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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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$\"A$

The sight of another’s wonder sharpens our own observations.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Winter Wanderlust
Sends Siblings Packing<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
With wanderlust comes surprise\u2014the 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\u2019s pedestrian-only streets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
As sunlight washes over my sister and me, so does a fresh wave of surprise. It\u2019s the ebb and flow of discovery so many travelers experience: Are we really here? We really are! <\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"The$
A daytime glimmer of moon hovers over 18th-century houses along Galway’s Long Walk.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Long Distance Calls<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n
Coincidence inspired this surprise holiday travel:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
One day, old friends from Galway dropped by Carolyn\u2019s home in Oregon. It was a welcome surprise, but all too brief.<\/li>\r\n
That same day in California, I was working at my laptop when up popped a travel post from an American friend\u2014who was visiting Galway.<\/li>\r\n
Moments later, an email from an Irish friend invited me to a special event\u2014in Galway.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"A$
When travelers look closely,\u00a0 moments flower and memories take root.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Like our younger sisters, Carolyn and I once lived in Ireland<\/a> and we maintain strong ties there. Regular readers of OIC Moments<\/em> may recall that Galway <\/a>is my home-from-hometown.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"Buttermilk$
How \u201cstoried\u201d are Galway\u2019s streets? Many, including the lane shown here,
have been celebrated in paintings, plays, short stories, and song,
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Common Sense Is Overrated<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n
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<\/em>, maybe next year, you can\u2019t do it all, etc. Such were the sensible thoughts assailing my deadline-addled brain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
I asked my sister when she\u2019d last visited Ireland.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201c1980.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s\u2014that\u2019s \u2013\u201d (Math was never my strong suit.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThirty-eight years.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Seems she\u2019d been busy. Something about raising several children while holding down a job in the medical field.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ten minutes later, I\u2019d filled out her passport application.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"A$
High-tech skills and artisan trades flourish side-by-side in Ireland.
Above, a traditional sign painter chats with a digital photographer.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n
Hare, There, and Everywhere<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhy is there a rabbit looking through binoculars up there?\u201d my sister asks as we pass Tigh Neachtain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cA what<\/em> doing what<\/em>?\u201d I sagely reply.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Tigh Neachtain is a popular Galway pub. As a collegian, I\u2019d spent more time looking at that pub from the inside than the outside. I\u2019d never noticed the giant metal sculpture affixed to the roof. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"A$
Until 1894 Tigh Neachtain was home to animal-rights advocate Richard Martin.
Could that explain the watchful hare?
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
<\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n
Later we consult Conall, an avid history buff who has lived in Galway all his life. I feel inanely vindicated when Conall says, \u201cWhat giant rabbit?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Observing the Observer<\/h4>\r\n
But my sister is registering every detail, from the speed of the River Corrib\u2019s galloping waves to the faintest of medieval epitaphs in St.Nicholas churchyard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n
Oh, I see<\/strong>: When you see a familiar place from another person’s perspective, you discover it anew.<\/p>\r\n
$\"A$
A view from the Galway Museum spans five centuries of architecture.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
Sense, You\u2019ve Been Gone<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Because in Galway, the holiday period isn\u2019t a deadline. It\u2019s an immersive seasonal experience, something to be savored like a properly brewed pot of tea. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"A$
Season’s greetings call for seasonal savoring at Cup\u00e1n<\/span><\/a> Tae.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
\r\n
$\"A$
By Irish tradition, tea should be brewed until it’s “strong enough to trot a mouse across.”
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Winter Wander Lands<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n
The night we arrive, the city is bejeweled and illuminated. Deck the halls? Why, they\u2019ve decked every lintel and laneway. From Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch, holiday markets bustle, there\u2019s live music at every corner, and the sheer pleasure of strolling is not to be missed.<\/p>\r\n
$\"\"$
A world-renowned center of theater, Galway becomes one big stage set for the holidays.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
$\"\"$
Galway’s Continental Christmas Market runs mid-November to late December.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
$\"O\u2019Connor\u2019s$
O’Connor’s<\/span><\/a> Famous Pub takes a playful approach to old-school images of Ireland.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
$\"The$
“So hang your stockings and”\u2014oh my!<\/em>
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
The Joy of Irish Cooking<\/h4>\r\n
Galway\u2019s famous creativity extends to its outstanding culinary scene.\u00a0 During the holidays, when shops are busy, Galway\u2019s food purveyors are busier still. Galwegians place a high premium on getting together for a cuppa, a cozy meal, and a good long chat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
My sister\u2019s advice is:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Abandon any stereotypes about Irish cookery.<\/li>\r\n
Prepare to be wowed by the breadth of choices.<\/li>\r\n
Pack an extra suitcase. Preferably one the size of a walk-in pantry.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"An$
Irish diners’ tastes in food are far more diverse than persistent stereotypes suggest.
Location: McCambridge’s<\/span><\/a> of Galway.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Sisterly Advice <\/strong><\/h4>\r\nCarolyn also advises flying to your destination via its national airline. \u201cFlying Aer<\/span><\/a> Lingu<\/span>s<\/a> made me feel like we were in Ireland from the moment we boarded.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
$\"A$
As other passengers watch their phones, Carolyn captures a fitting farewell.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n
<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned: Common sense can keep you \u201con task,\u201d but winter wanderlust can do wonders for your senses. Flexibility can make \u201csurprise holiday travel\u201d surprisingly do-able.<\/p>\r\n
And as for traveling with your sister? Well, that can inspire sibling revelry.<\/p>\r\n
$\"Two$
Two photogs trade views. My sister Carolyn is at right.\u00a0 Locations: Kai Caf\u00e9<\/a><\/span> (L)
and The Kitchen Caf\u00e9<\/span><\/a> at Galway Muse<\/span>um<\/a>.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy\/Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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