From Galway to Edinburgh

- Gemma Good -

In her latest column, The Good Life, Gemma is galavanting - from Galway to Edinburgh - and looking forward to Christmas...

My first trip to Galway did not disappoint. A lot of people were shocked to hear that I had never been to the city before despite living in Ireland for the past 19 years but there you go. Myself and the girls from college planned the trip weeks ago to finish up the semester before we went home. We aimed to have all of our assignments done so we could go and enjoy ourselves. Needless to say this didn’t happen. Geography essays and lab reports were supposed to be done on the bus journey to Galway, however sore heads had other plans. We thought that bus journey would never end.

For anybody planning to hit the Galway markets, my advice would be to leave it until the evening time. We got there at about 1pm. As we hopped off the bus, a sea of wooden huts filled with sweets, Christmas decorations, knitted gifts and chocolate greeted us. We walked around for a bit but of course got side-tracked, heading off to go shopping. I cannot emphasise enough how beautiful the streets of Galway are. There were carol signers at every corner, people dancing and even a guy doing mental tricks with a football. There is just so much to look at, all at once, and definitely something for everybody.

Unsurprisingly after a day’s browsing, we decided enough was enough and headed for the cure. We went to ‘Beer Tent’ which everyone raves about. For anyone wondering, the description of the place is in the name. It’s literally a huge enclosed marquee with benches beside the markets. Deciding I’d drown in a stein of Heineken, I opted for mulled wine. I’ve never tried it before but something about it has always attracted me - a warm, luxurious drink on a cold day, filled with festive spices. Unfortunately, I ruined the fantasy for myself by tasting it. I tried to like it for about three sips before deciding the maroon, blood-like liquid with a chunk of orange thrown in tasted awful.

When we stepped out of the tent, dusk had set in. The aesthetic worthiness of the markets had accelerated tenfold. Warm, glowing lights spilled out of each little hut with animated chatter filling the air. Kids ran to gingerbread huts and light displays. We decided to take a ride on the Ferris wheel. Although it’s not for thrill seekers, I would recommend it for the views of the market and the city surrounding it. We unleashed our inner child and headed to the amusements for a while, taking several turns on the merry go round at the expense of eager children. We looked around the markets for another while before heading for some drinks before we got the bus back to Limerick, concluding the day with baby Guinness and a sprint to the bus station.

Are the Galway Christmas markets worth it? Absolutely. The atmosphere was amazing and certainly makes for a good destination for getting you in to the Christmas spirit. It’s brilliant for picking up little stocking fillers and novelty gifts, but I wouldn’t bank on it for your entire Christmas shopping.

I’m sitting looking out a Ryanair plane window as I write this, the beginnings of the morning are starting to show over Edinburgh. The airport experience is very different to what it used to be. We queued outside Dublin airport for over an hour the night before our flights to get an antigen test, which was €35. At this stage, I was completely freaked out by the whole travelling experience, having read several guidelines for both Ireland and Scotland. I was in favour of ditching Edinburgh for a holiday in my friend's student accommodation in Ballymun. Still in panic mode, I overheard the man in front of us describing how he had been to New York, Charleston and England in the past few months. He was describing how the passenger locater form was a bit of a joke and having tried and failed to fill one out, I agreed. He seemed to know his stuff, so I asked him what has to be done to get over and back from Scotland. I learned we didn’t need to fill out the form to get to Edinburgh (I don’t know if this is correct but I’m here without one) but we needed it on the way home along with showing a negative Covid test. I felt more at ease about going then and excited for the trip ahead. Sorry Ballymun.

I got my test which was later confirmed negative. This along with my proof of vaccination had to be uploaded when I was checking in for my flight on the Ryanair app.

The sound of suitcase wheels along the airport floor is the therapy everybody needs. Up until now, everything has been fairly seamless. I really hope it stays that way. At home, they’ve been telling me to order a small turkey and that they’ll see me sometime in the New Year, assuming I won’t get home. They’re very funny. Anyway, I’m getting awful angry stares from the flight attendants so I better put away my laptop and prepare for landing.

Wishing everybody a happy Christmas!

* Gemma Good is from Killeshandra and a second year journalism student in University of Limerick.