SUNDAY IN GALWAY
Seeing how we still had two days' worth of traveling to take advantage of on the Open-Road Pass bus ticket we purchased last week, we needed to find a place to go today which was also close to home. We considered several options but connections from Limerick are limited on Sundays and we had to be home by 20,00h tonight which meant an overnight stay was out of the question.
Dublin was one option, but close to four hours of sitting in the bus one way was unappealing for a trip we have made before. Returning to Killarney was my preferred option, but we would not have had enough time to spend in the city before we needed to return home. Thus, Galway was the trip this Sunday.
Though I have seen the city on a map of Ireland in my previous searches, I never did any research on the place or whether there was anything of interest there. He researched the times on the bus schedule and discovered it took about an hour to get there with no bus changes in Limerick. He also looked up 'best coffee in Galway' for me and discovered Renzo Café.
We walked up and down the main street filled with shops and restaurants but could not locate the café. After asking a convenience store employee we were on our way to a small street away from the hustle and bustle of the main road filled with tourists.
In the glass display we noticed the paninis and ordered two. Brie with tomato and basil for me. Bacon and cheese for him. We also ordered two cappuccinos and a scone with cream as I am always testing and comparing scones from every 'best' place in a city. This one was not bad but my favourite is still the ones at lovecrumbs in Edinburgh.
Walking around, we discovered many unique shops and craft stands. I bought a few gifts for my children and a book for myself. We came upon a small toy shop with toys he remembered from his childhood. There I found some printed cards to use as decoration in my children's rooms.
Across the street was another shop by the same owner which specialised in coffee and which had more prints. When I spied a black and white print of an elephant, I knew it was something my son will like.
Bookstores and a cheese shop along with an authentic French bakery were other discoveries we made. He wondered why he had not thought of this place before seeing how close it is to Ennis. I imagined all of the times on previous trips when I could have spent the day in Galway whilst he was working.
Today's day trip was a nice discovery and a good trip to take requiring little time in the bus. We both enjoyed this pleasant Sunday spent together in Galway and is definitely a place we will return to in the future.
