GALWAY -- Day 3

Sorry this is taking so long -- it's weird to get back home and then have to leave for Dublin tomorrow morning. Also, I think I'm finally developing the inevitable cold, so I've been sleeping as much as possible. How responsible, right? Okay, here's the massive last day in Galway:

A very cool church that we actually got to go into before Mass started -- single coolest church I've been into in my life thus far. Europe knows how to worship, apparently.

The central stained glass window in the church -- GORGEOUS stained glass windows! I wish my camera would've taken a better picture :(

We watched the John Wayne movie 'The Quiet Man' last week, and spent a lot of today following around a lot of landmarks from the movie. This is a sign by the bridge used in the movie. I have no idea what it says, sadly, but it's cool-looking.

Close-up of the sign -- I have no idea how, but someone managed to wedge a bunch of euro coins into the cracks in the wood. It looks like someone used a hammer, because a bunch of the edges are flat, but either way it was really cool to see.

Our bus driver/life guide Owen standing on the bridge about where John Wayne stood.

Someone even put in a still from the movie on the far side of the bridge. Classy.

The view from one side of the bridge. I don't know what it was about the light on this day, but I got some phenomenal pictures of scenery and such.

The Katies with Rick's two younger children, Fia and Ava.

More pine trees, and a foggy hill/mountain

I don't know why I was so amused by this hotel; it could've been that the spelling was 'Peacocks Hotel' and that looked very amusing. I was pretty tired this day, and found a lot of random things to be amusing.

More of the super cool low-hanging clouds or fog on some hills.

I started getting tired of taking scenic pics and took one of everyone taking pictures. I like how everyone is very focused in this picture...

Fog/cloud. I really can't tell which it is, because it was so dense and low, but either way it was super cool.

A gorgeous little marina with what appear to be primroses, which Owen told me have never bloomed this early in winter/spring before.

My current computer background. Absolutely breathtaking views in this tiny town.

Calla and Bailey called me over to see the dead frog with the urgency of seeing something... well, something cooler and with its guts inside of it. Yummy.

I was smitten with this mountain/hill and didn't even find out its name. I feel like I've failed my blog somehow...

Island castle: "Now that's a moat!" - Taylor

I'm such a hippie. Ridiculous awesome fog on the Atlantic.

And they tell us this isn't even green yet. Hoo boy.

The best Caesar salad I've had in my life: it had bacon and chicken in it, and I haven't had lettuce in a few days, so it was kind of like Heaven in my mouth. And it was cheap, too!!

Brittnie, Owen, and Katie K. outside of the lovely little cafe that served the Caesar salad that dreams are made of <3

The ruins of Ashford Abbey (I think -- we explored them on our own)

We took them a little literally when they told us we could climb on the ruins -- Katie M is taking the route I took to get up the wall (namely, putting my foot up on someone's conveniently located gravestone) but Katie K climbed up differently. She's probably a better person for it :)

Taylor in dramatic silhouette

Beaner and Taylor, proving that it's a tight fit in the arches but it can be done!

Taylor being 'like Spiderman'

I was pretty enthused about the sun coming out -- lots of sunshine pictures to come. This is a river that borders the Abbey and the Castle.

This was the fishing hut that the monks would fish in -- still smelled strongly of fish :P

One of the many bridges over the river.

The picturesque nature trail we took from the Abbey to get to the Castle.

Ashford Castle in all its glory -- it's now a hotel for fancy rich people

Beaner and I found the helicopter landing pad and were considering trying to breakdance on it... but didn't.

"It looks like Christmas!!" - Beaner

A church that used to be part of Ashford but now operates as a Church of Ireland and still provides services today (I have no idea if it's Protestant or Catholic, but I would hazard to say Catholic)

 And that was when my second camera battery finally died. But the rest of the way home was more sunshine and then lots of sleeping after the long weekend. We've got a long stay in the Dublin area coming up, though I probably won't report back until Monday/Tuesday of next week. We're staying in a hostel, so this laptop of mine is getting locked into the cottage safe for the week. But you can still hit me up occasionally on e-mail and I will have brief replies for you :) Cheers!

-S