the beginning of this adventure, I didn't have much of an itinerary or agenda. Well, that's not entirely true. My main agenda was to see what it's like living in Ireland, in one place, for a bit longer than a normal 10-day vacation might allow for. Although even a month is a short time, I've definitely begun to feel at home here in Galway. Places and routes and cars-driving-on-the-other-side-of-the-road have all become more or less familiar and comfortable.
This time has also been a sort of retreat for me, a time to get out of my routine, and think about some things that I want to change or subtract from or add to my life. It's been a time to relax and slow down and look at things differently. A time to actually read a book--something I enjoy, but never, ever make time for. It's also been a time to immerse myself in music and a different culture. I feel less like a tourist and more like a visitor, if I can make that distinction. The daily trips outside of Galway City didn't really materialize, or at least I didn't make them happen, but it's ok--I didn't want to feel like I had to do anything, and that's just how this trip has evolved.
Sunday night I was treated to a visit from Paul Baker, a friend from the states, and a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology who's visiting Galway for work. We must have talked for nearly 4 hours over dinner and drinks, and we could have gone on longer if it hadn't been past midnight. I've said it before: good conversation is like oxygen for me. If I've learned nothing else during this trip, it's that I want more of those kinds of connections in my life back home. Maybe it took getting out of my routine to discover this.
Yesterday was perhaps the last really nice day we're going to have for the week, as it's supposed to rain the rest of the week. I've been feeling a little upper respiratory thing going on, so I didn't feel up for a trip out of town, and it's still lingering today...so more reading and peppermint tea are on the agenda. But I was able to get out for my daily walk, and it was really enjoyable. Music at the Crane Bar with a different group of people and one familiar face rounded out the evening.
I haven't taken as many pictures as I thought I might, but I brought along my Nikon D90 camera and a few lenses to do that job. I'd forgotten that I've also been taking pictures with my pocketable camera, a Sony TX9. The cool thing about the TX9 is that it has a panorama setting, where you can scan the horizon in front of you and it will automatically stitch together the series of photos into one wide picture. I've included a few of these in past blog entries, but I forgot to include them from recent outings. Here, then, are a few of them.
This time has also been a sort of retreat for me, a time to get out of my routine, and think about some things that I want to change or subtract from or add to my life. It's been a time to relax and slow down and look at things differently. A time to actually read a book--something I enjoy, but never, ever make time for. It's also been a time to immerse myself in music and a different culture. I feel less like a tourist and more like a visitor, if I can make that distinction. The daily trips outside of Galway City didn't really materialize, or at least I didn't make them happen, but it's ok--I didn't want to feel like I had to do anything, and that's just how this trip has evolved.
Sunday night I was treated to a visit from Paul Baker, a friend from the states, and a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology who's visiting Galway for work. We must have talked for nearly 4 hours over dinner and drinks, and we could have gone on longer if it hadn't been past midnight. I've said it before: good conversation is like oxygen for me. If I've learned nothing else during this trip, it's that I want more of those kinds of connections in my life back home. Maybe it took getting out of my routine to discover this.
Yesterday was perhaps the last really nice day we're going to have for the week, as it's supposed to rain the rest of the week. I've been feeling a little upper respiratory thing going on, so I didn't feel up for a trip out of town, and it's still lingering today...so more reading and peppermint tea are on the agenda. But I was able to get out for my daily walk, and it was really enjoyable. Music at the Crane Bar with a different group of people and one familiar face rounded out the evening.
I haven't taken as many pictures as I thought I might, but I brought along my Nikon D90 camera and a few lenses to do that job. I'd forgotten that I've also been taking pictures with my pocketable camera, a Sony TX9. The cool thing about the TX9 is that it has a panorama setting, where you can scan the horizon in front of you and it will automatically stitch together the series of photos into one wide picture. I've included a few of these in past blog entries, but I forgot to include them from recent outings. Here, then, are a few of them.
[Click any photo to make it larger.]
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| Galway Bay, early morning |
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| Poulnabrone Portal Tomb |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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