Meeting in Dublin my sister and I were starting out on our own ten day independent trip along part of the Wild Atlantic Way Ireland`s fabulous western coastline. We took the train across the country to Galway the main starting point of our trip.
After booking into the Victoria Hotel near the station we headed off to explore Galway and what a joy it was. We wandered down towards the harbour stopping to watch live bands and Irish dancers performing outside the tiny pubs and cafes. The brightly coloured shops and houses sat in cobbled streets and led to a pretty bridge where water rushed over rocks. The Cathedral hogged the horizon one way while the harbour wall and the great Atlantic Ocean met the sky in the other direction. Boats with large red sails and others copies of original Viking ships impressively hugged the harbour wall. When we spoke to one of the skippers they said Galway is the City of Culture this year and the boats were there for a carnival the following week.
Music played from giant speakers and tourists sat with students on the grass enjoying the evening. It is an amazing beautiful place and we were both a little sorry to leave Galway the next day to continue our adventure.
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