For the first time since coming to Galway, I had a weekend here without going on a bus tour or traveling to a different area! My roommates and I challenged each other to act like Galway tourists and do what they would do on a weekend here. For me, it turned into a weekend of extreme sports. It was cool.
I joined the Kayaking Club and attended one of their beginner sessions on Friday, which included a wetsuit, lifejacket, helmet and instructions for 5 euro! There were plenty of other anxious and newbie American girls with me, so that was comforting. After getting geared up and learning how to paddle forwards and backwards, we hit the river. The weather was absolutely beautiful - we've been lucky to have a fall that has only had a few days of solid rain. After the chaos of figuring out how to actually propel yourself and balance yourself in the kayak, the instructors said, "Okay, let's hit the pier and throw you off for awhile!". (Everyone shows a fear of death on their face). Honestly, I'm surprised they were able to do this stunt with us beginners without any form of liability signage or warning, but it ended up being awesome and exhilarating. We found a pier that goes into the river and we lined our boats up. On the count of three, they threw us (while in our kayaks) into the river and hoped we would figure out how to manage steering ourselves and not falling over and tipping overboard in our kayaks. This was a good simulation of what it would be like if we hit a mini-waterfall. At least I will have skills if I am ever in that situation?
On Saturday, we hit the weekend "Galway Market". With fresh produce and tons of locals and tourists alike surrounding us, we roamed and bought random bits of fudge and gazed at the paintings of the scenery. It was a beautiful day and a great way to experience the culture of the city.
Now here's the most awesome part of my weekend - the Sunday hike with the Mountaineering Club. I have heard rumors about how intense these people are, but being the Americans that we are, we shrugged it off and ignored the email saying "This week is the most intense hike and the highest point we will reach this year, if you haven't been hiking with us before this would be a difficult one - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!" How hard could a student group hiking trip really be? HA.
We loaded the bus and surveyed the students going on the trip... these people had intense gear and looked fit and professional with Irish mountain certification badges and ski poles. I was under equipped but decided to face it with optimism and see what would happen.
When we arrived and unloaded the bus amongst the vast green Irish mountains full of rocks and sheep and signed a liability form that accepted the fact that death or serious injury is a possibility on this trip, there wasn't much of an intro from our leaders and we were heading up. We literally hiked straight up a mountain, through the mud and grass, finding our own paths and taking little breaks. It was a fantastic workout, to say the least, and I am super grateful for my North Face gear when we arrived at our highest point, 700 m, where we were in the middle of a raincloud and hit blistering winds that could blow a baby off a cliff. Below us, way at the bottom, was actually a beautiful house that was the vacation home of Princess Diana and Prince Charles back in the day. It was in the middle of the mountains, no civilization for miles, and a very discreet spot for them to get away from the media, I'm sure.
After hiking for a few hours, we stopped for lunch and chatted with some native Irish students (most of them being smart and quirky-fun engineering majors), a few Danish girls, and a retired German professor from NUIG that co-founded the Mountaineering club almost a decade ago. He hikes every Sunday with the students, and is looking forward to spending a few months in rural Minnesota next year to experience "small town American life"! I was proud and gave him many suggestions on things to do, seeing that he is obviously a nature-loving man. He will love the land of 10,000 lakes. What started out as a week of living in a nervous state to join any clubs, eventually turned out to be a weekend of adventure and fun, leaving me with memories and new friends.
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| Roomie love. |
When we found a break in the clouds and looked below at the little towns and the beautiful river and lake, I was absolutely amazed. This was Ireland - this was what I came here for. Hiking those mountains and being amongst the beautiful nature with such interesting and fun people was such a beautifying and blessed moment, I feel so grateful. Moments I will never forget.
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| This is home. |
Thanks for reading, love and miss you all!
"Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what's right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in." - Andrew Zimmern
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