Parades Against Parades. Literally!

Well the past few nights have been very fun. We've just come from watching our second parade in 2 days in Galway. Galway is a very interesting town-it always seems like a festival is going on, even on random summer nights. Where else do the pubs pile up stacks of plastic cups so you can leave your glass and go drinking in the street?

The parade yesterday was my favorite: low(er)-budget, but highly entertaining. It was "low" budget, but still an hour long, and jam packed. We've been told that there are two parades here because the main one started to lose touch with the local artists. They just went and organized their own. It was great, totally full of life and great performers doing crazy stuff. It started out with a huge inflatable sun that took up the ENTIRE street. It was dragging along the buildings on both sides, and had to be pulled down below the power lines! There were some great flame jugglers too, (and flame hoola-hoopers) who threw their sticks up with some extra big amount of gas, and they made HUGE fireballs in the air. We could feel the heat on our faces. There was also a big white plywood fishing boat on wheels ("The Maid of Ply") with people inside wearing foul weather fishing gear, and the kids along the sides were given big pails of water to go and drench them with. It was awesome. The "main" one today: it was more of a high budget costume show than a parade, lots of sad looking kids on stilts dressed up in fabulously elaborate costumes. Still impressive, but shorter and less lively. More gaps in that one, too.

Anyway, that was fun. What else to report? Hmmm. I didn't get to see Garth Hudson's band, because we were to busy wandering around. I probably wouldn't have gotten tickets anyway.

Well, I hope eveyone is well, and that you're enjoying your July.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Luke