After mass I walked around that area of the city with my large backpack. It was pretty easy to carry because I have hip straps. Thanks Liza! I met some rowers and got very excited when I saw them. Galway has a lot of water to row on. They row on the canal not the river. The river is much too rough for them. I am now going to explain why the river is so rough, because it should not be. This comes from my research with Dr. Geiger. Please skip it if you have no interest it rivers.
In the days before the canal and before the buildings were built right next to the river, it probably was a nice slow flowing river much like the Great Miami in Dayton. Now with the buildings right against the river, it prevents the river from naturally meandering. Rivers should naturally get curvy, but when they are channelized, they just get deeper, causing the water to get very rough and fast. The canal that was built does not help either, because it also channelized the river and pulls water out of it. The river is dammed, bad for natural areas, but great for the rowers due to the large lake created. I am kinda jealous of all the interesting things that they could look at while rowing and all the good spectator places during races. After getting lost for a short time while I thought that I was heading for the college, but really I was going the opposite direction, I got some abuse from a man who said that the tourist section is the other way. I told him that I was coming from church and he asked if I was a holy. I said yes, even though I am not sure that holy would be the correct adjective, he probably meant religious or faithful or something, and he said he was an atheist and walked quickly away. This is a pretty common reaction when I say I am going to mass to anyone who is a young adult. The atheist movement is really getting big here, I guess. This happened right in front of a Franciscan church. I went up to talk to the monk/priest/brother that was welcoming people. He said that mass was starting but let me in for a second just too look around. Anywhere I go that is mass related, I find that anyone 35 or above is very excited to see me. I think it is because not very many people my age go to mass. The monk clued me in to where I was and told me which way to go for some lunch.
I went to a cute little cafe and got a GREAT chicken quesadilla/wrap with honey mustard in it. I love honey mustard! I then went back to St. Nicholas that I had visited the other day because I read in my travel book about some interesting things that I missed. Outside the church, there was a little farmers market of sorts that had some food, paintings, knitted things, and wooden carvings. They were not related to the church as far as I can tell. Sadly, everything that they were selling was too big for me to take home.
On the church tower, there are clocks that face three ways. It is rumored that the fourth side of the city neglected to pay their taxes.
Here is another interesting story. The mayor of Galway in the 15th century was named Lynch and he had a rambunctious son who killed a man who made a pass at his woman. Well, since his father was the mayor and did not want to seem like a pushover to his city, he ensured that his son got the death penalty. Then when the day came to hang him, the hangman refused to do it. Mayor Lynch took matters into his own hands and hung his son from a window. What a tragic story! I can only imagine the betrayal that the son felt, after no one else thought that the punishment was just. You can see the window here, marked with a skull-and-cross-bones, which is very small and to the left. It is said that this is where the terms "lynching" and "lynch mob" come from. The wall is located behind St. Nicholas. Funny place, if you ask me.
I then went to sit in the park for a time to read my travel book and people watch. I quickly found that I did everything interesting in Galway besides going to the college, but sadly I got lost and could not find it. About 2:30, I realized that I left my sweatshirt in the cathedral and so I went back for it. On my way in, an old man was handing out little golden colored charms of Mary. He was mumbling something, which I think was a prayer in Latin whenever anyone came in and he gave them the charm. At first I thought that he was a crazy man, but I think that he just loves God and wants others to as well. My sweatshirt was exactly where I left it. On the way out the man gave me another one "for my friend." I thought that it was very sweet. I got back in time for my bus at 3:30 and got to Maynooth about 7:15. The bus rides are a great opportunity to see the countryside, though anything that moves pretty much puts me to sleep. It was a long trip and I was grateful to be back home.
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