Galway Girl

Earlier in the week I saw A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen in Smock Alley Theatre, which is a very old theatre that has recently reopened. I am really happy that there was a theatre opening, as opposed to closing, in the tough economic times. The play was by Pan Pan theatre company, and while the acting and quality of the production was fantastic, I really did not agree with some of the artistic/directional choices. But that's just me. Still it was a free ticket and a nice evening at the theatre!

Easter is a big deal here so we had an long weekend and the Irishman and I escaped to Galway! I love the rugged west coast of Ireland, it's beautiful and so nice to get out of town for a few days. We took the train and on the way I saw all the little lambs frolicking in the fields. They are adorable! Unfortunately lamb is also a staple of the diet here.

Saturday, after a leisurely breakfast of crepes, we strolled through the Food Festival that was on for the weekend. I love going to food/farmer's markets, even if I don't buy anything, it is nice to see fresh food and flowers and sometimes even the occasional oddity like a whole roasted hog. Then we walked to the nearby town of Salthill, strolling along the seaside promenade. For lunch I took advantage of the seaside location and had oysters on the half shell. The evening was spent in (pub name) listening to Irish music with a pint of the black stuff.

Sunday was cold and rainy and after braving the rain for a while we headed inside to warm up and watch a gaelic football match on tv. Then, thanks to the recommendation of a friend, we went to La Cava, a Spanish tapas restaurant, where we had the most amazing food! I don't normally list everything I ate but this time I have to make an exception. A manchego cheese plate served with quince, hazlenuts, and bread; scallops with prosciutto and sweet potato puree; albodingas(Spanish style meatballs); pork belly with apple; roast duck breast with plums; finally churros (Spanish fried pastry) with hot chocolate sauce for dipping and chocolate chip ice cream. (I did share all of this with my date.) And of course a big class of Spanish wine. Sorry to make your mouths water. Needless to say I was stuffed and am still dreaming of the lovely meal, especially the pork belly(which I had never had before!) and the roast duck. If you find yourself in Galway I highly recommend. Galway has a lot of Spanish influence after some Spaniards settled in Galway while getting lost at sea in the Spanish Armada. (And there's your fact of the day! Brought to you by I'm a dork).

We strolled around Galway Monday morning after more crepes for breakfast (I know, I do not need to eat again for at least a week!) then hopped back on the train back to Dublin, where we had this lovely rainbow(sorry about the train blur)!