Galway

Galway is like the place of my dreams. It’s a beautiful little historic town with a canal running

Galway Bay
Galway Bay

through the center (complete with swans!). There are occasional modern buildings thrown in along with streets like Shop Street, which is cobblestone and lined with cafes, pubs, and gift shops. We’ve found an old-fashioned sweet shop, an old-fashioned toy shop, and several places that sell those Irish sweaters. No one drives on these streets, people just walk and street performers set up shop all over the place, singing or playing the accordion or the flute, or doing a combination. I kid you not. Street performers are totally normal here. The youngest one I saw was about five, sitting there with her violin. On weekends an outdoor market sets up right outside the Church of Ireland which we attend. This church itself is coo

We found an old-fashioned candy shop
We found an old-fashioned candy shop

l; it’s completely stone and was built in the 1300’s. The stain glass windows are amazing. They are so detailed and Scripture-filled. It’s clear that this is the way that people learned the Bible before they could read. Several of the girls and some of the guys from our group sang in the choir (I couldn’t because I wasn’t here for practice:(. It was absolutely beautiful, they wore floor-length red and white robes and sang in a mix of both Gaelic and English. The people at this church really seem to love Jesus. It was amazingly power

The Canal
The Canal

ful and painfully beautiful.

The weather is like constant fall. We’ve had very warm and sunny days when we wear t-shirts, but mostly it’s cool and windy. If you wear a good sweater, it’s beautiful.  Our apartments are within walking distance of everything: The town, the prom (the road that follows the edge of the bay), everything. On a clear day you can see the Aran Islands across the bay. The water is so clear. If you happen to be sitting on the rocks studying (never done that…) you can see right to the bottom.

This place stimulates dreams. There are the bad parts, of course, but the bigger picture is beautiful. So far I’ve heard German, French, Spanish, and Gaelic spoke

St. Nicholas inside
St. Nicholas inside

n around me. I know that Greystones will be special in its own way, but so is Galway. I don’t regret being here at all.

Quote of the Day:

“Take a moment to appreciate the fact that you’ve been set loose with only one other teenager in a European city.” – Michaela (while we were on our own exploring Galway)

 

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