Travel is cool. (Part 3 of 10)

The third day we woke up and went right to Trinity College for the Book of Kells. There was a huge line, and it was a little rainy outside, but we made it in eventually!

First, they usher you through a really cool gift store, where we found ourselves playing with books and trinkets until it was time to go in to see the main attraction.

In the exhibit's entry room, there were walls covered with photos of different pages (some from the Book of Kells itself, some from other similar books) and information about what the images meant and what the history was. It was very interesting.

Next, we walked into a smaller room with the actual Book of Kells itself in a rectangular glass case. People crowded around it and nearly had to elbow each other out of the way for a good look at the pages. Only one page is turned per day, so unless you planned to come back again, this was the only real-life example of the Book of Kells you'd get to see.

Of course, it was very pretty and thrilling to think about. The ink has lasted remarkably well. No photos are allowed, so I don't have pictures of my own to show here.

After viewing the pages, we moved into another room upstairs -- the Library Long Room. This was the highlight of the visit, in my opinion. An enormous and beautiful library packed with books and rare copies of manuscripts on display. For a book-lover, it smelled comforting, like being more at home than you could be anywhere else. The walls reached up so high you had to crane your neck a bit, and all the way up were books and books and more books.

It was the most incredible thing I'd seen on my trip so far. My mother actually cried a little, which prompted my brother to turn to me and whisper, "I love Mom."

Then it was back downstairs -- I felt like a child being tugged away from its favorite puppy -- to the gift store, where I immediately purchased a key chain of the Long Room to keep with me always.

But our itinerary didn't allow time to dawdle. Already it was time to hurry to the next destination! We grabbed some snacks and piled into our Tourist Out-Loud Green Machine of Motion-Sickness and headed across grass-filled, sheep-covered countryside toward Galway.

By evening, we arrived, settled in to our hotel, and went out in the freezing cold for a nice dinner before bed.

And what a nice dinner it was! I believe we heard of the place from an inebriated local who mentioned it to my uncle.

McSwiggan's Bar & Restaurant is a lovely establishment that provides something for everyone, as far as I could tell. We ate in a dimply-lit area that looked like the perfect prom dinner location. Downstairs, there was a bar with music and lots of people enjoying the warmth. Our waitress was friendly and funny. And the food. Was. Incredible.

If you're ever in Galway, you would be a fool to miss McSwiggan's. It was one of those dining experiences where everyone at the table feels as though he or she chose the best meal, and your party can't stop talking about how tasty everything was, even hours after you've left the restaurant.

Full and completely satisfied, we hurried back to our hotel in the cold rain. Our family went to bed, but Mike and I stayed up to drink at the hotel bar. That was a super cool experience because locals came in there to drink as well, and we chatted with them, the bartender, and the security guard about everything from beer to politics. We really enjoyed getting to discuss the differences between our two countries.

Finally, it was bed time. Mike and I arranged with our family to spend the morning on our own exploring Galway while they went to Connemara. We had to rest up, though, because they'd be picking us up after lunch to visit the Cliffs of Moher!!!