Thursday September 19th

I arrived in Shannon around 5:30 in the morning on Thursday. The flight itself was very nice, exceptional service from Aer Lingus. Being in Business Class certainly makes this a lot more comfortable. The flight itself was only six hours or so. I think you either have to try and sleep the whole time, or enjoy the food and movies…but it’s kind of tough to try and do both. After a bus ride to Galway, I was exhausted when I got to my hotel to drop off my bags. All I wanted was to take a quick nap, but my room would not be available until the afternoon. So I walked around this quaint city for several hours and sat down a couple of times for much needed caffeine. The city was bustling early, with students racing to class, and pubs opening up for what would be a busy day thanks to gorgeous weather! I had a food tour scheduled for 2:30 in the afternoon, so I was basically just trying to kill time.

The Food Tour: WOW!

I had some help planning this trip by a college friend of mine, Jonathan ‘Bamako’ Epstein, the owner of an amazing travel company called Celebrated Experiences, based out of Atlanta. I didn’t take advantage of all of their offerings, but they have already made a huge impact on my trip. They arranged for a private food tour of Galway and it was absolutely amazing! I would recommend Galway Food Tours to everyone! A lovely young woman guided me through 5 stops throughout the Latin Quarter and it was fantastic. From locally caught trout, to whiskey, coffee and ice cream, it was a great way to start the trip. Here is where we went:

Ruibin

McCambridges Market

I’m not a whiskey drinker, but they were pretty good. They also provided some local cheeses and meats, all of which were amazing. I learned that the Irish culinary scene is alive and well, and relatively new! Native Irish have spent time abroad then have come back to take what they have learned in their homeland.

Little Lane Coffee Company

Again, I am not a coffee drinker, but they had some great coffee. It is a wife & husband team that own the shop and they are REALLY passionate bout their coffee…going to great lengths to offer up beans that are far superior to their competitors at a similar price.

Ean

From the Gaelic word for bird, this Spanish inspired bakery, restaurant and restaurant is a cozy little spot with BIG flavors! They offered up two small dishes that I probably would not have ordered if I were there on my own. I can’t even describe one of the plates, but the second one was a taster that include an anchovie, an olive and a jalapeño pepper and WOW was there some flavor. Add in a great Spanish glass of wine, and this was a great stop on the tour.

Murphy’s Ice Cream

Murphy’s Ice Cream

Anyone that has had an ice cream with me, knows that I am pretty basic and usually order the same flavor from my all-time fave spot, The Ice Creamsmith. I tasted the Dingle Sea Salt and eventually had a scoop of the Fresh Irish Strawberry and they were both tremdous. Rest assured, I will be back there again to try out a couple other flavors! What flavor would you pick? (Answer below in Comments Section!)

Of course I had to grab a couple of pints on day 1, and they were as good as I imagined they would be! I stopped by The Kings Head pub on High Street. Apparently the Kings head is only 800 years old, so they know a thing or two about thirsty visitors. I reckon I will stop by for another pint before I leave on Sunday AM.

My Favorite Thing of the Day
(Really my 2nd favorite thing) The food tour was clearly the favorite part of my day on Thursday. I loved the bustle of the streets in the Latin Quarter. The sun was out, so people (and plenty of tourists) were sitting outside of the ubiquitous pubs in the city, having a coffee, a pint, a butt or all of the above. I was tickled by how many street musicians there were in the neighborhood. It seemed like there was someone playing the guitar every hundred yards (meters) or so. Young kids, old timers. They just added a really nice soundtrack to the hum of the busy streets.

Etc…

After a VERY long day…I called it a night early and hit the sack. It was a fantastic first day and have already fallen in love with this charming little city. Frida’s agenda includes a boat cruise to check out the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands and lunch in the sea side town of Doolin. Stay Tune! Have a great Friday!