Ireland: The Local Scene

My friends are beginning to question my tendency to vacation in places that are colder than where I live.  All I can say is it's not my fault that I'm only willing to travel if I can mooch off of the people who live there.  Obviously, that's a lie, but traveling certainly becomes more convenient if you have a friend or relative who can show you around, making it unnecessary to actually do any planning for yourself.  That's how I ended up spending Thanksgiving visiting Evan in Ireland.

Green...just as expected

The first 2 days were all about staying close to "home."  Evan and the rest of his classmates spent their semester living at the Park Lodge Hotel, close to Spiddal (which is near Galway).  On my first day there, Evan gave me no time to rest, but I suppose I can't complain because it helped me adjust to the new time zone.  As soon as I had dropped off my things, we went on a long walk around the local area.  First we explored "the Shire," which seemed to be a long-abandoned village full of ruined houses, stone fences, and friendly animals.

Barbed wire is overrated.  Stone fences are the way to go.

We had no idea where the dog came from, but it was extremely friendly. 

Oh look, a horse!

Next we walked down to the water of Galway Bay and navigated the rocks as far out into the water as we could without getting wet.  The sun was setting, and we could see the Aran Islands just on the horizon.  That night, I met many of Evan's friends at the hotel's pub, where I also met the much-famed bartender John Paul Foyle, or J.P., as he was fondly known by all of the college students.  J.P. didn't mind the irreverent college kids requesting carbombs or playing loud America-touting music; in fact, he seemed to think it was funny.

Almost sunset over Galway Bay

The next day was Thanksgiving, and it was another day spent almost entirely at the Park Lodge Hotel.  In the afternoon, many of us spent a few cold (but fun) hours at the local hurling pitch playing American football.  As luck had it, my foot was giving me a whole lot of unexpected pain, so I sat on the side with a few of the others and watched, cheered, and took pictures.  Warming up by the gas fireplace afterwards was a much-appreciated comfort.

I'm sure everyone thought we were crazy Americans.

Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic as well.  With many years of experience, the Park Lodge has really learned how to do the American Thanksgiving meal well.  I was astounded when the turkey was brought out.  Someone told us that it was over 20 kg, and I would certainly believe it.  It was put best by Rory, the group's favorite taxi driver, who was sitting at our table: "Now that's a f*ing turkey!"  After the meal, and after we had recovered at least a bit of our strength, J.P. once again opened the hotel pub.  Nights with J.P. were becoming a theme, and would continue at least one more night...