on to the Irish west coast

From Dublin, I headed west to Galway, where I met up with Noel, a relative of one of my beloved regulars at People's Coffee. Noel and his room mate, Danny, pretty much spoiled me rotten during my short stay. As soon as I met up with Noel, he treated me to a delicious cup of coffee and then showed me around town a bit before we headed home.
Noel and Danny live nestled in a quiet neighborhood not too far from downtown. When we arrived at the house, Noel welcomed me by showing me to my own room with a ridiculously comfortable, fluffy bed. I felt like a princess! He then made tea and we sat down to enjoy a cup, accompanied by delicious scones he had baked earlier that day. We chatted and listened to the rain. It was so relaxing and calming, especially after all the excitement of a wedding and a bustling city. Danny came home and took us out for a fantastic Indian dinner at a restaurant called Kashmir. We totally overindulged, so Noel and I decided to go for a walk, and ended up at an old bar called O'Connell's. It was one of those places that had been collecting antique miscellaneous items over the years that they proceeded to hang on every surface in the place--lanterns of all sorts dangled from the rafters, old road signs and wagon wheels could be found on the walls, as well as a fake deer head that spontaneously sang and bobbed its head every so often. It was quite the experience!
Danny picked us up when we were ready to head home, and insisted that I relax and warm up with a hot bath before I headed to bed. I figured I'd just have a quick shower, but I walked in the bathroom to find that he had lit candles for me, turned on the heater, and put out lavender bubble bath and a big fluffy town to wrap up in when I was through...I was speechless then, and I'm speechless now recounting it. It absolutley did the trick, and I instantly slipped into a sweet slumber the second I sank into that big, cushy bed :).
I was planning on taking a bus down to Lahinch (Ireland's very own surf town) the next day. I was astonished when Noel said that he had planned on driving me. He not only gave me a ride there (a 2 hour venture), but showed me practically every surf spot on the way down. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty nasty, and there weren't any waves, even in Lahinch. I took him out to lunch at a wonderful little restaurant as a thank you, and we parted ways. I was disappointed about not being able to surf with Noel, but the drive down was beatiful--through hills of gorgeous Irish country and along a stunning coastline in Noel's beat up surf mobile...classic :).