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Dec

Two Travelers, One Journey

by Joyce McGreevy on December 12, 2018

A woman gazing at Christmas decorations in Galway, Ireland embodies the joy of winter wanderlust. (Image @ Joyce McGreevy)

The sight of another’s wonder sharpens our own observations.
© Joyce McGreevy

Winter Wanderlust
Sends Siblings Packing

With wanderlust comes surprise—the weather is spectacularly sunny. Can this really be Ireland in winter? The air is crisp as a Kerry Pippin apple, but sunlight warms the flagstones of Galway’s pedestrian-only streets.

As sunlight washes over my sister and me, so does a fresh wave of surprise. It’s the ebb and flow of discovery so many travelers experience: Are we really here? We really are!

The Long Walk on a sunny winter day in Galway, Ireland shows why wanderlust inspires holiday travel. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

A daytime glimmer of moon hovers over 18th-century houses along Galway’s Long Walk.
© Carolyn McGreevy

Long Distance Calls

Coincidence inspired this surprise holiday travel:

  • One day, old friends from Galway dropped by Carolyn’s home in Oregon. It was a welcome surprise, but all too brief.
  • That same day in California, I was working at my laptop when up popped a travel post from an American friend—who was visiting Galway.
  • Moments later, an email from an Irish friend invited me to a special event—in Galway.
A floral mural on an apothecary in Galway, Ireland reflects the beauty that inspires wanderlust. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

When travelers look closely,  moments flower and memories take root.
© Carolyn McGreevy

Like our younger sisters, Carolyn and I once lived in Ireland and we maintain strong ties there. Regular readers of OIC Moments may recall that Galway is my home-from-hometown.

Now my sis and I were feeling home-from-homesick. We got on the phone, as if reminiscing would get it out of our systems.

It didn’t.

Buttermilk Lane in Galway, Ireland reflects the charm that inspires wanderlust. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

How “storied” are Galway’s streets? Many, including the lane shown here,
have been celebrated in paintings, plays, short stories, and song,
© Carolyn McGreevy

Common Sense Is Overrated

Ah, but I was buried in work. Carolyn had her own “to do” list, plus grandkids and a geriatric cat. And what about the budget yada-yada, maybe next year, you can’t do it all, etc. Such were the sensible thoughts assailing my deadline-addled brain.

I asked my sister when she’d last visited Ireland.

“1980.”

“But that’s—that’s –” (Math was never my strong suit.)

“Thirty-eight years.”

Seems she’d been busy. Something about raising several children while holding down a job in the medical field.

Ten minutes later, I’d filled out her passport application.

A sign painter and photographer at the Crane Bar, Galway reflect the friendliness that inspires wanderlust for Ireland. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

High-tech skills and artisan trades flourish side-by-side in Ireland.
Above, a traditional sign painter chats with a digital photographer.
© Carolyn McGreevy

Hare, There, and Everywhere

“Why is there a rabbit looking through binoculars up there?” my sister asks as we pass Tigh Neachtain.

“A what doing what?” I sagely reply.

Tigh Neachtain is a popular Galway pub. As a collegian, I’d spent more time looking at that pub from the inside than the outside. I’d never noticed the giant metal sculpture affixed to the roof.  

A sculpture of a hare in Galway reflects the whimsy that inspires wanderlust for Ireland. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

Until 1894 Tigh Neachtain was home to animal-rights advocate Richard Martin.
Could that explain the watchful hare?
© Carolyn McGreevy

Later we consult Conall, an avid history buff who has lived in Galway all his life. I feel inanely vindicated when Conall says, “What giant rabbit?” 

Observing the Observer

But my sister is registering every detail, from the speed of the River Corrib’s galloping waves to the faintest of medieval epitaphs in St.Nicholas churchyard.

When we walk into town, I pause when she pauses to notice what she notices: the million little details I took for granted in the days when I lived there.

The heckling of seagulls and the dignity of the swans. The fragrance of peat fires wafting from rowhouses in the Claddagh, some that date back to when Claddagh was a fishing village. Now those rowhouses have satellite dishes.

Oh, I see: When you see a familiar place from another person’s perspective, you discover it anew.

