"My family is big and loud but they're my family. We fight and we laugh and yes, we roast lamb on a spit in the front yard. And wherever I got, whatever I do, they will always be there."
I woke up Saturday morning and got dressed and watched some television as I anxiously awaited the arrival of my family. My parents, brother, and grandparents were coming for the week and I had been waiting for this week since I arrived in Galway. I have always been a homebody. I love being home and being with my family, more than anything in the world. Sometimes when I come back from break at BC and my friends ask me what I did I tell them that I hung out at home. They want juicy details but my favorite part about leaving BC is going home and spending time with my family. This is why deciding to go abroad was so hard because I knew I would miss them immensely. I had never been away from home that long before and I knew it would be hard. College was hard but this was going to be even harder. Luckily for me skype, email and the phone helps with keeping in touch with my family. I had been counting down the days for the last month until my family finally arrived. They took a plane on Friday and got to Shannon Airport early Saturday morning. They then rented a car and drove to Galway. Apparently, they drove around Galway for awhile searching for my apartment but were unable to find it (even though they passed it numerous times). My apartment building does not say Niland House anywhere so it is difficult to recognize. They eventually gave up looking for my apartment and parked the car in a parking garage and went to the shopping center where Dunnes is. My dad then called me and I left Niland House and walked to meet them. Seeing them was amazing and I realized when I saw them how much I truly missed them.
We got lattes at the shopping center and then decided to walk around Galway. We walked around for a little and then got drinks at a pub on Shopp Street. The pub is small but really nice. Most of us got Guinnesses except Oma I think. My mom said she didn't like the way it tasted but then proceeded to fall in love with them over the course of the vacation and Pop Pop said it tasted like milk. Not sure how he thought that but I still love Guinness. After getting drinks we walked around more and then got lunch at McSwiggins. I got the Grinder which was toasted bread with chicken, cheese, and spices on top. It was delicious. After lunch we walked to the parking garage and picked up the car. We then drove to the B&B where my family was staying, stopping to get beer on the way of course. The B&B, The Petra House, was really nice and within walking distance of my apartment. Then again, almost everything is within walking distance in Galway. The B&B is near the Coach Station on a road that only had B&Bs. Literally, the entire street is lined up with B&Bs on both sides of the road. Pretty crazy to think that all of these B&Bs are able to stay in business. We hung out in the B&B for awhile and caught up while drinking some beer. There was no refrigerator so we had to put the beer by the window to keep it cold. We eventually left for dinner and went to the Park House Hotel. The dinner was really good and my mom almost got caught by the waitress stealing a glass. She took her beer glass and put it in her purse but the waitress knew she took it so started searching around the table for the glass but couldn't find it since my mom was hiding it. After dinner, Dylan came back to my apartment and we got ready to go out with my friends. It was here that the night started to go badly for me since I agreed to play Buffalo with Dylan and proceeded to get really drunk. Basically, my little brother broke me.
My mom's first Guinness EVER!
First of the day (and trip).
Our refrigerator/window at the B&B.
Dylan, Dad, and Pop Pop at Park House Hotel.
Oma and I at Park House Hotel.
Dylan, Megan, Carrie and I doing an Irish Car Bomb.
Dylan and I at The Quays.The next day I was pretty broken. Dylan and I woke up and walked to the B&B where we then got in the car and took a day trip to Connemara. From what I saw it was gorgeous. Some of the mountains had snow on them and Connemara itself is really pretty. Unfortunately, it rained on and off all day but then again we are in Ireland so you can't expect much less. We stopped and got lunch at one point. The guys got bangers and mash and they were really good. We also went to Kylemore Abbey. We did not walk inside but looked at it from afar. After Connemara we went to Salt Hill which is in Galway but not necessarily in the city center. I decided to take a nap in the car while they walked around. My dad came and got me later on and we walked to a pub and had some drinks. I had tea (thank you Dylan for buying it for me) and after drinking for a while we decided it was time for dinner. I was finally feeling better and we went to an Italian restaurant (kind of funny) but it was delicious. The guy at the Park House Hotel recommended it to us the night before and the food was probably the best we had the whole week. That night we went back to the B&B because the next day we were going to the Cliffs of Moher so Dylan and I decided to sleep at the B&B.
A mountain with snow on it in Connemara.
Kylemore Abbey.
Pop Pop, Dylan, and Oma at Kylemore Abbey.
Nice recap. It was a great week.
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