Betty’s Big Adventure

...has begun. I collected mom at the airport around noon and headed west to Galway. I’m embarrassed to say our first two stops were... not castles, not museums, not scenes of great natural beauty but ... outlet stores. We were driving along the M6 minding our own business when we saw a sign for a Dubarry’s of Ireland outlet. Couldn’t resist that detour. Later, as we neared Galway we could hardly drive by the Galway Crystal outlet without stopping. Let’s say we have done our bit for the Irish economy.

Prior to Dubarry’s, we stopped in a town called Ballinasloe for an excellent lunch. I snapped this photo in the town square:

Wiki tells me: "The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is a horse fair which is held annually at Ballinasloe, the second largest town in County Galway, in the western part of Ireland. It is one of Europe's oldest and largest Horse Fairs, dating back to the 18th century.”

Mom and I had the most wonderful falafel salads at Pura Vida in one of the town squares in Galway:

I took this shot at 9:50 pm along the River Corrib with St. Nicholas Cathedral in the distant background.

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