Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Day Thirty-Eight

Friday, July 31st 2009

Though it was inevitable, none of us could really believe it was our last night in Galway. The next day, we would all be spread around different parts of Europe, or in the case of a few, headed back home already. I’m really sorry to say that I didn’t do anything terribly momentus on my last day in Ireland. In the morning, Abbie and I went to the print lab to print out the boarding passes for all of our Ryanair flights, then booked our bus tickets to Dublin the next day.

After two days of great weather, it was once again raining, perhaps trying to help convince us to leave for better climates. We got lunch from the small store since we no longer had food and soon after we had finished eating it, it was time for Val to leave with her father, The Colonel, who had arrived earlier that morning. We were all sad to see her go, but she was quite excited to be headed to five-star hotels in Paris after spending a month in our dump of a place.

Around two, Abbie and I went to Centra and got some beer that she supposedly owed some of the other girls. There was supposed to be a big party in “the projects” (the teal bulding where a lot of our group was staying), but the rain put a slght damper on that. Eventually, Abbie and I ended up in Scott’s apartment, drinking with him and Ricky—who was already drunk and yelling things out the window to the girls from housekeeping. (Serves them right for not taking out our trash for three days and leaving us with no toilet paper.)

After a while Niall and his roommates came over. Soon, however, it was time to head into town for the end of program banquet. Since it was raining, a few of us got in line for the shuttle into town super early, since we knew the mean lady was driving who wouldn’t let anyone stand in the back. We made it into town and quickly found the hotel where our banquet was at. I had become the biggest doubter of the quality of goods and services provided by USAC, but this was actually a welcomed surprise. Three courses with formal silverware settings, etc. I had steak and some of the most delicious shrimp I have ever tasted.

After dinner, there was lots of hugging, and most of us went around the corner to O’Connell’s, where it was already packed on account of race week. We were especially excited when Quigs, Caoilfhionn, and Jason decided to come out with us as well. As it got darker, it got more and more crowded, so James, who apparently magically knows everything about Ireland, took us all to a small local pub where we could better socialize.

I thought it was extremely fitting that I began my trip to Ireland sitting in Kennedy’s, a small local pub in Dublin, and ended it in one much the same in the Central Bar in Galway. I was already tired and knew I had a full day of travel ahead of me, so Kristin and I left a little early, stopping at Supermac’s so I could finally, finally have the hot muffin and ice cream we’d been talking about since arriving in Galway five weeks earlier. I took a cab home and, after looking over my packing and writing a little in this blog (yes, I know I’m terribly behind—shut up), I went to bed for the last time under Irish skies.


Next stop: Paris and Amanda

No comments:

Post a Comment