Did someone say Brinner?

Happy May!

... I leave in less than a month. This is INSANE. Once May rolled around I was like, "Oh wow, guess I'm going to have to leave here soon". It's crazy because I'm so used to the way things work here now in Ireland. It's going to take awhile to get used to America again. 

Despite this being the laziest week of my life (I was done with exams super early compared to everyone else), I did get out and about a little bit around Galway.

Anne, Eris, and I decided to traverse to the Spanish Arch in town and walk around. We ended up sitting near a giant bird haven. Eris brought some bread and we decided to feed all the birds. They went CRAZY. The pigeons were so frightening when they were together in a giant conglomeration. I did not trust them and kept my distance. But these little birds with black faces and cartoon looking eyes were even more evil! They were dive bombing all of the mallards and swans in order to get fed. Lil' jerks.

"Grandfather Swan!" Galway, Ireland

Pigeons don't trust anything sitting in a human hand... Note the evil bird approaching on right. Galway, Ireland

Gorgeous picture of the Cloddagh in Galway, Ireland

It was a good day. It helped that the weather was a bit warmer than usual! It's always nice to see the sun :)

The three of us and Eris' friend, Conor, decided to explore Salthill a bit this week. Salthill is next to the city center of Galway. I think it's still considered Galway, just a subdivision of it. We walked along the promenade and the beach for the afternoon. For lunch, we ate at Oslo--a microbrewery in Salthill. I had some chips and a really delicious cider. Ireland has got me hooked on ciders! Sooo good.

Exploring Salthill and the beach, Galway, Ireland

Galway skyline, Ireland

Chips and Cider at Oslo, Salthill, Ireland

Noted. Oslo, Salthill, Ireland

Maggie, Eris, Anne, & I also thought that it was necessary to have a breakfast for dinner day: Brinner! We made french toast and pancakes! I meant to take a nice picture, but we were all so hungry by the time we finished cooking. My roommate, Sarah, had never had french toast before! Luckily, my whole batch turned out well and she liked it. I mean who doesn't like fried bread slathered with powdered sugar, cinnamon, butter, and syrup? (Btw, can't wait for midnight Denny's trips at home!)

But I have some exciting news!

I'm currently in Killarney! I didn't want to miss a week (..or two), so I wrote this blog in advance. Sneaky, sneaky. Hopefully it posts right, can't trust technology sometimes! Okay! So yes, I'm in Killarney and in the midst of a ten day trip exploring the Emerald Isle!

The epic plan:

Galway

Killarney

Cork

Kilkenny

Dublin

Belfast

Galway

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ireland, this route will lead out counter-clockwise around the outer rim of the island. I'm travelling with my fellow UCSBer, Crystal, and we're meeting up with Anne, Maggie, and Eris in Cork. This trip is about to be AMAZING. Some highlights that we will be seeing: Killarney National Park, Blarney Castle (..and the Blarney Stone!), Kilkenny Castle, the Guinness Factory, Giant's Causeway, and the Titanic exhibit. And a lot of beautiful green scenery!

Too excited.

Until next time x