We meandered along towards Galway to check into our hostel before heading to We meandered along towards Galway to check into our hostel before heading to Conamarra Park, which ended up making the whole thing more beautiful. The sun sets so much later in that part of the world, so even though we didn't leave until the evening, we had time to hike. Veronica dreamed of seeing the wild ponies which sadly never came to pass. We eventually found a trail and slogged through the wind, trying to find the happy medium between body heat and a chilly breeze. Eventually we got to a split between trails to the peak. In the spirit of our week with Matthieu and chloé, veronica suggested that we do the climb, come what may. Another group who was sitting close by commented that it was too windy and that the ominous clouds down the way made the hike a poor idea. Veronica and I laughed and started our windy hike. I think if my mom had been there and I was younger, I wouldn't have been allowed to climb. And there lie the perks of being two adventurous women; we climbed! At a few points, we wondered if we'd made the right choice, because the wind was pushing the clouds faster from the Atlantic, but honestly, there is nothing that could take away from that view. The sun was starting to set, breaking through the clouds, magnifying the face of every mountain it touched. It was unreal. Veronica got misty & we stood there, proud of ourselves and so grateful and proud to share the moment together. At the very top of the peak, there was a small stack of stones, similar to the rock mass at Compostela in Spain. We both scrounged around for the right rock to add to the pile. It was perfect.
After our first Guinness in Ireland (cheers Penny!) we walked outside & ran into the Staves! With much giddiness and through nervous/happy laughter, we talked to them for a second, which was just cool! Park, which ended up making the whole thing more beautiful. The sun sets so much later in that part of the world, so even though we didn't leave until the evening, we had time to hike. Veronica dreamed of seeing the wild ponies which sadly never came to pass. We eventually found a trail and slogged through the wind, trying to find the happy medium between body heat and a chilly breeze. Eventually we got to a split between trails to the peak. In the spirit of our week with Matthieu and chloé, veronica suggested that we do the climb, come what may. Another group who was sitting close by commented that it was too windy and that the ominous clouds down the way made the hike a poor idea. Veronica and I laughed and started our windy hike. I think if my mom had been there and I was younger, I wouldn't have been allowed to climb. And there lie the perks of being two adventurous women; we climbed! At a few points, we wondered if we'd made the right choice, because the wind was pushing the clouds faster from the Atlantic, but honestly, there is nothing that could take away from that view. The sun was starting to set, breaking through the clouds, magnifying the face of every mountain it touched. It was unreal. Veronica got misty & we stood there, proud of ourselves and so grateful and proud to share the moment together. At the very top of the peak, there was a small stack of stones, similar to the rock mass at Compostela in Spain. We both scrounged around for the right rock to add to the pile. It was perfect.
We started our climb down, cognizant of the looming clouds and pending darkness. On our way back down, we turned to look at our cloud friends, when I kid you not, a perfect rainbow formed. On June 1st, the first day of pride month. With my girlfriend. I was in chaos and honestly, the only thing that could've made it more gay was a carabiner and some glitter. (Only kind of joking) we laughed and kissed and great thanks for the universe that put everything together. It was unreal and unfathomable. It cemented the idea we'd stumbled upon in our Scotland trip; it seems that often, the answer to the question of life is, "sure."
Eventually, after much of my anxiety about gas, we made it back and went to bed.
The next morning, we started our next drive, ambling along the Wild Atlantic Way, a well tread combination of roads that Ireland decided to name. It swings around the coastline, making for a scenic trip no matter which one you take. We started towards the Burren and decided that next round, we would plan a bit more & do the hike. I was pretty fixated on going there because there is a Ben Howard song called The Burren and I think it's wild and beautiful. Luckily my girlfriend is supportive of my unyielding preoccupation with Ben Howard, so she obliged. We kept driving and wandering without a real itinerary in mind, which was for the best.
