Day #12 - Galway

Dia duit!  Cen chaoi a bhfuil tu?  Ta me go maith, go raibh maith agat.

Yesterday morning, we drove all the way from Clifden to Galway.  We were starving when we arrived, so we decided to have lunch at Supermac's again.  As we settled down to eat, we saw this from across the restaurant:

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I sat there and stared at it for a while.

Turns out, that's Supermac's Bunny, "Super Bunny", and he goes around and hands out balloons to all of the kids.  That would be sweet, you know, if he wore a different costume that wasn't so freaky.

My dad took one for the team and volunteered to go take a picture with him, since Holden, Jack and I all refused to.

I felt bad for the guy inside the costume, because he was actually really nice, but Super Bunny is just creepy.

Hey kids, I'm Super Bunny...

Wanna have candy in my basement?

Anyway, we wandered around Galway for a bit, occasionally popping into stores that looked interesting.

Plus, we found a place called Kirwan's Lane.  Our ancestor's last name was Kirwan, so it was neat that we found that.

We also explored some historic spots in Galway, like this Spanish Arch, which was built in 1584:

After that, we got some tasty soft-serve cones.  Jack especially enjoyed his.

And on our drive back, we found a playground!  Yes!

Even though everything was a little wet from the recent rain, that didn't stop us from having a great time!

My parents read about this statue in Recess that, if you touched his hand, blessed you with the knowledge of his tribe.  So we decided to try it, even though we didn't really expect anything to happen.

Yep...didn't do anything.

So we were walking around a little bit and stretching our legs when we saw this:

Well.  That was educational.

When we got home, we had an an-bhlasta dinnear of grilled cheese sandwiches, coleslaw, carrots, and apples, and went to bed.

And that was our day!  I will post another update tonight of today's adventures, so check back later!

Go raibh maith agat!  Tabhair aire, slan go foill!  Slainte!

-Megan

Day #10, #11 - Tralee, Croom, and Clifden

Hi again!  I didn't have access to wi-fi yesterday, so I'll fill you in on our recent adventures...

Yesterday, we enjoyed our last breakfast at the Brookmanor Lodge.

Jack and his Yogurt

My Ham and Cheese Omelette

Holden and his Pancakes

 Before saying goodbye to the Brookmanor, we took a picture with the owner, Sandra:

And we met the hotel's cat, George:

After that, we were on the road again!  

On the way, we stopped at our friends Hugo and Jo's Old Rectory, which is also known as Free-Range Kids, their summer kid camp.  

Check them out online at www.freerangekids.ie and on Facebook if you want to send your kids to this fun-filled camp!

We were lucky enough to get a tour of their awesome property.  It's a kid's paradise!  They have all kinds of animals, plus tons of play equipment and a big yard.  You really have to see it to believe it, but here are some pictures for you to get an idea of how fantastic it is:

Tim and Hugo, with the house and play equipment in the background

Ducklings, chicks, and goslings

Pip and Pop the pigs

Cassie the donkey

The geese and ducks

Me on a tractor

Holden and Jack on a bike

Us on the trampoline

After that fun experience, we finished our drive to Clifden, where our new home awaited us.  Once we got settled in, we decided to eat at Supermac's, which is basically an Irish McDonald's.  (We didn't take any pictures there, but we assure you, it was delicious!)

Today, we hit the mini golf course first thing in the morning.  The course was beautiful, and the weather was perfect for golf!

After we had played the course too many times to count, we went home for some lunch.  Following our meal, we drove around Clifden for a while to see what it was like.  At the end of the day, we ate at a place called Lowry's Bar and Restaurant.  

Well, that was a fun couple of days for us, and I hope you all had a nice end of the week too!  More updates soon.  Bye for now!

-Megan

Day #9 - The Dingle Peninsula

Dia duit gach duine!  ("Hello everybody" in Gaelic.  There, are you happy now Matt!?)  Today we started the morning with some nice breakfast courtesy of the Brookmanor Lodge.

Lori, since you were curious about what the food is like here, I present you with pictures of our food!

Jack with his Pancakes, Warm Maple Syrup and Fruit Compote

Dad and I with our Eggs, Rashers, and Sausage

Here's a close-up

And, of course, there was tea

After we were all full of delicious food, we drove to a beach called Inch Strand in the Dingle Peninsula.

We spent four hours there, and had lots of fun.  It was so beautiful!

Oh, and there's me...

While we were there, I found this interesting shell.  It looks like a sand dollar's Irish cousin, maybe?

We also found this buoy that looks like a cannonball!  Pretty cool, huh?

It was a long walk from one side of the beach to the other.  Conveniently, people on the beach were allowed to drive their cars right on the sand, so Tim and I drove along the shore to go pick up the rest of the family!

After the beach, we visited the down of Dingle.  There were lots of little fun shops around there, so we had a great time.  

Plus, we saw the Cow Car!

You can't tell by looking at the picture, but even the seat covers were furry and spotted!

We then ate dinner at a restaurant in Dingle.  Here are more photos:

My Scampi and Chips

Tim's Steak and Potato Stew

Jen's Steak and Potatoes

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at another beach called Stradbally Strand.  That beach was just as gorgeous as Inch was!

And that's it for today, everyone!  Thanks for reading, and I hope that the pictures of the food satisfied you, Lori!

-Megan