Claddaghs and Sea Captains

Our first stop out in the streets of Galway was to a Claddagh shop considering Galway is a stone's throw away from the village of Claddagh itself. Claddagh rings are a classic Irish symbol representing love, loyalty, and friendship through the ring's design of a heart wearing a crown whilst being held by a pair of hands. I had already bought my Claddagh ring in Ennis simply because I figured it would cost way less there than in the heart of where the ring was originated, and I only wanted a simple sterling silver design. Therefore, as my friends searched away for their personal Claddaghs, my attention was caught by another ring entirely: a sterling silver ring with a Connemara marble stone and sided by trinity markings. I went to bed with the thoughts of that ring in my mind, so the following day I knew I had to buy it!

By lunchtime, we were starving and since the food at our hotel ABSOLUTELY SUCKS, we found a Papa John's and feasted like kings. For 5 euros apiece, we were rewarded with: 1 sausage and pepperoni pizza, a box of garlic bread, 4 pieces of chicken, a handful of fries, and a 1.5 liter of Coca-Cola. 'Merica.

Anywho's...we couldn't stay out long because the following day was a biology test :( We can't complain too much, however, because we got to take our test in the hotel's bar since there was no other room to do it. I sat myself at the counter right in front of the Guinness tap to solidify the awesomeness of it all. The test went well, and we remained in the bar for our classes.

On Thursday we had a dolphin-watching session planned for our bio class, and with our professor's record of that previous boat tour (see "Christ on a Bike" blog), our apprehension was at an all-time high. Fortunately, it turned out to be the BEST experience of the trip so far! Our boat, the "Draiocht" (meaning magic in Gaelic), took off from the Shannon River early in the morning and took about an hour to reach the heart of the estuary, but the patience was well rewarded. Bottlenose dolphins began popping out of the water like daisies! We all tried clicking away with our cameras, but we were pretty sure that these dolphin were druids because within a second they were back underwater. Yet it taught us to take in the experience instead of wait for the perfect photo. It was more incredible to see these genetically discrete dolphins of the Shanon Estuary than it ever was at the Brookfield Zoo dolphin shows. Our lit teacher was especially ecstatic and yelled/pointed every time a dolphin surfaced.  Once the dolphins made their way out to sea, the boat took another course near a cliffside where Ireland ends and the ocean begins. We came up close and personal to the cliffs, though luckily far enough from these gorgeous waves that crashed majestically against the cliff. We loitered there for a bit, and made our way back with the wind blowing the salty sea air through our hair. Well, at least for most of us. A good handful of people stuck towards the back of the boat and puked their guts out. Glad I wasn't one of them. Instead, my lit teacher and I decided we should have a fishing business just so we could live on the waves!

Galway itself is the perfect combination of Dublin's city with Killarney's intimacy: people are rushing about the town, but they weren't totally driven by that sense of purpose. It's literally a breath of fresh air to walk along the River Corrib and then run into town to check out clothing boutiques, bookstores, and jewelry shops. I love it here so much. Ireland has utterly stolen my heart.