Ireland - Day 7

Welcome to Galway! Today was transition day. We packed and relaxed in the morning before heading to catch the tram to the Dublin Heuston train station. Dublin Heuston Station, originally called Kingsbridge Station, was established in 1846 as the terminus for the Great Southern and Western Railway. In 1966, it was renamed Heuston Station to honor Seán Heuston, a railway clerk and leader of the 1916 Easter Rising who had worked in the station's offices and was later executed by the British.

While we waiting for our train, we stopped in at the Galway Hooker Bar (of course since we were headed to Galway!) and then grabbed a simple lunch of sandwiches and chips. The train from Dublin to Galway takes just over 2 hours and we had comfortable seats by the windows with a table between us which was nice. We even got in a game of 5 Crowns (which I won). The weather decided to change with us today and the closer we got to Galway, it went from sunny and calm to windy and rainy. By the time we got off the train, it was pouring rain, which is more typical of what you expect Ireland to be like. It is why everything is so green. We ducked into a pub to get out of the rain and to get our bearings before walking to our next Airbnb. The bar we stepped into had a little snug so we took a minute to have a pint and as we sat there, the rain stopped and the sun came out for a few minutes. We had just enough time to get to our flat without getting drenched. We were pleasantly surprised when we walked in. It is a cute little place with just enough space for our short stay. The Airbnb is clean, well stocked and the decor is cute and artsy. We love it. The hosts have been very friendly and responsive. After settling in we ventured out to grab some groceries for breakfast. I was on the hunt for some vanilla syrup to make myself a latte in the morning since our place has a Nespresso machine, but unfortunately, the three stores we went to did not have any in stock. I guess I’ll have to rough it with sugar as sweetener instead.

For dinner, we decided to stop in at a little asian restaurant nearby called “Mama Rich Flavours of Asia”. It was above a pub with only a handful of tables and it was packed, but we were able to get a table after only waiting a short time. The staff was so friendly and the food was delicious. We were both craving some asian dishes and this really hit the spot. Jimm had the Japanese Udon Noodles with duck and I had the Chicken Pad Thai. Now we are back at our flat getting everything ready for a long day tomorrow. We are going on a 9-hour small group tour through Lally Tours from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands and Connemara. We are looking forward to exploring the countryside. We will wrap up the day at an Irish Singing and Dancing show called Trad on the Prom. That’s it for today, more tomorrow!