When I decided to travel to Ireland, there were a million itineraries in my mind. Visit Skellig Michael, the monastic island that is known for being incredibly hard to travel to. Visit Killarney, the quaint town that is also the hometown of a certain Michael F. As I started planning, I realised it was impossible to visit all of these places during my short trip. But there was one city that I never even considered taking out – Galway, the cultural heart of Ireland.
Galway City is a seaside town; a small town really. It is also the base for travelling to other locations such as Connemara, Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands and other areas on the Western side of Ireland.
I travelled to Galway on an early bus from Dublin. It was really early when I reached Galway, so much so that none of the cafes were opened yet. So I walked from the city centre to Salthill’s promenade, the seaside area of Galway. Really lovely weather and beautiful blue skies and sea.
Took tons of photos of the vast expanse of Galway Bay. Then I headed to Lohans, a nearby restaurant, for breakfast. Was famished so got myself an Irish breakfast set. The black and brown round thingy? Black pudding – a kind of pork sausage that has a high content of pork’s blood!
Then I made my way to Galway Atlantaquaria, an aquarium located just next to the sea. The aquarium was really old and small, and had definitely seen better days. It was quite empty when I went there – I was the only visitor along with a lady and her daughter.
The staff at the aquarium asked if I would like to pet some of the creatures in the tanks. Of course I would!
I had a free afternoon with nothing planned, so I went to the main city area and people-watched.
Cigarettes and beer.
Then I headed for lunch at McDonagh’s – the most famous fish and chip store in Galway!
You can add all the salt and vinegar you want on the perfectly fried fish and chips.
McDonagh’s fish and chips were really good, but I prefer the fish and chips that I ate the following night at Kettle of Fish. The fish was deliciously moist despite being fried, and they serve their tartar sauce in oyster shells! But the service at KoF is a bit spotty though.
It was a lazy day for me! I explored the city for a while, before heading back to the apartment for an early night.
ally chua 