Let's drop! Yeah, shake shake

Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow....hmmm no watermelons.

Upper Satlhill Road, Galway  

I took a great walk down by the bay, though! From my apartment to Galway Bay is just about a 20 minute walk, give or take.  Finally we've had a sunny day; a wonderful day for photography.  Nice enough to swim in the bay? No thanks, not me. But people were actually taking a dip to do a lap! Mainly middle-aged and older people.  I must have been down by the water for about 45 minutes and more that 15 people showed up!

Yes, that was a creeper picture, taken from afar.  I'm still not brave enough to ask people for their photograph.  Portrait photography of strangers has always intrigued me (see this photographer's work, a guy I discovered who lives in Singapore https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.129161677097480.23371.129058543774460&type=3).  This semester will be the perfect time to get better at it, though.  The coast line here is always busy with walkers and swimmers like the one above.  And like this quick-paced, shy looking man and his talkative, loyal dog:

I suppose I did take a chance to ask for a stanger-photo. Only it was a young girl.  I asked a woman if I could take a picture of her daughter; the child had such beautiful eyes! I didn't get the picture, but I chatted with the mother for a moment.  This part of the coast of Galway is called Salthill, a 2km (or ~1.3 miles) long promenade the locals call the Prom, the woman told me.  This is where we talked (and on which the swimmer and afternoon-walker, from above, stood):

from afar -- here it looks like a light house, but it's actually a platform from which divers can jump

near the rocks below there is a larger sitting area where we chatted

I looked, but I did not leap.  That's for crazies.

flaky rust

I couldn't get enough pictures of this rusted, yellow and turquoise platform.  Check my facebook page for many more photos of this (not enough space here).  I had a lot of fun clicking away as the sun set.  Camera candy, I'll call it.  I'm a nerd.

runny rust

Any feed back on the macro/micro or close-up shots of things (again more on facebook)? I wonder if it's just an acquired taste...




Eventually, since I am here for about five months, I will probably have photographed enough of this platform.  So, on other adventures near this part of the bay, I want to explore a part of the city historically known as the Claddagh (just a little ways south of here) near the opening of the Corrib River.  It was a fishing village just across the river from the Spanish Arch where a market thrived up until the late 1800s.  The original village of thatched-roofed cottages dates to the 1920s.  The area is famously known for the Claddagh Ring, which I will write a lot on when I learn more.  Some friends found a great coffee cafe near the quay that I'd like to check out while exploring.


While taking a break from being behind the lens, an older gentleman approached me and asked me if he could take my picture.  Handling my camera as if it were a fragile space-tool, he took a picture with the lens right up next to my nose.  I was surprised later to find the photo was rather nicely composed.  He asked me the usual twenty questions of me--where are you from? are you studying here? what subjects? do you like it in Galway? etc.--once he correctly guessed that I am American.  He eventually got on to the topic of interesting things to do or see in Galway, and mentioned a festival or race that will bring thousands of people to the city in July.  I looked it up once I got back to my apartment, it looks like it would be a blast!!   <<http://www.galwaytourism.ie/pvolvo-ocean-race-galway.html>>  Too bad I leave in May.


However, yesterday I signed up the NUIG sailing club!  I get to learn to sail in the ocean in Ireland.  Now there's a great privilege!  I also signed up for Archery, Skydiving, and Ultimate Frisbee....what do I choose!? Most likely, I will spend my time learning to sail and gaining archery skills.  Since I can play ultimate at Concordia, I may only show up to throw the disk around if I have the chance.  Skydiving is 230euro for the first jump...50 euro for every one after that, but that's a little too much moolah.   But to learn to sail for little to nothing sounds like some mad craic to me...and possibly very wet.  It'll be like following my parents' college experience (they took sailing class too).  Perhaps I'll get the hang of it soon enough to snap some shots out on the water.
Check back again soon!


Oh, and as for the food and sweets post, that'll be another time. But I will say this: I'm on my fifth candy bar and my second jar of nutella :)




Shake shake, shake shake a-shake it! ♪