I Did It Gaaaaal-way.

Thursday, two busses to catch the train to Galway - 2.5 hours, not too shabby. Checked into the hostel, which was nicer than in Cork. Discovered I had left my camera's memory card in my laptop in Dublin. Booo! Headed to the Town Hall Theatre with Sam, Diana and Keith so that they could buy some tickets. I already had tickets for 7 shows, so I didn't get any more. Bought a Film Fleadh program as a souveneir, then we had lunch at a nice Chinese place. Bought a memory card for my camera, then did a bit of shopping at a few stores, bought a CD Keith and I had heard in a store.

Diana and I headed to the Cinemobile (a trailer that converts to a movie theatre, to bring movies to the masses) to see "Empire," supposedly a re-telling of the Orpheus myth set in Belfast, shot on a budget of zero dollars/euros/pounds. Not great. Re-telling in the broadest sense of the term, overemphasis on setup, lack of emphasis on the myth. Alas. Chown and the Renks were there, also unimpressed. After, booked it to the Omniplex for the film we were seeing as a group, "Nothing Personal;" story of a Dutch loner/backpacker who falls into a weird semi-relationship with an Irish recluse . . . not a fan, but tolerable. Returned to the hostel to sort out plans for the Aran Islands on Saturday while others were seeing films. Keith and I grabbed dinner at a kebab place on our way to the Cinemobile, which had some technical problems so we grabbed a pint and ran into Dr. Renk before the movie. Watched "Seer," a film about 7 strangers who wake up in a farmhouse with no memories and a creature outside that wants to kill them. One of them has flashes of visions, and it all leads up to an interesting climx - reminiscent of 'Identity' in some ways, ending dragged a bit, but overall I enjoyed it. Galway was pretty dead when we walked back, hung out a bit. Tried to use internet on Keith's laptop, but something went wrong with it so we tried to get it to work for a few hours and went to bed.

Friday, got up and headed to a 10am screening of Shorts (drama category). A lot of the group was there, saw some really good stuff and some clunkers. Standouts were'39 Years,' about love and other secrets, 'The Crush,' about a schoolboy who falls for his teacher and challenges her fiance to a duel to the death; 'The Ottoman Empire,' about a man who knows where things that vanish into couches go and is terrified about it, 'Lovely Dinner,' a cannibal romance, and 'In the Night, in the Dark,' about a woman in bed who keeps hearing noises, which ended the way that kind of film SHOULD end. Got some lunch at a pizza place with Sam, Diana and Keith (a regular pack, we are these days), wandered and shopped, saw the Spanish Arch and a bit of the museum before I hiked to the Omniplex for 'In Dreams,' a Neil Jordan film that I really liked - check it out! Met Keith, Matt, Sam, Diana, Kelsie and Hannah for dinner at the Kings Head pub, had a fantastic cold seafood platter - crab meat and claws, mussels, slamon, halibut and an oyster, came with a free beer! Napped at the hostel, then Keith and I saw 'Outcast,' an utterly brilliant film that is hard to summarize. See links for details!

Saturday was the Aran Islands. We tried to get crepes, but the restaurant was closed, so we ate at the hostel (toast & cereal - just like Dublin!). Bus to Ros-a-Mhil, ferry to Inis Mor, the largest island. Kelsie, Diana and I went to check out the shops and get some tissues while Keith, Sam, Kris, Matt, and Hany rented bikes and headed out. Given our schedule, the coming rain, and my knee acting up I wasn't inclined to ride, so the three of us talked to some tour bus drivers, all basically the same route and all the same price ,€10. The last guy we talked to, however, had an almost-full van, so had lowered his rate to €7, so we went with him. Great driver, very funny and madcap. Took us to the seal colony, where only a few were present but hey, it's seals. Then to Dun Aonghasa, an ancient fort perched on a cliff, 330' above the ocean. A long hike up, but spectacular views, amazing scale. No guides or guardrails, so we got some dizzying photos. Saw a choral group who had been on the ferry with us warm up, but it started to rain so we headed back before they started their scheduled performance. Got lunch at a FANTASTIC shop that our driver recommended, as did the bike rental place (the rest of our group was coming out as we arrived). Ate, shopped a bit, then waited for the bus, which took us to the Northernmost point of the island, to 7 Churches, past our sopping wet classmates and their bicycles, a few monuments and the house that was built to film Man of Aran. Back to the port, did some more serious shopping, helped Sam finish her pint and find her ticket, then onto the Ferry. Three of the group had bought later tickets, but were able to get on the ferry with us. Bus took us home, where the bikers changed and showered, and the rest of us lazed a bit. Went to dinner at the kebab place with the group, then saw 'Sensation,' the story of a young man who uses his inheritance to help a call girl he hires start her own brothel. Better than it sounds, and it sounds pretty great, so chew on that. Wanted a pint after, so we tried to get those who didn't come to the film to meet us, then went and got them, went to a pub that some of them decided was too old a crowd. Keith and I stayted and argued about the film for 2 pints, then headed back to the hostel. Did some internet, talked to drunk classmates, met a band who is playing a show in Dublin the night before our final exam, and went to bed.

Slept in a bit on Sunday, packed, checked out of the hostel and left bag to wander.Breakfast at the crepe restaurant, then Diana and I found the JFK plaque/bust, Norah Barnacle's house, the Christopher Columbus visit memorial, and some shops. Tried to go to the museum, but it was closed. My umbrella never turned up, sadly. Tried to get cookies, settled for a pint and a candy bar, then Diana headed off and I went to buy a hurling stick. Back to hostel for luggage, caught our 3pm train to Dublin, headed home and had some tasty dinner. Meant to do some work and watch the final match over a pint with the group, but Keith and I basically collapsed. Watched the game at home and went to sleep.