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| Uh Oh! Looks somebody bet the family fortune on the ponies...and didn't win. |
Galway Races, Galway, Mama Mia, Cliffs of Moher
The house at the end of the rainbow was a great place to stay. Rainbows are usually associated with rain however, and the weeks of previous sunshine dissolved with wind and frequent downpours and showers. Not the greatest weather for horse racing.
Since the Galway Races were in full swing, we decided to attend the races and bet on some "ponies". We dressed in our fanciest clothes and wore our "fascinators."
We didn't pick any winning horses, but had a great time walking around, soaking up the atmosphere and watching people.
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| Wow! The Galway Races. |
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| Bookie Stalls |
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| Russ Placing our Bets.... |
Our Tip Sheet! Glad we didn't bet a bundle on these tips.
After losing the the first couple of races, where our horses were not coming in first (we didn't know about placing bets on show...next time),
we focused on watching the fashions and the crowd instead of the horses.
This lady looked the most comfortable.
Remember it is windy, rainy and probably 50 degrees without the wind chill factor. The fashionistas had goosebumps on their goosebumps.
Clicked these photos of the crowd as the horses are heading to the finish line from right to left and then crossing the line and beyond.
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| Can you spot Russ? |
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| Looks close! |
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| But Not Close Enough For the Woman, bottom left! |
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| Hope she didn't use her house as collateral. Uh....wake up Russ! |
August 1, 2018
The following day, it was still raining, so we headed into Galway to do a little sightseeing, shopping. Our first stop was to look for the campground we stayed in 47 years ago in our VW bus. We "think" we found it. It looks like most of Ireland....a lot better than in the 1970's.
Then we walked around the harbor and the old part of town.
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| Don't you hate tying up your yacht in front of trash pile? |
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| Refuse Close Up! |
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| Little Puddle Stomper |
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| We ate lunch in a shopping mall that surrounded and old fortress. |
After lunch, we attended a matinee of Mama Mia, Here we Go Again! LOVED IT!
When we returned to our AirBnB, our hosts Mick and Rita,
arranged with friends to have an Irish Music evening. Mick played piano and guitar, Rita the bodhran. Chris piano and voice, and Peter the Irish tin flute. We laughed, sang and danced. It was an exceptionally fine evening. Yes their might have been a little drinking as well.
It was hard to say goodbye the following morning as we headed off to the Cliffs of Moher. The rain poured on us. The photos are misty and my Canon camera has still not recovered even though I tried to keep it covered in a plastic bag. We talked to some American women from Texas, who were traveling together. One of them was a bird watcher and disappointed to not see any puffins. I think the birds were smarter than the humans and had taken shelter.
The other woman Brenda, a retired special education teacher, recommended another book for us to read. Grace
We were just about to finish All the Light We Cannot See.
Here are some of our soggy photos:
We left the Cliffs around 2:30 resigned that the weather today was not going to get any better, and headed to our new AirBnB in Doolin.
Our host Elaine is a single woman who recently bought and refurbished an Old Cottage.
Elaine is a photo enthusiast and world traveler who is planning on selling her photography from the workshop of her cottage. We had a lot in common and had a lot of laughs together. Our stay with Elaine is only one night, short but oh so sweet.
All is Well With the Worrall Travel R's in Doolin, Ireland.
