Triumphant Return To Galway

On Saturday we returned to Galway, this time it was for pleasure not injury.  When we arrived we all dispersed around the city checking out the sights and what not.  Most of the groups did some shopping and purchasing of souvenirs, while Trish was on a more epic yarn search which proved unsuccessful.  She did buy gifts for most of her family however.  

 

From what we had heard, there were horse races going on either during the week or on Sunday, however the large amount of people that gather crowded the city.  Nevertheless we powered though.  Because of the early start most of us had not eaten so we looked for a place to eat.  Trish had spoken Margret, the owner of a famous bar in Balleyvaughn, about some good places to eat.  

 

Margret suggestion was McDonagn's.  This peculiar restaurant was said to have really good fish and chips. The interior was pretty funny and it looked like a strange fast food shack.  Margret also suggested a great bakery where we could get a nice cup of tea and some good baked goods. So we migrated to the next eating establishment.  

This place was awesome I had a pear tart and a cup of tea. I took a picture of Julia's food to show how it looked.

Yeah you're jealous, its ok.

Next we wandered around checking out the shops and there was a large farmers market on the streets.

Look at how gnarly that fish is. I mean its no Goliath Tiger Fish, but damn would not want to encounter that ya dig?  We then finished the night by going to the Theatre and watched the Shakespearean Play, A Comedy Of Errors.

Zombie Foot

And to those curious as to how my foot looked when i first got injured here is a lovely picture. Enjoy.

Tasty.

Bar Time/Return Journey

You know how we do.  The Bar we went to was a pretty funny place.  It had a bunch of crazy signs everywhere and this small dog kept wandering inside the bar. Health codes I guess not the biggest deal if everyone is hammered on Guiness and Whiskey.

  

As we chilled I had a really delicious salmon and salad combo thing and everyone had a drink while we waited.  Below is an interior of the bar.

Our Boat finally arrived and after a half an hour trip we had arrived back to the docks, and proceeded back to our respected houses to rest and recover for another studio day.

Smallest Island Continued...

The group then decided that we wanted to be lazy so we rented two carriages and wandered the island on these which was helpful because my leg was sore from the day before. That rhymed. unintentionally. It was a pretty cool island it had some run down castles on it and this giant shipwrecked boat which was gnarly.  

I believe the castle was called O'Brien's Castle, but i could be wrong but it was really tight from a distance. We did not get a chance to go to it because we did not want to hike to it but the boat that we went to was really cool.

 

This is a view of the back of the island once again proving that everything in Ireland is photogenic.  The carriage then proceeded over the ridge to the left of the picture and to the shipwreck.

 

The shipwreck was pretty cool it was completely rusted out and you could go climbing in it and what not. Due to my leg being injured I was not able to enter, but I got Emily to take some good pictures for me which was sweet.  Here are some photos of the inside.

 

 After our ride, everyone was needing a break and we were pretty hungry. So we headed to a bar on the island to hangout until our ferry ride back to the mainland.  Fun fact they call some boats hookers. Ponder that one. Maybe they let people ride them for money maybe that's the connection. Never mind I just solved that dilemma for you. You're welcome.

Aran Isles (Smallest Island)

Our second day on the Aran Islands was a bit more lax.  After everyone was awake we proceeded to get some breakfast at a small place next to the Spar(grocery store) and then got ready for another boat ride.

 

The Boat ride was about forty minutes to the second island. We has to stop at the middle island so it took us a little longer then initially planned. But we finally reached the island around 11:30/noonish and were then able to do what ever we wanted.  

 

For some reason everywhere on the island there were dogs just wandering everywhere, so we got to pet a lot  of them. here is one of them.

 

Our next move was to get some food so we went to a small place called Fisherman's Cottage.  I was not feeling too hungry so I has a Bullmers and just relaxed before we went exploring the island. Emily said the fish was good.

Aran Isles (Largest Island)

After an extensive rain delay, it was finally time to head out the Aran Islands.  It was a bit of a rough journey on the seas, more then we expected, but I guess we were on the tail end of a storm.  The boat ride was about an hour and when we landed we immediately went to the hostel/bar where we were staying. 

After the group dropped off their stuff we went and rented bicycles, because of my leg condition, Emily and I rented a tandem bike so it would be easier on my ankle.  Well Emily and I were champs because we powered down the coast which was absolutely amazing and beautiful.  We then ran into this small village before the ruins that we were riding too.  

 

There were a bunch of yarn shops here. According to Trisha, one of the girls from our group that is really into knitting, this was the spot to get yarn because most of the stuff is made by little old ladies or something like that. It was a nice rest before we started the about a mile hike to the ruins.  Now i don't know if anyone knows this but it is really difficult to do this on crutches haha. However, we made it to the top of this badass semi fortress build back during ancient times. 

Here is a nice image of me being all crippled at the fortress. It was really amazing to be at and walk around, although it seemed a bit of a stupid idea because of you had been attacked you were stuck on the edge of a cliff.

  After our time at the fortress, we then proceeded back to the town where we had started our trip.  Emily and I were flying and made it back to the town in about 17 minutes. We then decided to become a professional tandem bike team.  The day ended in drinks and dinner, but we were all pretty tired from the day so most people passed out around midnight.

12th Day continued...

I have started a new painting based on the Cliffs Of Mohor. Here is the foundation of that painting.

I think the sky is my favorite part.

And On The 12th Day...Max Painted...

The weekend had been interesting.  We were unable to go on our scheduled journey to the Aran Islands due to the severe weather that was occurring. As disappointing as this was, it allowed me to watch the Women's World Cup final only to witness the USA loose to Japan. However, the week started out well and is the central week in which to focus on our work.  The first one I will show is the painting I have been spending a lot of time on.  If you want to see an earlier version look at one of my previous post you should notice it for sure. 

Its turning out pretty well and I feel that the picture does not do it justice but it will have to do for now. I also have been messing around with this stone that I found in the scrap area behind the school. I am not sure how I feel about I might work on it more.

Spider

I had a thought when I was back in Denver, about this spider that has been trapped in the bath tub in the basement of my dad's house.  I am not a fan of spiders, and in an act of nonviolence I let it exist as if I am some god allowing it to be there.  I then had an interesting time pondering just to how to kill the spider.  Apparently normal methods would not do for that insists on touching some creature that I have no desire to interact with.  I then thought why not turn on the faucet, but only a little bit, slowly filling the tub until the spider was drowned.  I then realized how sadistic that was and partially startled myself at the dark places ones mind can go.