Exploring Galway: Salthill Prom

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! 

Two weeks ago, Nicky, Kelly and I set out to find the Salthill Prom. Our morning began with mass in Irish at the Galway Cathedral. [Fun fact: Gaelic refers to the Irish culture, not the language.] I didn't know what was going on and how to respond, but attending mass in Irish was a really cool experience. 

When we left mass, the sun had come out and we began the trek to Salthill.

We were in no rush and were enjoying the sun that shone that Sunday. Google Maps told us the Prom was a 35 minute walk from our apartments, but we meandered along for over six hours!

On the way to the Prom, we passed the Rainbow Houses once again. You really get the full effect when you're opposite the houses!

Just past the houses, we strolled along a footpath along Galway Bay. This path would take us into Salthill and all the way down the Promenade. 

Salthill looks like it's waaay down there in the distance, but if we were walking at a normal pace, it probably would've taken less than a half an hour to reach the end. 

We stopped for lunch on the steps next to this snack shack. Unfortunately, the shack was closed, probably because it's the off season.

After lunch, we played on some rocks not far down the Prom. You can see how bright the sun was in this panoramic. 

Kelly held the sun in her hands for a few seconds. Before she burnt herself, we moved along. 

Speaking of burns, Nicky and I basked in the sun for a few moments. This resulted in a tan for Nicky, but a bright, red sunburn for me. 

Notice the sun reflecting off of my pale face. 

While walking, we consciously put away our cameras and phones so we could fully experience the gorgeous weather and scenery, but I still came home with over 300 pictures! 

On the way home, the sun began to set and cast the most gorgeous light on the bay.

We climbed a brightly-colored swimming tower to get a better vantage point. Some crazy people were actually swimming off of it, but you couldn't pay me enough to do that! Even on a sunny day, it's still way too cold to swim here.

Nicky and I looked hard out at the Bay.

Once the coast was clear, we gave Kelly the okay to leap!

Look at how gorgeous the view was that day! We lucked out with a great sunny day.

And when the sun started to set, we got to play with silhouettes!

In the dusk, we began the trek back to our apartments. We realized how exhausted we were, but were happily surprised when the walk home was MUCH shorter than the walk there.

We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to play on the anchor sculpture. 

As we walked back towards downtown Galway, we kept throwing glances over our shoulders to peek at the sunset.

The sky became more and more beautiful by the second, and the picture-perfect day could only end one way. Ice cream was in order! 

If anyone had told me a month ago that I would be enjoying ice cream on a sunny day in Galway, I would've said they were crazy. Yet, here's the proof that it was the perfect snack after a long day on the Prom.