Galway

I must be brief in summarizing today, since this is a free hostel internet facility and many people are waiting. After an early start, I spent three and a half hours on the bus from Dublin to Galway. The woman beside me had two children on her lap (every seat in the bus was full). Actually, the smaller of the two children was predominantly on my lap for most of the journey.

The Galway Sleepzone is an unusually nice, if unfortunately named, hostel. The dorms have en-suite bathrooms, there seem to be decent kitchens, and there is both a good overall feel and the provision of free internet access.

I spent the later part of today wandering in Galway a bit. The port was worth a glance, especially since it led me to the attractive and free city museum. There, you can find a collection of fairly good local art housed in a very modern structure: all glass, polished wood, matte white walls, and atrium lighting.

From there, I wandered up along the river that flows through the town towards where the museum is (I know not the name right now, and my guidebook doesn’t cover Galway). Beside a particularly nice stretch of bank, I finished the Booker Prize winning novel The Sea. I enjoyed it less than Sweetness in the Belly, as well as the last Booker Prize winner I read. I suppose it is always difficult to have a narrator who is fundamentally unsympathetic. I shall, in any case, write more about it upon my return to normality.

Tomorrow, I am going to the largest Aran Island by the earliest ferry, and returning by the latest one. My intention to visit one of the smaller islands was scuppered by the fact that the latest returning boat from them is at 4:00pm. As it happens, I will be spending more than eight hours on that much-praised bit of rock.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan