"It's too late for you and your white horse"

I mean, the title could have been "Bet on Stewball" or something more obscure, but you gotta go with T-Swift for horses. You know what though, even though I went to the Galway Races and bet on a number of fine horses, I don't think any of them were actually white. But it's the spirit of all of my bets losing that I was looking to capture here in a title!

Turns out betting on the most suggestively named horse is a poor betting strategy.

Anyhow, to revert to a non-linear timeline, which I generally hate when reading, let's go back to the beginning of the day.

It's Galway Races! Which means this city's about to be abuzz with activity apparently. I mean, all the shopkeeps think so, and the number of women in floral dresses and crazy hats has drastically increased in volume, so they might be right. I needed to get *some* sustenance before going to the races and assumedly betting and drinking, so I stopped in a cafe for a pastry. Yes, yes, I know. Sugar. But I was told this was one place you had to go before you skipped town, so had a tea and let's call it a light puff pastry.

Left side of the table-- very damp of rain. Right side where I was sitting? Remarkably dry!

Now, I'd considered two things after lunch: 1) Walking to the racetrack and 2) buying a hat for the races. But #2 was right out, as the top 2 men's hat stores (there may only be 2) were closed on Monday, and #1 was looking unlikely due to a downpour. So, I got on the bus and assumed I would be there soon! I mean, how long can it take to get to something that's 15 minutes or less by car?

The answer: Surprisingly long. The bus diverted due to traffic and left me off about a 45 minute walk away from the track. Luckily though, it was across from a hotel that had a free shuttle to the races. Dressed somewhat better than usual, I managed to slip in with the rest of the well dressed folks on to the hotel bus no problem. Even got a student discount at the door thanks to my "student id"

"fetching be undeserved discounts since 2003". Note: It doesn't even say "student" on the card.

So I get to the races, and all i see are women in ridiculous hats and somewhat less ridiculous outfits. There are also men I suppose, but they're wearing relatively normal attire and drinking a lot and acting rowdy. Here's some pics from the track:

I know that betting is the whole point of going to racetracks, but trust me, the American version of this is ****WAYYY**** less about betting. I saw no less than 10 different betting vendors here. They also had a band, tons of food, and tons of people despite the rain.

At last, the combination no one ever asked for. Why was this booth so busy???

The very first race (17.20, if I ever want to look this clip up again), no joke, the frontrunning jockey falls off his horse and gets trampled on a bit. He walked it off, but that was... offputting. Also, his horse finished first, but I guess it kinda disqualifies you if you don't have a tiny person on your back. I'd say it was sobering... but that would be the wrong word for this crowd.

One other difference between the racetracks I've been to in the states, they have obstacles here! They have to jump over hurdles each lap.

You know, it's surprising how easy this was for them to jump over.

In addition to the betting slips at the beginning, here were the best 2 names of the night (neither won btw)

Two new rap names for me coming right up!

After about half the races, watching a cover band, and definitely ignoring the oyster tent, I decided I'd had about enough of standing in the rain watching my horses lose. Look, it was very fashionable, but since I was sans hat, I didn't feel in the throes of haute couture. Left and grabbed a taxi back to Eyre Square.

I stopped at O'Connell's Bar, which for those Ed Sheeran fans, is the bar from his "Galway Girl" video. Which has apparently been ruined by its fame in the video according to locals.

This is honestly just a screengrab from the video. You know what, I actually like this song. Saoirse Ronan's in it! Wait, turns out she's neither from Galway or actually Ireland.

Had a couple of drinks, watched a couple more races, but needed to warm up and have some dinner.

Miserable as it was outside, I wanted something warm and comforting. So I went to that bastion of Irish cuisine, the only Moroccan restaurant in town (High Cafe)

Chicken Tagine and couscous!

Wasn't that bad, and had a great view of Shop street from their high window (which, you know, is probably why it's called the "High Cafe".

Needed to have an early night because I had to wake up early the next day-- Promise better posts to come!

Random Things:

-I'm tired of being given milk with my tea every time. And they look at me like I'm frikkin Frankenstein when they tell them I don't want any. People can have tea without milk!

This banner was up in the museum, but seems a bit strong...

-Apparently "Ladies Day" is Thursday, when I won't be here, and they give awards for "best dressed" and "best hat". What is the deal with these hats? (Jerry Seinfeld Voice)

Moment of Zen: