St. Patricks Day

Woke to pouring rain this morning . ..the first rain in my seven days here (apart from one, brief, drizzly early morning). My routine has been to get up (between 6.30 and 7am) and go for a long walk with the dogs, come back and make coffee and toast or cereal and climb back into bed with my computer or a book for an hour. I was up at 6.30 this morning and I guess the dogs knew it was raining because they didn't even stir from their sleeping spots!! Ha Ha! I made coffee and just came back to my room to get my Facebook fix and blog a few lines. I spent Monday, St. Patrick's Day, in Galway. Gwen dropped me in Gort at the bus station and I got the 10am bus into Galway. I was excited to go to Charlie Byrne's bookstore, a big old bookstore that's been there a long time. Well, because it was St. Patricks Day it was closed. Bummer. The town was solidly packed with people, friends, lots of families, children, all painted in green, carrying flags and balloons, noise makers and streamers! I wandered the streets for a bit, watching people and scopinjg out a good spot to watch the parade. Now those that know me well know I am not at all into parades. Never have been. But, hey, I'm in Galway, Ireland on St. Patrick's Day . . .surely I should watch the parade? I watched about 20 minutes before having my fill of marching bands and pom poms, and then wandered away. (The parade continued for an hour and a half!) Galway is a delightful old old town. There's not much standing of the original wall from the old town, just a couple of arches. I went to go to the museum but, you guessed it, it was closed because of the holiday! I walked and took photos, walked and took photos. Cafes were getting ready for the onslaught of parade goers, setting up tables on the cobblestone sidewalks. Eventually I stopped in a little French bakery for a pastry and coffee and sat, writing in my journal. After the parade the crowds fill the pedestrianized area for lunch and, more to the point, beer and Guinness! As the afternoon wore on, families and kids disappeared and young people stayed around and the vibe was party central. LOTS of drinking and drunkenness! Towards the evening every third person I saw was either staggering or throwing up around the side of buildings! St. Patrick's Day looks the same in Ireland as it does in Chicago! Walking past a little place in a side street called Cava Bodega I saw my favorite spot in Spain. Couldn't help myself and I wandered in for some tapas and vino! I need to continue but it's time to have breakfast and go to do some planting! More later!