Hey, all! We are back with the next part of the tale! I hope the first half was enjoyable and that you waited in anticipation for the next part, hehe. This part will include more of the festive and fun side of the trip, sprinkled with the reality of going away to a new place. The next two days were interesting, and so I will bring you along for the ride :)
I really want to travel more... but, Covid is obviously hindering my plans. I love exploring new cities, and to just be able to do that more would make life much more lively. I hope you are all doing ok in these times. If you're like me and suffer with a chronic illness or if you are just worried about things, it can be very hard; being so on edge about the virus. I send you my best wishes, and for me I will be extra careful when doing things -- especially when we visit Galway for the second time in a few weeks. It would not be our choice to go, but it is necessary for our renal care.
Anyway, enough of the negativity and onto the rest of the adventure. Enjoy fellow readers.
Day 2
Morning: Breakfast and Hospital
I left you all on the first night, after my rather strange sugar rush... The next morning we rose bright and early and headed off for breakfast, so we could be ready in time for the hospital. I was running on nerves mostly as I suffer from anxiety when it comes to visiting new places and meeting new people. I was not really in the mood for any food, but I could not turn down the fry up. Although it was nice, it not my absolute fave. I LOVE myself a hash brown and they sadly did not include that in their breakfast. I would consider it to be a boring breakfast, but it did the job. The rest of the family had different things: sis had a Vegan breakfast wrap since that was the only choice once again, mother had porridge and father had a full Irish. I would rate mine a 3.5*, not the best, but not the worst.
Brekkie for Sis and I. Do you see what I mean about the bare fry up?
After our whirlwind of a breakfast, off we went into the taxi and to the dreaded appointment; the main reason overall why we had ventured here in the first place. A lot was riding on this appointment as it would decide whether the care would suffice here and how everything would work going forward with our health.
Afternoon: Exploring
A few hours later, and a rather tired Lucy, we headed back to the hotel around half 11. I can tell you that meeting the doctor was a success! He was very accommodating and friendly, and helpful in terms of sorting everything out. A blood test was also taken which we hoped for, just so we could have an update on our levels. Then off we went to recuperate in our rooms. Was a doze in order? Not for me! Despite how tired I was, I am not really a day sleeper. Now it was shopping and food time!!!
Well, food being the priority as that is one of my fave things about a new place -- sourcing delicious foodddd.
We went our separate ways, Father and sister heading off to TheVegano deli which they would rate a hefty 5*, and me and Mother to find a café of some sort. I did also have to do a little Christmas shopping, so it was good that we were not all together. The shop variety is so good in Galway, they have such a selection and it remind me of Norwich; with the malls and then the streets with different shops dotted about. We were told about the mall from Father who had ventured there the previous night to source some Vegan food for Sam, so that was our first destination. It was not the best mall... We were a little disappointed that the only decent shop that we wanted to visit was M&S.
Instead of continuing through the shops, we decided to head for grub as I was knackered and needed a rest after only two shops... lol. We wandered around and came across a few places, but this one stuck out to us.
Food: Lunch
The door was open so it felt more safe with Covid, although it was a little chilly. It was fairly empty and there was a man checking people on the door... or so we thought until later on when we realised we think he only checked our passes because we were English. He probably assumed we were visiting from overseas and that was the reason why. All the servers wore masks and the customers too, which lessened my worries. So, the Kettle Cafe was our pick! It is so strange how thinking about these things when choosing a restaurant is the norm these days. Taking this into consideration, I still felt comfortable and the menu had such a wide choice for me; so all was good. This is always great because I am still quite fussy -- I am trying to be better, but I still sway more towards plain things. (Not my picture of the cafe.)
I did go against my own ways and chose a ciabatta sandwich with greens, chorizo, chicken, cheese and I think red onion? All I asked to be removed was the tomato and the sauce. Mother had the same. Let me tell you, all the food looked tasty and there even was a Vegan burger, so we think we may all go there next time. The wait was not long and when it came, I was so ready to tuck in. The combo with the chorizo was amazing and the texture of the bread went with all of the different flavours. The only slight let down was chips, they were a little undercooked and all I could think about was that the hotel's chips from the post before with this sandwich would = heaven. Scrum diddily dum. I tucked in and nearly forgot to snap a picture, but luckily I remembered. It was SO good. We were going to go all out and get a pudding, but we discovered the rest of the fam had got one from the deli. It was cheap too so that is always what you want! (Even though my pudding bought for me was not the best in the end, of course I was still grateful for it.) I would give the overall experience, a 4.5*, the only factor letting it down was the chips.
There is the masterpiece.
Shopping
Then a glorious but tiring afternoon of shopping ensued. I picked up a few little Christmas bits, some necessities like a washing bin lol, and a cardigan which I had been searching for for literally ages. I wanted a staple basic one and that is what I found! So happy with it. I also sourced the main thing I was looking for, which was such a relief as it was one of the last times I could purchase it due to it being so close to Christmas. I mentioned looking for it at the beginning of the trip in my previous post but had no luck. When doing my research for potential places to buy the item, I noted a shop called The Galway Camera Shop, but did not pay it much attention.
Then when strolling on around after lunch, I spotted it and I recognised it by the picture I saw online; what a find! It was right across from the square where we were staying too. I went in to look for the binoculars for my father and they had so many. After the man chatting to us recommending a pair and us trying them out, Father's main present was in the bag! They were a little pricier than what I initially wanted to spend, but going halves with the sis encouraged me to just get them as I knew Father would love them. He had been dropping obvious hints for so long...
I thought I would include pictures incase anyone was interested. My father uses them for bird watching and this is the best pair the man in the store recommended. Also the cardigan too incase any of you are looking for a similar one. It is from Newlook :)
Following that success, I was beginning to get tired and the many pains I get after doing anything strenuous were appearing; the joys of chronic illness. That made us decide to head back to the hotel for a restful late afternoon, before dinner in the evening and more market exploring. My sister did not come out with us this evening as she was occupied with her M&S treats, while watching a livestream for a TV show called The Witcher premiere that was live from London. She could not miss it so stayed behind the whole evening. Father also decided not to as he did not fancy getting ready to go out to a restaurant and just wanted to rest before the drive home the next day; understandable really. In the end, it was just me and mumma who ventured out on the cold evening to find some food. I threw together the same outfit I wore earlier, except with a different top, not having the energy to restyle another....
A cheeky selfie.
More food: Dinner
Scouring the food places, we ultimately settled on a pizza place called Gatto Rosso. They had a variety of food and we had also discussed going to there the night before, but ended up going against the idea due to the uncertainty of them doing a Vegan pizza. We had seen a row of restaurants while out shopping earlier on that day... we did say we would explore that evening, but due to laziness more than anything and because it was only 2 mins away from the hotel, it was the obvious choice for us. How could we resist? Pasta sounded good too. So many carbssss. Isn't that the point when you are away? Treat yourself to the best food and suffer later? Hehe.
We went in and got seated with no pass checks. It was a little unsettling because it was quite an enclosed area. The main thing that stood out to me was that no masks were worn by the wait staff, or any staff in fact. That made me a little anxious, but I tried to overcome that because we were already there and hungry. I managed to convince myself that it would most likely be okay. Food was ordered and bellies were rumbling... and the food came quickly, which was one plus.
There is our food, delicious it was - mine was a plain Carbonara and Mother had a prawn dish.
The food made up for the worries -- it was once again tasty and they gave such big portions! I loved all the flavours together, and the creaminess. Creamy dishes are one of favourites. I am usually always one to devour my food, but this time I could not! I tried my best and sometimes I cannot tell when I am full, but I had to admit defeat. For my first ever Carbonara, it was a good vibe and I would have it again. Both of us found it amazing, especially the garlic bread! It was moist, cheesy and flavoursome; which are things that can lack in a garlic bread sometimes, but this one did not disappoint. They actually nearly forgot it, but we reminded them and it was brought out promptly. We ate what we could, with me wrapping up a piece of bread to take back as it could not be wasted. However, that was thrown away in the end as I forgot about it... We wanted to spend the least amount of time there just because of the no mask situation. It is the law here in Ireland to wear them... but who knows? I hate the idea of someone standing next to the table above me, and me breathing in all their germs. I would for sure go there again, but maybe when Covid is more or less gone. I would rate it a 4.8* just based on the food itself, but considering the others factors too it would drop to 3.8*. The staff were still friendly, but it was just the lack of Covid safety measures. Anyhow, off we went so we could both tend to our food comas.
