Galway Girl

Hello Hello,

I have arrived in Galway, which is kind of an artsy bohemian type city on the West Coast of Ireland. Its quite a bit smaller than Dublin but it has alot of charm and alot more rain :) I am heading to the Aran Islands tomorrow by ferry to bike around the island and take some pictures. I can't wait to go...its very cute and is one of the only places where the locals still mostly communicate in Gaelic. Its got stone forts and all the properties are divided up by stone walls...I will post some pictures when I get back. Sunday, we are bringing the group to the Cliffs of Moher which is the furthest point of Europe and is over 200 meters over water level.. I've only seen pictures so I will update you guys on that site once I check it out!

We are staying and teaching at the University of Galway...I kind of feel like I'm camping...its cold, damp and musty in our rooms and not so clean...I guess I could say I'm roughing it out a bit but I'm in IRELAND!


I'm still recovering from Dublin...I had such a great time. Tuesday night, I went out with Natalie and Erin to celebrate Erin's bday...I kind of celebrated like it was mine haha. We went to this cute Irish pub in Temple Bar...the live music was great and we just mingled all night. I can't get over how friendly people are over here...the atmosphere is so different!

Wednesday night...I was in charge of curfew but Natalie, James and I ended up going out afterwards to a pub where all the locals hang out. What was suppose to only be a pint turned into us closing the bar and hanging out with the staff until 5:30. Natalie and I went home when the sun came up haha I have to say that waking up at 8 was a little hard on the system but I don't seem to need much sleep these days.

In between all of my shenanigans, we went to visit the Kilmainham Gaol. It's an old jail that was built in the 1700s and had a huge part in Ireland's history. Many of leaders of the Irish Rebellions were imprisoned and executed during the fight for Irish independance. The tour was really informative and the site memorable. It really summed up the reason for all of the tension between the North and the Republic. I plan on renting the Michael Collins film when I get home!

So needless to say, Dublin was a great time!

Teaching is still fabulous...I can't get over how polite and sweet my students are! The dynamics are completely different from my classroom at home. I'm looking forward to sharing some stories with you when I get back but I couldn't ask for a better group...they're hillarious!

Well the sun is out so I will make the most of it and take a walk downtown. The Film Festival is on so I may check it out!

Hope all is well back home...miss you
Franny xx

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain