City Beach

Mostly everybody knows about the beautiful sandy beaches on the West side of Galway city. From Silver strand to Blackrock and Furbo to Blackrock, there are plenty to choose from around Salthill, Barna, Furbo and Spiddel. As someone who grew up on the West side of the City in a little suburb not far from Salthill, those were the beaches of my youth.

I had a hospital appointment earlier this week on the East side of the city and when the appointment finished earlier than expected, I texted my old school friend who lives over that side of town to see if he was around for a coffee. He was around and instead we agreed we'd go for a walk. It was a lovely sunny day and it would be nice to get some fresh air into the lungs and have a chat with Trevor and see how life has been treating him.

It turns out life has been treating him very well and he has cut his hours at work and now works just two days a week. He has come to the conclusion that life is for living, not for working. He brought me for a walk along Ballyloughane beach in Renmore and could tell me all about the history of the area, as well as the flora and fauna. Trevor was always a very clever and engaging guy.

Looking back in towards Galway city, you can see the beaches on the other side of the city that I mentioned above, like Blackrock and Silver strand. We walked up around the grounds of Liam Mellows hurling club who have some nice walkways around the pitches, something they were obliged to put in for local residents as part of the agreement for the funding they received from the council. How do I know that? Trevor told me - a font of local knowledge.

In the opposite direction, we see Oranmore and Renville. You can walk all the way out there, although the path ends a few kilometres from Ballyloughane beach, so it's not for everyone. That would be a good thing to add if the council were so inclined and would attract tourists.

The yellow plant above, which looks similar to Rapeseed is actually yellow pepper and Trevor often sees locals foraging it and has talked to some of these Eastern Europeans who explain what can be eaten and what salads and dishes the flowers and stem go well with. Good man Trevor, always learning. Indeed, we could all probably learn a little from Trevor and his two day working week.

This one stumped him though. He couldn't tell me what this vegetation was. Any ideas folks? Here is a closer look:

And finally a look at the beach itself and some of the birds that can be seen, although most are migratory and won't be seen here until Winter time.

Time was getting on now, and it was time to get back across town for dinner. I said my good byes to Trevor and made the short journey across the city and the sun continued to split the rocks, so it was Al Fresco dining in my back garden that evening which was perfect.

Tasty Spaghetti Bolognese compliments of the wife and a nice glass of Rioja in my sunny back garden. What else would ya want???

The images used throughout are all my own captured on my Samsung Smartphone

Thanks as always for stopping by everyone.

Peace Out