Life in an Irish Hostel...Part 2

Early December, 2005


It’s hard to believe that I’ve only got a week left in Galway. In a lot of ways the experience has been nothing like I’d imagined. For one thing, I ended up staying in the hostel for the entire time.

This had advantages: I was in the center of town, I had a built-in group of people to make friends with, the people who run the hostel gave the long-termers leeway and perks.

I got used to the long trek up to our room, having to get down from the upper bunk and sharing a bathroom with 7 other women. (See my well-thought-out bed right? The blue bag was for dirty clothes.)

A big bunch of us all hung out, often cooked together and had all kinds of “social events.” One time, we had “Spanish night” with Spanish wine and pate I’d brought back from Spain and tortilla (egg and potato omelet) made by our Spanish chef, Sergio. The next week we had a “French night” with French cheeses, French wine, and fresh crepes made by our French chef, Caroline. (Left)

We made costumes and went out at Halloween. (Right, in case you couldn't figure that out!)

We had a “dress up” night a couple of weekends ago. We DO clean up well, I think!


And last weekend we had a big Thanksgiving dinner. (Left)

It was great shopping at the wonderful Saturday farmer's market - and the good deals helped greatly with keeping down the cost of living. (My favorite stall, right, mingled smells of garlic, olives, and lavender - an amazing scent that I only wish I could have captured on film!)

I went for walks along Galway Bay most mornings. It was sometimes hard to get moving that early but the gorgeous views (with or without rain) were definitely worth it.

Most of us were looking for work so no one had much money but we managed to have a great time anyway. It’s going to be tough to say goodbye to them all…but it’s great to know I’ve made so many contacts for places to stay in future travels! =]