We'd planned to go by the Cliffs of Moher later, but they were only a few miles from where we were, so we kept driving and basked in the sun next to the cliffs. There is some terrifying, nameless trait that the Atlantic Ocean has that makes it impossible to both look away or look at it without a pang of respectful fear in your stomach. It was astounding.
After seeing the enormity of the cliffs, we drove back to get to our Staves concert! We'd seen them in nashville back in March with all of our good friends, and it was incredible. Veronica looked up some of our favorite musicians to see if they might tour while we were in Europe, and sure enough, the Staves were listed for Galway. The walk wasn't too far from our hostel, but there were no street signs so that was a fun game. Once we got there, we met a girl named Penny from England and stuck together for the rest of the show. We had a PERFECT spot, maybe 2 rows back from the stage in a tiny little tavern, tucked into a Galway alley. We reminisced about our friends and how every song made us think of them. The reality that veronica & I were about to end our joint trip also started to creep in, making the Staves show even sweeter and more meaningful. It was perfect and we both knew there was nothing that could make it better. After the concert, Penny told us she had extra tickets for the Forbidden Fruits festival, curated & headlined by Bon Iver. After veronica and I talked, we decided that is skip my Iceland flight & head to Dublin from Cork that Monday. I had new plans!
We started our climb down, cognizant of the looming clouds and pending darkness. On our way back down, we turned to look at our cloud friends, when I kid you not, a perfect rainbow formed. On June 1st, the first day of pride month. With my girlfriend. I was in chaos and honestly, the only thing that could've made it more gay was a carabiner and some glitter. (Only kind of joking) we laughed and kissed and great thanks for the universe that put everything together. It was unreal and unfathomable. It cemented the idea we'd stumbled upon in our Scotland trip; it seems that often, the answer to the question of life is, "sure."
Eventually, after much of my anxiety about gas, we made it back and went to bed.
The next morning, we started our next drive, ambling along the Wild Atlantic Way, a well tread combination of roads that Ireland decided to name. It swings around the coastline, making for a scenic trip no matter which one you take. We started towards the Burren and decided that next round, we would plan a bit more & do the hike. I was pretty fixated on going there because there is a Ben Howard song called The Burren and I think it's wild and beautiful. Luckily my girlfriend is supportive of my unyielding preoccupation with Ben Howard, so she obliged. We kept driving and wandering without a real itinerary in mind, which was for the best.
We'd planned to go by the Cliffs of Moher later, but they were only a few miles from where we were, so we kept driving and basked in the sun next to the cliffs. There is some terrifying, nameless trait that the Atlantic Ocean has that makes it impossible to both look away or look at it without a pang of respectful fear in your stomach. It was astounding.
After seeing the enormity of the cliffs, we drove back to get to our Staves concert! We'd seen them in nashville back in March with all of our good friends, and it was incredible. Veronica looked up some of our favorite musicians to see if they might tour while we were in Europe, and sure enough, the Staves were listed for Galway. The walk wasn't too far from our hostel, but there were no street signs so that was a fun game. Once we got there, we met a girl named Penny from England and stuck together for the rest of the show. We had a PERFECT spot, maybe 2 rows back from the stage in a tiny little tavern, tucked into a Galway alley. We reminisced about our friends and how every song made us think of them. The reality that veronica & I were about to end our joint trip also started to creep in, making the Staves show even sweeter and more meaningful. It was perfect and we both knew there was nothing that could make it better. After the concert, Penny told us she had extra tickets for the Forbidden Fruits festival, curated & headlined by Bon Iver. After veronica and I talked, we decided that is skip my Iceland flight & head to Dublin from Cork that Monday. I had new plans!
After our first Guinness in Ireland (cheers Penny!) we walked outside & ran into the Staves! With much giddiness and through nervous/happy laughter, we talked to them for a second, which was just cool! No amount of strict planning could have orchestrated how perfect everything was. And maybe that is the magic of traveling in this world.
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