h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well I was going to keep a diary when I was over in Galway and produce something witty, intelligent and perceptive for you all to read when I got back but I didn't so its just the usual disjointed ramblings I'm afraid.

Galway City is a lovely little city of about 70,000 people, plus 10,000 students in term-time plus a lot of tourists every summer so as you might guess it has a lot of bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels, B&Bs etc.

At least in Galway the whole drinking thing is a lot more civilised than in Britain. Order a coffee at 10 pm and they won't look at you oddly. There are also coffee bars open until 2 am. The food was good too. Almost everywhere had a vegetarian option or 2 and some places had more. No more thinking I am so sick of vegetarian lasagne. The was very good, much more drinkable than in the UK .

The smoking ban seems to work well, possibly because so many of the bars and cafes have tables outside and the weather was good. Might have disliked it in a wet Febuary for example.

I went to see some galleries and exhibitions, Farenheit 9/11 (yes I know I could've seen that here but I hadn't seen it and my friends were going), a poetry reading by Vushenko (spelling?), and highlight of the visit (apart from seeing my friends), a wonderful performance of the play "Our Countries Good" by the Galway Youth Theatre.

Didn't go to Conemara or the Isles of Aran this time but I'm going back next year for my friends wedding so maybe then .

Oh, a couple of differences I noticed between the UK and Eire. The road network is much less developed. I saw some dual carriegeways but nothing looking like a motorway . There are a lot more bookmakers there. Irish shops very sensibly still seem to use paper rather than plastic bags. All the Irish people I met seemed very friendly and patient. We aren't as tolerant of tourists as they are.

Sounds like lots of fun, BC. I'm glad to hear the smoking ban is working OK. I was wondering about that. It started recently, right? And so they were able to slip it in during the summer when they could have outdoor tables? That's a good plan if that's what they did.

As a smoker for the last 20 years it was something I worried a little about but it seemed to be working. 1 of my friends friends ran a cafe and he said they'd only had 1 person try and light up since the ban began.

Oh, also went to an Irish Trad night which is Irish folk music and was fun

So, Galway is in Ireland, right? Or wrong? North or South?

Nice....sounds like you explored quite a few pubs, do you recall any of their names?

Galway is on the west coast of Eire.
I went in a lot of pubs and cafes and can't remember the names but just head for Quay Street. The studenty/arty ones are all there or on the sidestreets off it.

Galway is also the hippy/New Age capital of Eire so if thats your thing its the place to go.

It sounds like a great place, Blackberry Cat. As a smoker, I agree with you about the difference good weather makes... Smoking is banned in all shops here, and cafes, as well.
Glad you had a good time...

Thanks, it was a good holiday

I had a weird dream last night, in which someone who had just returned from Ireland was complaining about the and I was explaining about the water and so on ...

BC, your holiday journal is invading my dreams!

(There was lots of other, unrelated weird stuff in the same dream though)

speaking of weird dreams i had a very bazaar one. someone from hootoo was doing wiring in my garage. i seem to have the inpression that it was Traveler in Time. and them he turned in to some one i know but hadnt talked to in months and months, and i had rather decided that they didnt want to be my friend any more becasue we didnt work together any longer. but in my dream we were frineds again. it was very nice. but here comes the weirdest part. that morning i woke up and was feeling a little sad about the whole thing. and that evening who shuold i talk to on msn but the person i had dreamed about. and everythings fine, and we're frineds again, or perhaps i should say still friends.

sorrt BC. it seems i've gotten carried away here and havent said one thing about your vacation... i'm gald to hear it was a good one. we have a soking ban thingy here and it works out very nicely. well maybe i only say that because i'm not a smoker... but it seems every one jsut has a smoke before they go in or whatever and them they're good. but i think most of the resturants and stuff here have awnings in fromt to keeep you dry in bad weather.

Trin I would never complain about the
ok, I moan a lot but my Irish friends would never forgive me if I did that

2 Well either dreams do predict the future or it was something you were worried about subconsciously. I'd go with the latter myself. Where Traveller in Time comes in I do not know

You lot are

After seeing how it worked in Ireland I'd be a lot happier about it if they brought in a smoking ban here

yay! i'm !!!
thats just me, and i think you're right. it was something i was sorried about as to where traveler comes in i have no idea maybe it was jsut a weird twist to myu dream

Just to explain, I think it was someone back in the UK, complaining about the you get here, as opposed to the stuff you get in Ireland. Still, it was a dream and it was all a bit confusing. A giraffe with a lottery ticket and a sewing machine may have been involved at some point.

Nope, I still think you're

Not as as the giraffe though - he didn't even like

Doesn't deserve to win the lottery then.
Theres good , bad , and not liking

Where's Eire?

well i've never had so i cant say that i dont like it...

i think i'm a good , but then again... how do you measure normal?

hey trin... that giraffe with a sewing machine and a lottery ticket sounds intreesting... was it a winning lottery ticket?

Hey speaking of stout n' stuff..

Ever had a mackie vimto?

Half of mackason's stout or other with half of vimto..lovely..MMMMmmmmm

Can't get vimto here tho..

oh, and it has to be fizzy vimto..I guess you could use the cordial, I never have tho...

nope... never had one of those either.
i just dont drink at all... but i hightly suspect that that post was not actually aimed at me, more at Kitty...