A view of Galway reflects the historical interest that inspires winter wanderlust for Ireland. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

A view from the Galway Museum spans five centuries of architecture.
© Carolyn McGreevy

Sense, You’ve Been Gone

Have you ever felt that your senses were in need of a tune-up? Then travel to Galway for the holidays. Even if you have to bargain for a middle seat in the Crying-Baby and Loud-Snorers section.

Because in Galway, the holiday period isn’t a deadline. It’s an immersive seasonal experience, something to be savored like a properly brewed pot of tea.  

A tea shop window in Galway, Ireland reflects the holiday charm that inspires winter wanderlust. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

Season’s greetings call for seasonal savoring at Cupán Tae.
© Carolyn McGreevy

A tea shop in Galway, Ireland reflects the vibrant design that inspires winter wanderlust. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

By Irish tradition, tea should be brewed until it’s “strong enough to trot a mouse across.”
© Carolyn McGreevy

Winter Wander Lands

The night we arrive, the city is bejeweled and illuminated. Deck the halls? Why, they’ve decked every lintel and laneway. From Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch, holiday markets bustle, there’s live music at every corner, and the sheer pleasure of strolling is not to be missed.

A world-renowned center of theater, Galway becomes one big stage set for the holidays.
© Carolyn McGreevy

Galway’s Continental Christmas Market runs mid-November to late December.
© Carolyn McGreevy

O’Connor’s Famous Pub in Galway reflects the whimsy that inspires wanderlust for Ireland. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

O’Connor’s Famous Pub takes a playful approach to old-school images of Ireland.
© Carolyn McGreevy

The fireside at O’Connor’s Famous Pub in Galway reflects the humor and hospitality that inspire holiday travel to Ireland. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“So hang your stockings and”—oh my!
© Joyce McGreevy

The Joy of Irish Cooking

Galway’s famous creativity extends to its outstanding culinary scene.  During the holidays, when shops are busy, Galway’s food purveyors are busier still. Galwegians place a high premium on getting together for a cuppa, a cozy meal, and a good long chat.

My sister’s advice is:

  1. Abandon any stereotypes about Irish cookery.
  2. Prepare to be wowed by the breadth of choices.
  3. Pack an extra suitcase. Preferably one the size of a walk-in pantry.
An array of gourmet foods at McCambridge’s in Galway reflects the culinary sophistication that inspires wanderlust for Ireland. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

Irish diners’ tastes in food are far more diverse than persistent stereotypes suggest.
Location: McCambridge’s of Galway.
© Carolyn McGreevy

Sisterly Advice

Carolyn also advises flying to your destination via its national airline. “Flying Aer Lingus made me feel like we were in Ireland from the moment we boarded.”

A rainbow above Aer Lingus jets at Dublin International Airport inspires wanderlust for a return visit to Ireland. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

As other passengers watch their phones, Carolyn captures a fitting farewell.
© Carolyn McGreevy

Here’s what I’ve learned: Common sense can keep you “on task,” but winter wanderlust can do wonders for your senses. Flexibility can make “surprise holiday travel” surprisingly do-able.

And as for traveling with your sister? Well, that can inspire sibling revelry.

Two sisters, Joyce McGreevy and Carolyn McGreevy, agree that the holidays inspire wanderlust for Galway, Ireland. (Image © Joyce McGreevy/Carolyn McGreevy)

Two photogs trade views. My sister Carolyn is at right.  Locations: Kai Café (L)
and The Kitchen Café at Galway Museum.
© Carolyn McGreevy/Joyce McGreevy

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Comments:

3 thoughts on “Two Travelers, One Journey”

  1. Jealous and awed in the same moment. Wonderfully regaled, and inspiring. Thank you for reminding me why travel matters.

  2. What a lovely article Joyce! Maybe familiarity breeds at least apathy but it’s lovely to revisit my city through new eyes in this all too short piece…….. Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves! Strange about that rabbit though…………

  3. Sibling revelry and soul enriching experience are just the start of how magical this trip was. Returning to where I spent many years as a child my eyes could hardly believe all the progress yet still embracing the history the that defines them.To be there for the start of the holiday season was so wonderful, something that should be on everyone’s wish list.

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