The Quarter-pounder from McDonald's tastes about the same here as it does in the US. I rarely eat at McDonald's - it's just not my thing - but on a clear sunny day here in Ireland (I'm not joking), my sister and I decided to check out the fast food restaurant located on Shop Street and do a comparison test. The hamburger might have been a little better than in the states, but since I haven't had one for close to 5 years, its hard to say. Interestingly enough, the McDonald's in Ireland offer mozzarella sticks as a side, which I have not seen in the US, but let me know if I'm wrong about that. They also do not have a dollar menu . . . because they have euros. So, when I was looking at the menu and saw "Euro Savers" I dismissed it and only found out when we got to the table that Euro Savers = Dollar Menu, which I found hilarious for some reason. A rose by any other name, and all that.
As mentioned, Ireland had a beautiful sunny day earlier this week. So nice that I was able to go out in a t-shirt and modest jacket and be perfectly warm AND since a class I was interested in taking was suddenly cancelled, I had the entire day free to go exploring with my sister. During the day, in the sun, without rain or clouds or any obligation to be somewhere at any time. It was lovely.
During the two weeks or so since we've been here most people have commented on or have apologized for the rain, because it doesn't really ever go away. One retired professor was giving a lecture on how most invaders left Ireland alone because they did not like it here, it was too rainy. The Romans' armor would rust, so they left, etc.
If Ireland had more sunny days like it did earlier this week, the country's entire history would be completely different because people wouldn't want to leave, I think. It was gorgeous.
It was also the first day we went out exploring with a destination in mind: Galway Bay. Again, I'm not a huge fan of the ocean, I have contact lenses that make swimming in it difficult, I don't like the saltiness, I don't like sharks or other invisible predators, and I'm not a fan of the sand. I do, however, like colder oceans with rocky beaches that don't expect people to swim in them. That's the kind of bay Galway has here, as far as I could tell.
After lunch at the famous McD's, we found out it was only a short distance further to the bay. We walked around, took pictures like the long-term tourists we are, and scouted out other places we would like to visit on a rainy day (which there are plenty of) such as the Galway Museum. An important part of our makeup for who we are should be noted; my sister and I are very used to the outdoors and nature. We are used to wide open spaces where we can go walking, hiking and camping at a moments notice, and be able to get away from the busyness of city life. I think we were missing that, which is why we kind of urgently had to find the ocean.We needed to know that beyond the city of Galway there was still that open space we could escape too, no matter how charming the city is.
Ireland tends to be advertised (if you will) as a green rolling landscape with quaint buildings, pastures, sheep, and cute little B&B's. Those images and places exist, but surprise! Ireland has cities too, like Galway, which are made entirely of stone. While beautiful, the tall buildings and narrow streets can make one feel closed in especially when the "one" is myself who has little knowledge of the city and how large it really is. So, it was incredibly comforting to know we were so close to the water. And the swans. Which are awesome.
Until I came here, I've only ever seen swans in the zoo, and one time in Iowa, so the bird seemed ethereal and foreign to me. I didn't have a great concept of them being totally native to Ireland, thus commonplace. There were 14 swans chillin' in the bay with some sea gulls and pigeons like they owned the place. Which they did, I guess, since mothers would come by with their young children to toss bread at the swans and other birds. One little girl started screaming when she tossed some crumbs in front of her feet and pigeons swarmed around her. Her face clearly said, "Mom! this is NOT fun!" Poor dear is probably scarred for life. We didn't bring any bread, but we took tons of pictures (and when I say we, I mean my sis), and promised we'd come back a different day to feed the swans.
Surprisingly, I found the swans less magical after I spent some time with them. On our way to class, there is usually a swan sitting in a nest on the river, and in the mist she looks regal and mysterious. When we got close to them, we could see their feet below the water propelling them along. From our vantage point we looked down on them, and could just see through the water how their big webbed feet awkwardly worked to make them glide gracefully across the water. The effect was like finally discovering how a magician did your favorite magic trick . . . on accident. Cool and entertaining, but also saddening that the image was ruined.
But, even though they lost some of their elegance by fighting over bread, wagging their tail feathers like a puppy, and standing so that they looked like a woman with her voluminous dress pulled up above her knees, they seemed more real, more human in that they are not one-dimensionally picturesque.
I think the same goes for Ireland, and any nation in general. There are images and ideas that are promoted as the key characteristics of Ireland, or McDonald's or America, but it takes some more looking to find the true picture.
I have a friend who is currently in the US, and we where chatting about what there was to do in Ireland if they were to come and visit. I answered visiting the pubs, sight seeing, and a tour of Galway (by yours truly). But there is so much more Ireland has to offer than the traditional sights, and it would be impossible to see absolutely everything in the short span of a week - or even 5 months! The point is, visiting anywhere, be it a different city in your home country, a different part of town, or the park across the street, you can try to see it all (and you should try) or, like the dollar-menu-euro-savers list at McDonald's, you can pick and choose what suits you best. For me, it's Galway city, the country, and white birds.
♥C
P.S. my other point is, swans are cool, even when they're being silly.
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