Galway Girls

---

Galway is a very nice city and the hostel we were staying in was really good. It is called Savoy Hostel and we were in a four bed dorm with two Americans. It had a huge shower in the ensuite bathroom. The common room was awesome with a nice kitchen and TV and pool area. Most importantly it was very clean and had free breakfast. First night we went on a pub crawl and met some new people. It was heaps of fun and the highlight had to be wiping the floor with two obnoxious New Zealanders in a game of beer pong.



The next day we got up bright and early for a day tour around Burren National Park and the Cliffs of Moher. The national park is a UNESCO world heritage site and a large expanse of beautiful farmlands. All the farming techniques used on site are environmentally friendly and the views and mountains are incredible. There are remains of Celtic single family homesteads. These were round boundaries made of either earth or stone. On the tour we got told many folk lore stories about fairies and how bad things happen if you cross them. Supposedly they had a very large presence on this site. We came across an old portal tomb dated back 6,000 years. These tombs were used for important people or families and involved manoeuvring a large capstone onto two supporting stones to create an archway. It was amazing that they could date this back so far because of pollen found on the hair of a woman they excavated. To think that it stills stands to this day as a memory to the people buried there.



What can I say about the cliffs? If you've never been there I highly recommend you go. It was absolutely incredible and nothing like I've ever seen before. We were told that people have had religious epiphanies in the past and while I didn't quite experience something like that I can totally see how you could. I can't quite describe what it was like seeing such a beautiful work of nature and I don't think the photo can really capture what we saw. Therefore you must all go see it for yourself one day.



The next morning we went for a walk around the city and checked out the museum before our train to Belfast. Back through Dublin again!

---