Happy Thanksgiving from Rainy Galway Bay

It was Thanksgiving! Which means absolutely nothing in Ireland--though, oddly, they still lean heavily into Black Friday sales. I guess capitalism gonna capitalism everywhere, made up history or no made up history.

Being directly on the coast, Galway has changeable weather, but it was pretty clear that rain was in the forecast throughout the day. So, we rolled the dice and booked our trip to the Cliffs of Moher for ... (say it with me) Black Friday and set off for breakfast at Esquires, which was very well rated and showed gf options. We were greeted by a lovely, talkative older gentleman who apologized for our wait for a table, decried their short staffing, and shared that none of the young people wanted to work anymore. (To be fair to him, we saw the same proliferation of "help wanted" signs in Galway that we found in Dublin, but given its more remote location, I'm guessing Galway has even more of a challenge post-COVID. In fact, some of the restaurants had messages on their websites noting reduced hours or even closures due to staffing issues.)

The wait was actually very short, and our server seemed to know about half the patrons by name, suggesting we had stumbled into a good local spot. You can see the anticipation for brekkie below. Honestly, children, if you're going to make these faces, don't be crabby when I post them. I think Penn's giving off Adam Driver-vibes in these. By the way, Harper's sweater will be playing the "Irish sweater" in today's outing but is not.

Breakfast was delicious! And, true to the weather report, as soon as we stepped outside, it started to rain. First a drizzle, then a wind whipped, icy cold hard pour. We took cover in a bus stand, and the kids made a run for it back to the hotel. Most of what we read pre-trip said to forgo umbrellas in Ireland--the wind easily turn them inside-out. We saw this to be true in Dublin and in Galway, I saw almost no umbrellas. People just ducked under an eave or in a shop when the rain fell hard and walked about in hats and hoods when it drizzles.

After a bit, the rain slowed but my handy weather app said it would be back. What could be better than a Thanksgiving movie to stay out of the weather? I found a theater within walking distance showing Knives Out: Glass Onion. We called the kids with the address and set off.

Along the way, we saw more of Galway, which is filled with picturesque side alleys and bright street art that does a great job of integrating old and new--it has a great sense place, culture, and character. The more we explored, the happier I was we had decided to stay longer.

 

 

 

We met up at the Palas Cinema, a cool, seemingly fairly new arthouse theater. Since it was the first showing on a Thursday, the movie was almost completely empty. The seats were cushy, the popcorn delicious, and Glass Onion was wonderful. A perfect Thanksgiving afternoon!

 

The rain had cleared a bit by the time we exited the Palas, which is in Galway's Latin Quarter very near the bay. We took advantage of the location. The wind was still wild, whipping up some serious waves (and hair!), and the shifting true blue to white cloud to brooding grey sky lit by a struggling sun was gorgeous and quite photogenic.

 

 

 

 

We were right by the Spanish Arch, which dates back to the 1200s and extended the Norman wall that then surrounded the city. It really had nothing to do with Spain, and the thought is that it gained its name because Spanish galleons and trade ships docked there. The gate was partially destroyed by a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Lisbon in the 1700s, killing over 100,000 people in Portugal. Imagine being on the bay under that sweeping sky, not knowing anything about what happened an ocean away, and seeing huge waves sweeping into the narrow harbor. The tsunami flooded most of Southern and Western Ireland. Ah, Mother Nature.

 

 

Our popcorn brunch had worn off, and we needed some real food. We were fairly close to a very well-reviewed gf restaurant, Quay Street Kitchen, so we set off in that direction, passing more quirky, vibrant Galway street art and graffiti.

 

 

Galway slick cobblestones, surprisingly navigable by boot.

The old Norman wall that used to protect the city from invaders is today repurposed and fits right beside newer buildings, giving the city a funky historic charm.

Galway is sometimes known as the city of 14 tribes--because of its value as a port for trade with Portugal and Spain, it was "given" by Richard II around 1400 to 14 merchant families. Most of the names you'll find adorning squares and streets can be traced back to one of these families (e.g., Eyre). The Latin Quarter derives its name because of its connection to the port of trade with Portugal and Spain. It is filled with narrow winding streets, and lots of narrow shops and restaurants.

 

 

By the way, that statue is new--added by the bar behind it in early 2022. It's called "Galway Girl," clearly trying to grab the Ed Sheeran IG vote.

We made it to Quay Street Kitchen and got a table just as it began pouring again. The meal was delicious and restaurant charming and homey.

 

We took advantage of the Quay's wifi to get our bearings and found several shops worth checking out before they closed at nightfall--a great bookstore, men's clothing store with a barrista, and an Irish perfumery were on our list. 

The day's rain left the early night sky a fluorescent blue that darkened to a velvety color. Just lovely! We ducked in and out of the shops, trying to avoid the intermittent rain and making the most of the strong dollar.

 

Our walk back to the Harbour revealed more Christmas decorations. The kids ran ahead while Ned and I window shopped. We were looking in the window of a bakery longingly, when the clerk waved us in for free treats. It was magical and delicious! Of course, we bought some Galway goods--anticipating the need for road snacks and breakfast for a late sleeping son on the next day's trip to the Cliffs. 

 

 

Thinking about dinner but not thinking reservations would be needed on a Thursday night, we checked in with the kids. Harper was up to head out, Penn was down for room service. We walked over to an Italian restaurant, Zappis, on the list given by the desk clerk. It had good gf pasta and pizza crust options. We were surprised to find no tables available. We stewed outside for a bit in the misty cold and then asked a different person at the same place, who sat us right away. Lesson: never give up, never surrender!

Our server was gracious, the food fantastic, the music surprising but not unwelcome hard and punky rock, the service uneven, and the autumn tree over our table lovely. 

 

 

We were done with dinner at almost 11 pm, closing out Thanksgiving with pizza, pasta, and dreams of the Cliffs to come!