Hola muchachos. Hope everyone at home enjoyed Columbus Day
(fake holiday that it is). My news of the week is that I finally made it over
to the West Coast! I spent the weekend in Galway City and made a day trip to
the spectacular Cliffs of Moher. Even by Ireland’s standards, meteorology in
the West is very tricky business. The weather app is basically a joke, but we
were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather Friday through Sunday. I think I may
have even tanned up a bit at the Cliffs on Saturday (probably wishful thinking,
but the sunshine definitely did me good! Vitamin D baby). There’s not much to
say about the Cliffs that hasn’t already been said, but the sight truly is phenomenal.
I didn’t care much for the overconfident tourists braving the edge for a good
picture, but it is quite the view.
While the Cliffs of Moher are the star attraction of the
West, the entire region is beautiful. Our bus tour took us through Co. Clare and
made several stops along the way between Galway and the Cliffs. We saw thatched
roof houses, crumbling remains of stone castles, SO MANY COWS, and megalithic
tombs (listed in no particular order by the way). Across the landscape are also
reminders of Ireland’s troubled history—past and contemporary. There is a range
of small mountains across Clare with little vegetation and completely bare of
trees. The sight is made stranger by the lines of stone walls that run like
scars over the hills. They are known today as famine walls, remnants of the
British “relief programme” to the Potato Famine of the 1840s. Essentially, the
poor and unemployed were given food (sometimes) in exchange for building the
walls. They have no infrastructural merit and epitomize the negligence of the
British government in responding to the crisis in Ireland. Another sad and
troubling scene is the number of abandoned housing developments spattered
across the coast. These are the result of the housing boom and bust of the last
decade. Initially built as vacation homes, they stand vacant—neither the
developer, nor the market, nor the government, want them or can afford them. Some
have even been demolished and restored to pastureland for lack of a better
alternative.
On a cheerier note, Galway City proved to be well worth the
trip. The whole time I walked through the small downtown area I was reminded of
New England, yet simultaneously I couldn’t think of any good comparison to the
city. If you could take bits of Provincetown, Bar Harbor, Newport and North
Conway, maybe it would amount to something sort of resembling Galway. The city
is quaint and lively, with lots of street performers and live music in the
pubs. All in all it was a great weekend.
Some quick shout outs before I tuck in for the night:
To Nana: I hope your shoulder is healing up well and you’re
pain-free! I know you probably can’t type at the moment but maybe you can
dictate an email to Dana or one of my aunts the next time they visit. Love and
miss you <3
To Chris and Rebekah: I hope Hank
is back at 20 Bigelow soon!! I’ll
send all the Irish Luck I can his way!
And to all my friends and family
wherever you may be, I send my love!
Peace, Happiness and Love,
Lauren
