New Year's Eve and short break in Galway 🥂🎇

Published: 04.01.2019

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Happy New Year back from Dublin!

*** here's a little Irish Blessing that I found on a postcard in Galway:

After spending Christmas at home in Cottbus with my family, Sinja and I returned to the island on December 29th. After having a very nice but also intense time in Cottbus, it was a bit easier for me to say goodbye again and leave everyone behind to get on the plane with her by my side. After a layover in Amsterdam, we were kindly welcomed in Dublin, but had to solve a problem first, as my dear Sinja had left her wallet on the plane and entering Ireland or staying there without ID and credit card would have been a bit difficult. Thankfully, with the help and efforts of two airport employees, her wallet was found again and after waiting quite some time for the bus, we finally arrived at my host family's house, late at night, after being on the road for almost 12 hours. We were only greeted by Timmy, who excitedly ran up to us, as all the other family members were already asleep...

On Sunday, after getting up late, we only had time for a short walk through Shankill with Timmy before taking the bus to Nenagh in County Tipperary, where we finally met Julie :). I think it was in that moment that we realized how much we had missed each other. Shortly afterwards, our taxi took us to Ashley Park House (the hotel where Julie had worked a few months ago and where I had visited her before), where we were welcomed with open arms. We stayed overnight with the other Workawayers (from Spain, England, Australia, and Germany) in two big rooms in the attic, which reminded me of a school trip atmosphere (in a positive way), just like my first visit there. In the evening, we were treated to delicious food and dessert left over from the wedding and simply had a good time :).

The next day was already New Year's Eve and there was another wedding taking place at the hotel. Since it was the daughter of one of the employees, it was even more special and probably more stressful. Since we were allowed to eat and sleep at the hotel for free, we also helped out wherever help was needed throughout the day - to our delight, it was usually doing the dishes, which can actually be fun with the right people and good music ;). When we were finally off in the evening, we got ready for the party at 'attac' with the other Workawayers, where we were also allowed to join :). I would describe the wedding as both decadent and traditionally Irish. Guests of all ages danced enthusiastically to the music of the live band, and one of the guests even wanted to impress us with his 'knowledge' of German, which was quite amusing for us.

The fireworks at midnight were 'small but nice' - it was maybe just one battery and nothing more. But we didn't expect more, as there are generally very few fireworks in Ireland on New Year's Eve... which is a bit of a shame, but also much more environmentally friendly :). After that, we had a lot of fun together and were even personally served drinks by the hotel manager. When the wedding was coming to an end, we sat together with the other Workawayers for a while in the attic. I couldn't have imagined a better New Year's Eve in Ireland and I'm very grateful that I could spend it in the hotel with my friends (even though not all of them were there)

On Tuesday around noon, it was time to say goodbye again and we were all warmly hugged and given tips for our time in Galway, as well as invitations to visit Ashley Park House again soon. I can't emphasize enough how much I appreciate the friendly and considerate way the people who work and live there treat others, and how much I value the fact that communication is always on an equal footing regardless of positions.

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And now to our short break in Galway: unfortunately, we only had two full days there, but it's definitely my favorite city in Ireland! I had already been there for an evening at the Christmas market, but unfortunately didn't see much of the city itself. I think it's beautiful and we all felt very comfortable there as soon as we arrived. It's no coincidence that Ed Sheeran mentions this city in his song 'Galway Girl' :). I'm a big fan of the street lighting that can be found everywhere in Dublin and Ireland in general. I also really liked the many street musicians... in my opinion (as far as I can tell), the music in Galway is even more individual than in Dublin, where most songs are covered in various styles (often by Ed Sheeran and similar artists). I hope it's possible to embed videos on this blog.

We stayed in a cute B&B with a very friendly family just outside of Galway, which wasn't a problem as the city is easily accessible by bus. Unfortunately, we didn't consider beforehand that the buses don't run after midnight...

On both days, we explored the city and particularly liked the many small vintage shops, where almost everything from second-hand clothes to books was available. I was very impressed by one bookstore: it only sold second-hand books, but it was larger than the Shankill library or any ordinary bookstore I've seen before. Apart from that, our vacation consisted of visiting cafes and drinking hot chocolate, mulled wine, or cider in pubs. Especially the latter is one of my favorite pastimes, as it allows you to meet so many nice people with interesting stories and views. For example, we sat down at a table in a pub next to a brother and sister, which is completely normal in Ireland and not associated with skeptical looks or hesitation in any way. We talked to them for a long time and found out that they had lived in London for a few years, are now on vacation in Europe together, and - which we didn't expect (as they looked Central European): they were raised in an English family in South Africa. They told us about their life there and how different it is compared to Europe... we are now not only invited to visit Callum (a Workawayer) in Australia, but also to come to South Africa and visit them on their farm, which hopefully we will do someday.

Unfortunately, yesterday many unfortunate coincidences occurred, so we bought tickets for a charity concert where local bands and a well-known Irish soul singer were supposed to perform, and we were really looking forward to it... only to realize that we had the wrong date and refunds were not possible. In addition, last night, when we wanted to go to the city for one last evening out, we had another problem with the bus (of course), which meant that the bus didn't just run late, it didn't come at all. Since most pubs close at 12 o'clock, which is relatively early, and clubs are not open past 2 o'clock, it didn't make sense for us to pay for a taxi... besides the fact that apparently none of the at least 30 taxi drivers who drove past us were willing to take us. In the end, we enjoyed the evening with take-out food (the only pub nearby only served food until 9 o'clock) and a movie as the end of our vacation.

This morning, we had to say goodbye to each other at the bus station in Galway - Sinja went back to the airport and to Cottbus, while Julie and I went to our host families.

I had really nice days with my family and friends, and even though I won't see them all again for a while, I know that nothing has changed at home and that's a good thing.

Best regards, Hanna 😊