Galway and the Great Escape that Wasn't

An economist, an engineer and a communicator rent a car in Ireland. They begin to drive on the “wrong” side of the road (the left). And off they go on the Great Gaelic Experience! I’ve been itching to write for some time now! Have you missed me? =)

Somehow, all the rental car people at Enterprise could tell we were American, so we got asked multiple times, “Have you ever driven on the left before?” We were warned of inadvertently driving too close to the footpath (the shoulder) on the left of the road. Apparently, this is a common problem they face when Americans get behind the wheel around these parts! Now before we go further, let me introduce you to the players. You know me, of course.

Matt is a friend I know from church at Annandale. He lived in DC and worshipped there for just over a year before moving for a new job. He and I remained friends. When Matt mentioned needing to get his passport, I told him to let me know when he gets it and where he wants to go. He said Ireland, so here we are!

Cherie is a friend of ours from Tampa, FL. She, Matt and I have mutual friends, and Cherie and I have traveled together in the past. When I heard she needed a break from work, I asked if she wanted to go to Ireland with us. She’s never been out of the country before either, so she said YES! We all met up at baggage claim in Dublin and started in on our adventure!

We rented a GPS because, well, someone needs to know where we’re going and we sure don’t! The interesting thing about this is that apparently the Irish don’t use specific addresses. The guy at the rental car place said that would be too easy, of course! He said even if there was a specific address, the GPS might take you a few doors down. So, we’re making do with what semblance of an address we have!

First stop, Galway! Matt is an excellent wrong-side-of-the-road driver! He got us through Dublin and all the way into Galway with minimal difficulty. Cherie and the GPS helped things along, and we only went around one roundabout twice because we missed our exit. I'd say that's pretty good! 

We'd planned to spend several hours in Galway to experience true Gaelic, old-world Irish, and I think we did pretty well! We stopped for lunch at a great little pub. We thankfully missed the lunch rush and had the place almost to ourselves! Cherie and I both got the Shepherd's Pie while Matt decided on the Irish breakfast. We were all in need of refueling and left quite satisfied with our meals. We were ready to take on the city! We found a few of the historic sights like the Spanish Arch, several pubs in buildings that are 500-600 years old or more, the Claddagh (we think it was a church; the signage was not wonderful), and several memorials and churches around town. The streets are belgium block, which sort of looks like big gray brick, and while it was overcast and drizzly most of the day off and on, we enjoyed ourselves! I am very impressed with how friendly everyone is here! 

And then came the foiled escape. That's right. I messed up our exit plan. But all turned out well in the end! So I like to send postcards. I think it's fun, and people like getting mail that's not a bill, right? So I had stopped into this little store and got 5 Euro worth of postcards (15 of them). One small problem: I forgot the cards int he shop and didn't realize it till we were already in the car heading out of town. Since we were sitting in traffic, both Matt and Cherie asked if I wanted to go back for them, since we weren't going anywhere. I think maybe they were joking, but you know me... Sure, why not? 

Please be aware that Matt's and my phones don't work in Europe. Cherie's does, but I didn't take my phone with me, and thus I did not have her number with me. I said for them to stay in the nearly stand-still traffic, and I'd come back there (we were maybe 2 kms from the store where I'd left the cards). If they started moving before I got back, I mentioned that they could pull over into someone's driveway or into a parking spot along the road and I'd be back asap. Or at least I thought I'd said that. I meant to say it. 

See, this is why I typically travel alone. When I mess up like that or get lost or do something stupid, no one is effected but me. No one knows the stupid things I do except me and the folks who read my blog--after everything is all fixed and good again. :(

I found the store lickety-split with no problems and got back relatively quickly, I thought, but by the time I got back to where we'd separated, they weren't there. So I walked around that road for a bit, then I walked another way, then I walked down another road, then back to the place where I'd left them... I looked in every VW Golf that passed by, but to no avail. 

Finally, I decided to go into a B&B and ask to use their Internet. The first one I went into said no, but thankfully the next one, called Aran House B&B, said yes! I thought I'd be able to find Cherie's phone number and we'd be back together in no time. But nothing I tried proved fruitful for a couple of hours. The guy at the B&B was so nice! He let me right in and showed me to his computer at the front desk and let me use the Internet literally for hours so I could try and locate my friends. I told him what happened, and he was just plain old kind about the whole thing! I told him I would probably need to go back to the town square and wait for my friends there, but he said no, I needed to wait there in the warm (DRY) B&B and it would all be just fine. He even made me a cup of hot tea! I sat there writing my postcards and waiting for someone to respond to me with Cherie's phone number. I couldn't believe I didn't have it in any Facebook messages, e-mails, contacts, nothing! And my stupid phone was in the car and not with me! Even if it didn't work for calling, I could have at least had her number with me. Less than 12 hours in the country and already we were on the verge of an international incident involving three crazy Americans. This type of thing never happens in countries where I don't speak the language! How do I do these things? 

By 6 that night (we'd been separated now for about two hours), I was still calm, but was growing more concerned for Matt and Cherie. Here I was, supposed to be the experienced traveler, and Matt and Cherie were wandering all around Galway worrying about me! I felt so guilty for not worrying! I knew we'd find each other eventually, but in the meantime, I was just hoping they wouldn't panic or hate me when they found me again! The B&B guy suggested we stay there at Aran House instead of driving another hour and a half int he dark rainy night to Lahinch, and was already thinking the same thing--we'd had enough adventure for one day!

Eventually, the guy at the B&B and his friend suggested calling the police (called the Garda here). So that's what I did, and as soon as I stared explaining the situation, the lady on the other end of the phone said, "You lost your friends, right? They've already told me about it. I'll give them a call." After only a bit more confusion about where the B&B was, Matt and Cherie and I were reunited at last! I only got a bit of a scolding. I will never do that again, at least not when traveling with others and not having cell phone access. We've all grown way too accustomed to plans changing with little notice and the convenience of constant communication. As a communicator, I feel quite ashamed! 

Matt and Cherie said they'd gone up and down the streets of Galway, chased down a police officer, driven around, even passed by the B&B where I was waiting! What a day! We ventured out once more for dinner (Matt threatened to put me on a leash), and made it back without incident. Whew! And then it was time for bed at long last. I slipped under the covers and discovered my favorite thing about sleeping in Europe: the duvet... yes, we're in Europe! I love a warm, cozy duvet. =) 

Pictures to come. One thing at a time... ;) Next stop: Lahinch and the Cliffs of Moher! For those who would like a point of reference, that's the cliffs where part of The Princess Bride was filmed! With any luck, we'll be staying in Killarney tonight as planned! But to see where we really end up, you'll simply have to follow along! 

Please join us for the next bit of adventure! Love, Quick Whit