Epic Adventures by Carla

06/07/2026

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟔: 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 2 𝘔𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳! 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 😍
Lots of history to follow......

Marie and Padhraig gave me the number of a dear friend of their's who does walking tours of Galway. He had the afternoon available and we decided to meet up for a one-on-one historical tour of Galway.

What I appreciated so much was that Gerry asked me what my interests were - did I want history, food, pubs, religion, etc. I was not going to get an out-of-the-can tour. Since I love history, that was our focus although I feel like I got it all!

We started at Eyre Square, officially known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, a public park in Galway City which has a long and fascinating history that dates back to medieval times, when it was an open space in front of the town gate where markets were held.

JFK was instrumental in helping rebirth Ireland's economy. His death was a major blow to the Irish people who honored him so much!

Gerry and I studied the ancient areas where the walls enclosed the city. As with many cities long ago, they understood the importance of protecting what was within the walls.

The picture of the stone with the blue paint around it is a Marriage Stone. It shows the year and initials of the couple who were married at that spot. These of course were provided for the most noble of families.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜'𝙨 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙: 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜: Oh my. 1600s - Oliver Cromwell wanted King Charles I off the throne in England. Cromwell was a leading figure in the English Civil War and played a crucial role in the trial and ex*****on of King Charles I on January 30, 1649. This act was significant as it marked the first time a reigning monarch was tried and executed by his own subjects. Cromwell tried to get help with the ex*****on from neighboring countries...but nobody wanted to go down in history as the guy who cut off the King's head. The bar in Galway, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜'𝙨 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙, was the payment for the services of the beheading. At the time, the building was one of the most expensive in the city. YIKES!

𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡: Honors Richard Martin, very wealthy landowner. He was known as Humanity Dick, a nickname bestowed on him by King George IV. He was basically like the first ASPCA and worked hard against the cruelty to animals. His townhouse in Galway is now Tigh Neachtain, a lovely corner pub.

Gerry and I ended our tour at Monroe's Tavern, a very popular pub owned by friends that dates back to the 1960's. We sat for over 3 hours talking about all things....history, music, politics, religion...you name it! The pub is in the middle of a 5-day folk festival - I met world famous Irish musicians who are as highly regarded here as The Red Clay Strays would be back in the states!

Told ya I would give you a lot! 🤣 This is my way of documenting all of life's events here in Ireland!

06/07/2026

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟔: 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏
𝘠𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵. 🤓

Marie, my landlord, messaged me saying she was taking her son into the city and asked if I wanted to be dropped off. I knew, since it was the weekend, there would be a farmer's market and other things taking place, so I hopped right up and got dressed. I am so glad that I did!

The sights, the sounds, the CHEESE 😀, fresh fish, produce or bread sold right on the street. Huge loaves of bread for close to $5...not expensive at all!

The picture with the guy and little dishes - The plates are textured on the bottom so that you can grate cheese, ginger, garlic, etc right on the plate. So cute and handy!

Their signs make me chuckle....the wording is always humorous to me!

I found myself back at the coffee shop that Maura and I visited for another wonderful chai latte.

I did not get to the Galway Cathedral, so that is on the list for next week.

06/06/2026

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟓: 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧
This afternoon, after riding with George in the Ireland landscape and getting some lunch, I ventured back into Galway to buy some socks. I have plenty of footies, but wanted something a bit warmer when it is wet and cool.

I got off my bus at my usual stop and found an outdoor market. Whenever I travel, I always buy a small piece of art to go in my office. This local artist takes photos then digitizes them. There was also an artist that made the adorable pieces out of oyster shells. I love those - so creative!

I had to leave because of the food. 😝😋 I was not hungry but the smells were calling my name! Ah! Heaven!!

There were the "usual" musicians as you typically find, but, the one with the marionette was a first for me!

Feicfidh mé ar ball thú! See you later! 👋

06/05/2026

June 5: Morning
🐎 shenanigans and resources. 🥰❤️

06/04/2026

𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙚 4: 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙄 𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 Maura 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨. I feel so incredibly blessed having local peeps to talk to, get advice from and just basically connect to!

The pictures are from the center of Galway. I totally love the vibe...historic, old streets, centuries old churches, beautiful store fronts, bathrooms you have to pay for (YES! You pay but it is so cheap....but I can assure you they are kept clean!)

Maura took me to her favorite coffee shop. The triangle is my crepe stuffed with goat's cheese, bacon and honey. YUM. She had a Nutella crepe. And again, another chai latte for me. ☕️

Zoom in on the Titanic t-shirt. 🤣

06/03/2026

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕀𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄. They are built different. I admire that so much because today, I feel wimpy. I need to gird my loins and be more Irish! ☘️ 🇮🇪

It has been on and off rain, I can take that. But this wind is....windy! 😝 Watch the video in the comments.

If there is one thing I can say from experience is, if you are coming here, come prepared. No boujee outfits. No lashes. No cute shoes. Come for comfort, flexibility, and be prepared. The folks here are so incredibly laid back and accommodating, yet sturdy and don't mind a bit of wind and rain. It has taught me to be more of a "go with the flow" kinda girl.

Today my adventure was...adventurous. And I would not have it any other way!

06/03/2026

𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜—𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤, 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚! 🥰

This morning, I woke up and simply could not bring myself to get out of bed. I was nestled under my down comforter with the window slightly open, listening to the soothing sounds of the waves and the seagulls having their morning conversation. I was perfectly content.

You know, someone once told me they could never travel to another country because they wouldn't trust the people and would feel unsafe. 𝘔𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦. I also have to reiterate that I have some fabulous resources here.

After my walk last night, Padhraig, my landlord, and I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few items. I absolutely love international grocery stores! I've always found them fascinating, and they're often surprisingly inexpensive.

This morning, Maura called to check in and see if I wanted to ride along while she took her son to school and then headed to the other side of town. Having incredible people you can rely on for help makes traveling so much easier. I can't say everyone would receive this kind of treatment, but I can assure you that if you chose to visit this area, my friends would be more than happy to offer advice and suggestions.

The weather is lovely today—currently in the mid-50s, with highs around 60 and lows remaining in the 50s. There's a little rain in the forecast, but it should clear out this afternoon.

I think I'll take a bus into the city today and explore some of the historic sites dating back to the year 1124. Stay tuned!

06/02/2026

June 2: Morning
Already such a wonderful start to my day! Finally met Maura in person! We've talked for months so I am super grateful to meet her and be able to spend some time getting to know her.

Still no luggage so I'm in the same clothes as yesterday. Did get pajamas for last night but not underwear. 🤣🤦‍♀️

I have a French press for coffee, a house dog named Napoleon and am surrounded by beautiful landscapes! Enjoy!

On my business page, I can post videos and pictures. Feel free to go to my personal page for more pictures and videos.

05/31/2026

𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴? 🤣

I love the hustle and bustle, all the languages, the mystery of trying to figure out where someone has been or is going.

BTW I broke my decades long promise to myself that I would NEVER buy slides. I despise them (and crocs). Go ahead, judge me. 🤣🤣🤣 I have TSA precheck so I do not have to remove my shoes going through the check in. But....for a long flight overnight they'll come in handy in the middle of the night when I need the potty!

I'd appreciate prayers for a safe journey!

05/30/2026