Evening: Exploring
Upon our return we found out that Father needed some dinner too, so we all headed back out after a small rest to look around the market; and for Father to source some food from one of the food stalls. There were so many and I am slightly disappointed that I did not get to try any, as it all was unique styles of food. Ultimately it was my choice not to try more of the food, but something I would say is that I wished I did. There was an Irish chip stall that definitely would've been so scrum. The queues were so long though so Father did not get to try them, but that was just a sign that they must have been tasty. He ended up having dumplings and vegetable rolls, to which he gave a thumbs up. I for sure could not of stomached any more food after that meal in Gatto Rosso, as I was so full. We then found a couple of other good stalls -- a chocolate one being our first stop. I needed a dessert so I purchased a single orange chocolate, which I was excited for. Sadly it was grim and way to orangey... You really have to get that perfect combo. Mother says that they may have used proper orange flavouring as she too disliked it. Alas, we move on.
Three members of the fam enjoying the market.
It was fairly cold and I was so full and knackered from the whole trip, that I think I was ready for my bed. Of course it was enjoyable otherwise, I just have to know my body's limits and when to take care of it. I did not want to be suffering during the following few days, which often happens if I do not take notes of the signs my body is giving me. Father had some nice food though and he carried on exploring; taking a walk down to the river while we headed back to our rooms to warm up.
Some more piccys.
I caught up with the sis on her evening's antics once I returned, spending a little time with Mother too. Then we retired early because of the full on day we had all experienced.
Final Morning
Finally, we had a bit more of a lay in before getting ready and going down to breakfast again. Mother and sis stuck to the same breakfast, but I ventured for something a little plainer due to the amount of food I had consumed the day before; a simple bowl of granola and yogurt. Which I do have to say, was rather delicious. There is something about hotels that make the smallest of meals taste so good! It was a small portion that I got, and on it's arrival I thought 'hmm quite a small bowl', but afterwards I was full. It made me realise how much of a big bowl I eat at home, that clearly is not needed lol!
Father opted just for toast and pastries. We were all a little fooded out. All of our food came out before Mother's, so she became a little concerned; asking the waiter 'is me porridge coming?' We found that so hilarious because it was such an odd way to phrase what she was asking. We have literally been quoting it to this day ever since Galway lol. I would rate this breakfast a 4.5*, much nicer than the day before. No picture this time sadly, but you can imagine what it looked liked.
The rest of the morning before we had to check out, we had a wander around once more. We visited a couple of shops that we needed to tick off: Primark, a Chocolate Shop and a cute little Christmas store that we found. Every year we like to purchase at least one new decoration to put around the house. Christmas was getting close and we had not yet found anything that we liked, until we stumbled across this shop during our travels. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name but it was so cute. Mother found a silver snowman ornament and to my surprise I actually found two that I liked! A unique looking ceramic reindeer and a little snowman. I thought I would show you all, as they are so adorable.
After that little venture, we were on the hunt for some lunch to take away for the journey home. We bummed out at Costa as they did not have anything, so we kept looking for a good place. I spotted a little bistro called Insomnia that I had seen before on signs in other places in Ireland, and that was where we went. I chose a simple ham and cheese baguette warmed up with some crisps and Mother chose a wrap. I did later regret that choice though, because by the time I got around to eating it, it was rather soggy. Next time I will have it when it comes. Off we trudged back to the hotel and met up with the fam; who had got lunch at M&S again. We then proceeded to pack up our things, and we seemed to have left with far more then we arrived with... hehe. Me and Mother would rate the lunch a 3.8* average. They had a big variety so I would be interested in heading back there next time.
All checked out and ready to go, the car was pulled around and then in we got. With one final look at the hotel and the square, we drove away; leaving our Galway adventure behind... Until next time that is:)! The journey home was smooth, and then I begun a few days of rest after such a busy time away.
There the tale ends. Overall, a good stay in the city of Galway.
What a lengthy story! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I could chat for forever if I was allowed. Galway was fun and I am looking forward to returning at the end of January. We are only going for a day and then we will head home after the hospital, so it will not be enough for a post sadly. We are also avoiding going into too many places due to Covid, so there will not be much to tell anyway.
I included more of my review of the hotel and their dinner food in the first part, so if you are wanting to find out more about that, be sure to check it out: P1.
Stay safe and well, Lucy xoxoxo
this is me
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