Last Day In Galway

Hey Folks... it's been quite a full day. We started off with the boys singing mass in Galway Cathedral (sorry, referred to it incorrectly in previous post). The boys sounded amazing. The church was spectacular. What a great way to start the day. The video posted here... sorry for the quality, don't think less of the performance, blame me for not yet knowing how to work the vid-camera. Anyway, the boys were very warmly received by the Cathedral's priest as well as the patrons. It was INSPIRING.
After mass, Cameron and I grabbed some lunch. I was asked about the food here... and it's great! We had fish and 'chips' (that's fries to you, me and everyone else who lives anywhere but in the British Isles) last night. There are tons of great little 'hole in the wall' type places. And for those who just can't let go of home, you don't often have to look far to find a McDonalds. Today, we ate in a little coffee house called 'Coco Cafe'. We each had a KILLER turkey & brie cheese panini. YUM!
The rest of the day was spent by various groups within the whole venturing out to different activities. Some went horseback riding, others bike riding. Some golfed. Cameron and I opted to go boating on Galway Bay. It was pretty intense. Other boating 'events' had been cancelled due to gale-force winds. But for whatever reason, we were allowed to go out in our boats. They're called 'RIB's ('r'igid 'i'nflatable 'b'oats). Just picture something you've seen in the movies used by Navy Seals. Those little 'pontoon' looking rafts / boats. With VERY powerful motors. We tooled around... one boat of 6, another boat of 10. Our 'guides' drove us throughout the bay, showing us various things. All I know was is it was brutal. The surf was nuts, the water cold, and windy (hence the 'gale' warning). And despite the wet-suits they issued us before heading out (I should have known then... I mean, REALLY... full-blown WET SUITS?!?!?... yep, we were in for it). I've been whitewater rafting in Montana and didn't get as soaked as we were in the FIRST TWO MINUTES of this outing. But hey... may never get the chance again, so we went for it and had a blast.
Someone also asked how the boys were being 'received' by the locals. Well, when you get a group this big, dominated by teenage boys, and tour them around a foreign land, there's no way we're not gonna draw attention. A lot of peoples' eyes are caught. And plenty of smiles too. I have to admit, I've seen more than a couple glances that seem to say 'dumb Americans' as we're being assessed --- but hey, as the saying goes, it's an Elder thing and people just don't understand. On the whole, however, people here have been terrific. Very gracious. And considerate to the boys. It's been GREAT.
We leave Galway first thing in the morning and head to Limmerick. Along our way, we will be stopping at the Cliffs of Moher (which is among my top two or three MUST-SEES while here, so I'm pumped). I'll be checking back in tomorrow, so I hope you check back.
dk