Galway and Cork – truly cool and amazing destinations!
According to the 2018 Condé Nast survey, Ireland has three cities in the top ten friendliest cities list, with Cork (third place), Galway (number five), and Dublin (eighth place). I can feel this friendliness with all my heart.
Galway, a harbour city on Ireland’s west coast, is located in the place where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean. The destination is a cultural hotspot with many theatres, art galleries and iconic landscapes.
Galway welcomed me with little sunshine, wind, peace and friendliness. I enjoyed my time in walking its streets with friends and listening to street art performances. Walking along the Spanish Arches in Autumn with echoes of water streams relaxed my heart and soul. It was so relaxing.
My friends and I visited Galway on the occasion of its celebration of the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival late September 2018. The event is organised annually in Ireland’s largest city on the west coast. It is the most internationally recognised Irish festival after St Patrick’s Day and the world’s longest running Oyster Festival. It was amazing to enjoy the festival atmosphere with live cooking demonstrations and live music. Of course, visitors can taste oysters right on the spot.
When talking about Galway, it is not indispensable to note the well-known Cliffs of Moher. The magnificent Cliffs of Moher stretch for 8km and rise to 214m over the Atlantic Ocean. These cliffs are marvellously gigantic and breathtaking. Words cannot express enough how spectacular the cliff really are. The first I saw the heritage was when I listened to the song “My love” by Irish pop boy band – Westlife. Seeing is believing.
In October, I followed the call of the Jazz Festival in Cork city. Cork, second largest city in Ireland, is on the South-West of this green island. Annually, Cork city cerebrates their traditional Jazz with the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival in the final week of October. This event gathers Jazz bands all over the world. They play Jazz outdoors and in pubs or bars. A Jazz parade is also organised with a lot of fun. I feel music makes people get closed together. No matter who they are and where they come from, people happily dance on the street, smile and chatting with one other. Listening to outdoor Jazz performances with friends in a sunny, windy and cold day truly enlightens my heart.
The weather in Cork city treated me well the following day. It was so bright with a lot of sunshine. I climbed up the Saint Patrick Hill. “So cool! So wonderful” I shouted. The feeling of laying on green grass, enjoying fresh air and taking in the panoramic view of the whole city is unforgettable. I enjoyed every single moment there.
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