Stan put Galway on our itinerary because it is the nearest jumping-off place to visit Cong, Ireland - the place where The Quiet Man with John Wayne was filmed back way back when. Setting foot in Cong was a lifetime dream for him. Stan has talked about his hope to visit Cong for as long as I have known him. I am happy; no! I am thrilled I got to be a part of making this happen for him.

I know you remember this movie. John Wayne played a former boxer who accidentally killed a man in boxing match, his friend. He just wanted to return to the place he was born and to be left alone. He went back to his roots in Ireland. Along came Maureen O'Hara who won his love. Her brother, the heir to the family fortune would not release Maureen's dowry when she married the duke. Though he resisted, eventually John Wayne had to put his principles aside and fight the brother to win the dowry and his love's self-respect. This is Stan's all-time favorite movie. He watches it at least two times a year, maybe more. He has the DVD.

We had a five hour train ride to reach Galway from Belfast. There is no other way except by bus which takes even longer. The train ride was pretty. Green, green, green! We passed the time by putting on headphones and listening to Ken Follett's Edge of Eternity, the third of his Century Series - if you have not read these historical fiction books yet, you must. Go get them and start reading or listening today.

I don't yet know Galway's history, but I can say this. Galway is a happening place today. It's on the coast, plus it has a swift moving vibrant river running through the town, rushing toward the sea. What a great place to live . . . especially when the weather is warm. I have a feeling that's only about 2 months of the year. Otherwise, this spot is probably a cold, damp and frost-bitten place. Today, it reminded us of Bourbon Street in New Orleans and or Baltimore's Wharf area. People packed the sidewalks of Quay Street to visit the many boutiques, Irish souvenir shops, Irish sports gear stores, bar, after bar and restaurants too. People sat on the grass park next to the river, chatting or picnicking as the river rushed toward the Irish Sea. It was late in the afternoon when we started our stroll. The sun was shining and the temperature of the breezy air was just right. Already a few bars had groups playing live Irish music. Everyone was happy. We stopped in Taaffe's Bar. As in tradition, a group of men who looked like friends, sat in a corner of the bar music playing Irish music with guitars, banjo, a fiddle and a tin whistle. People were standing shoulder to shoulder, drinking Irish Whiskey, Guinnesses and who knows what all else. We met a man who took great joy in shouting out greetings and orders to other patrons and to the staff in Gaelic - it's a secret language that only some Irish folk know; at least, it seems as such. He told of places we should also see on our drive to Cong.