Fish and chips in the city of Galwegians

Yesterday I arrived in Galway and just puttered around without too much of a sightseeing agenda, which was nice. The weather continues to be fantastic! I visited one of the final great stone churches built in Europe (completed in 1965) and went to Galway's best fish and chip shop. This was an historic occasion in its own right, as I had never eaten fish and chips before.

Boy have I been missing out! This meal was a revelation of tasty! A large piece of batter fried cod and a huge side of restaurant style french fries (the chips, here our chips are called "crisps") were two of the best things I have eaten in a long, looong time. With homemade tartare sauce and real heinz ketchup no less! It was so good I came back and had it again today.

Later last night I went out to hear some more live music. However as I am habitually early (an unusual habit in France and Ireland) I managed to catch a good 45 minutes of the televised soccer match beforehand. Between Liverpool and Arsenal, it was a heated affair of which I understood very little. It was exciting all the same. By the time the music started the pub had filled to the brim. Room was cleared and eight couples started two rings of traditional Irish dancing. I was surprised to see that traditional Irish dancing very closely resembles Scandinavian folk dancing! Also did you know that residents of Galway are known as Galwegians? The resemblence is definitely there for whatever reason. It was fun to watch the dancing in any case, as most of the couples were decent dancers and a few were very good.

Today I visited the lovely Connemara region, met three old Irishmen, a couple from Des Moines, and a new friend from Berlin. I will write more about it all when I can, but again I have to go. Tomorrow it is off to the famous Cliffs of Moher and the Burren!