Friday night we went to the Galway United v Shamrock Rovers football match. I would put the score right here, but all I can tell you is that Galway was up 1-0 at half time. The teams were a curious mix of young guys and some aged veterans. I can’t help thinking that at age 22 I could have played for either team. If not me, then I for sure know about six guys that would have been stars. They did play really hard and very physical, but the team ball control wasn’t quite the Premiership. I don’t think that Reading FC is going to be looking for some lads in Galway. But the stadium was really cool, very small 2500 seats on one side of the pitch and then a walkway all the way around the other 3 sides of the field that people stood about 6 feet from the touch line and watched. Not a bad seat in the house. I would have liked to have stayed for the duration as the atmosphere was great! What the fans lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm. Plus I heard an usher say that he thought this might have been a record attendance for Terryland Park. But predictably my other half was ‘cold’. Here are a few pictures:
Today is a Euro 2008 qualifier day. That means that there is no club football across Europe, but every country is playing meaningful qualifying matches for the 2008 European championships. Ireland plays at Cyprus today and then home to the hated Czech Republic on Wednesday. Thus my Ireland jersey is coming in handy as I fit right in. Pub bound for the evening as a result!
This picture was taken on Quay street as we were exploring our best option to watch the Ireland match. Quay Street (pronounced Key Street) is the main walking only road with all the restaurants, pubs, clubs and shops that all European towns seem to be blessed with.P.S. to Match day. Ireland LOST to Cyprus 5-2. It has been called, justifiably so, the biggest disappointment in the history of Irish football. They were really bad, I mean Cyprus? SERIOUSLY?
Not much else going on, still no internet. Again I am at the coffee shop while writing this. Paty is typing out an e-mail on the Livestrong computer. So I am compiling this wonderful story on MS Word on her computer as she does not have wireless access.
All weekend they have been really worried about flooding, this is the river about 10 meters from our front door:
Luckily the weather behaved all weekend as if there was a lot of wind and rain to go with the inordinately high tides, then we would have been paddling to the pub in a little row boat.
Picture from Eyre square, in the center of Galway city. Notice the orange coat. That is pretty much all I wear here as if can be sunny and beautiful and then five minutes later be raining extremely hard. So if you are in Galway and see some dude cruising around town while most people should be at work in an orange coat, odds are it is me.
Monday we leave for Spain, we fly into Malaga and are spending 7 nights in Marbella. I am bringing the golf clubs as we are staying the first two nights at the Don Carlos Golf Resort. I plan on golfing at least Tuesday and Wednesday while Paty is at her conference. Then we switch to a less expensive hotel, Barcello Marbella Golf Resort, Wednesday night as we are footing the bill for the next five nights. Very apropos that both hotels are on golf courses! Apparently the Costa Del Sol is known as a golf destination.
1 comment:
You look like an irish guy! Dave
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