Exploring Galway: Rainbow Houses

Every time I leave my apartment, I discover bits of Galway I haven't seen before. As I find new places and new landscapes, I plan to blog about them so you can pretend you're here with me! 

Anyone who has ever seen the iconic pictures of the Rainbow Houses lining the River Corrib in Galway has probably added visiting them to their bucket list. I know I did! On Saturday, when I woke up (admittedly a little late) to the first sunny day we had had in Galway, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It wasn't difficult to convince my new friends to come with me. 

We set out to explore our new city, with hopes of stumbling upon the Rainbow Houses eventually. We knew we were headed in the right direction when we spotted the Spanish Arch, or Sparch. I don't really know much about the Sparch other than I like the nickname!

We passed through the Sparch and spotted a pub offering a tasty lunch menu, but what really caught my eye was the colorful pink bike casually resting against the stone exterior.

Finally, we caught a glimpse of our destination. The houses are even prettier in person. Each one is different from the adjacent homes and the bright colors popped against the partly sunny sky. Can you imagine living in one of these houses? "Oh, it's the white one with the blue door. You can't miss it!"

Although, it can be pretty easy to forget that people actually do live in these houses! Oops!

 I'm still amazed by all of the grass that grows here. It's January and the grass is greener here than in April at home! Beware though, those rocks are slippery from the constant moisture in the air and raging River Corrib.

Aunt Monica has always told me to take the "postcard" pictures and then take photos of the people I'm with to prove that I really was there! So, Aunt Mon, these are for you (:

Tucked behind the Rainbow Houses in a small channel were these brightly colored commercial tour boats. The striped biminis made the boats look like children's bathtub toys, but at the same time, I was longing to jump on one and see Galway from the water.

For anyone who was wondering: sometimes the sun really does shine in Ireland! Regardless, Galway is gorgeous, even in the rain.

On the grassy cliff we walked along, we found a chain popping out of the ground. We each gave it a tug, but it wouldn't budge. I guess whatever is chained down there will remain a mystery!

By this point, our hands were freezing and the wind was starting to pick up, so we ducked into the cutest little tea shop you've ever seen to warm up. More on that another day, though!