The Aquarium by Annie Pauline Conroy

  St Catherine’s Traveller Training Centre went on a day out to the National Aquarium of Ireland.  We all met at the Centre at nine o’clock in the morning.  It was a bright but cold morning.  The bus pulled in at 9.20 and we all got on and set out on our journey.  We were all chatting, laughing and having a good time.

  The Aquarium is situated in Salthill in Galway.  The bus drove along the scenic route overlooking the sea.   We arrived at the Aquarium and all got off.  We went inside and had a look around the gift shop.  On the ground floor we were treated to an incomparable deep-sea  experience.  Conger eels, a variety of rays, lobster, a multitude of crabs, sea bass, plaice, pollack, whiting, turbot, flounder and sole are among the 170 species exhibited in Galway Atlantaquaria.

  Two highlights of the tour were the, ‘fish eye,’ view of life beneath a waterfall and the, ‘deep submergence vehicle,’ which the guide told us was a huge favourite.

  I didn’t look around the Aquarium as the salty sea air and the smell of the fish made me sick!  So I went outside and sat down.  I felt better as the wind was blowing in my face.  I did not like the Aquarium and I would not like to go again. 

  And guess what I am married to a fisherman!

 

Our Trip to Kylemore Abbey by Michelle Cleary

It was a cold dull morning.  The clouds filled the sky when we all met outside the centre.  We were very cold and waiting for the bus to arrive.  When it did we all got on the bus and we started our drive to Kylemore Abbey.  It was a very interesting journey.  I never saw more beautiful mountains and lakes in all my life.

  I had always heard about a woman called Bina. She was always talking on the radio.  She would talk about her house on the mountains and all the different animals she had, but sadly she passed away.  On our way back to Kylemore I saw Bina’s house.  It was near the mountains.  Such a lovely place to live.  So much peace and quiet.  I had also seen the place where the film, The Quiet Man, was made.

  When we arrived at Kylemore we first watched a video about Kylemore, the people who had first owned the castle and about the area around it.  When we finished watching the video we went to see the castle.  In all my life, I have never seen a place like it.  All the beautiful furniture that was in the castle, also the fire places, they were lovely.  We then went to walk back to the church.  It was a very small church.  We also saw where all the nuns were buried.  There were little iron crosses over them.  We then saw a mausoleum where Mrs Henry was buried.  Her husband’s ashes were also in it. 

The Henrys were the first people to own Kylemore castle.  Mr Henry got the castle built for his wife but sadly after six years Mrs Henry died. 

  After we had a look around Kylemore we went to have lunch.  We had soup, sandwiches and brown bread.  It was lovely.  We then went to have a look in the craft shop.  They sold home made jam and home made chocolate.  They also sold clothes in the craft shop.

  We started our journey home after a beautiful day, but we first stopped in Westport to have a look around and do a bit of shopping. We all had to meet back at the bus at 2.30pm to go home.  I would love to go back to Kylemore Abbey again.  It was a beautiful place and we all had a great time.

 

Paris Trip

by Mary C Maughan

 No time to rest, lots to see and lots to do.  Here I am in Paris!  I left Ireland around three hours ago and it seems so far away.  I was excited, couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and unpack.

  When I had unpacked it was time to explore. The girls and I first headed to the shops.  We went into clothes, shoes and sports shops.  The shops in the high streets were similar to the shops in Dublin, however, they were much more expensive.  We met up with the rest of the group and we went out for a meal and then it was off to the Eiffel Tower. 

  I was really excited.  The Eiffel Tower, looked amazing.  It was all lit up.  Near the Tower, there were lads selling souvenirs.  I bought some lighters.  We then went and got tickets, ten euros and twenty cent each.  We went all the way to the top.  It was magnificent.  Looking down, you could see all the city lights.  I could also see the River Seine.  The boats were lit up as it was getting darker.  The view was breathtaking.  I could have stayed in the Eiffel Tower for hours because the cityscape was never ending. The time flew and soon it was time to go back to the hotel.

  The hotel was nice.  We had to climb three flights of stairs to our room.  There was a lift, however, it only took two people.  All of us were just a few doors from each other.  The staff were helpful and our hotel was only a few minutes walk away from the Eiffel Tower.  There was also a metro just outside.  There were lots of restaurants and pubs around.

  Next morning it was off to the River Seine.  We were going on a boat cruise and I was really excited.  The girls and I went to the back of the boat because it was much cooler and we could get a better view of all the buildings.  While on the cruise, we saw the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees and the Louver.  I really enjoyed it as we saw a lot of famous buildings and did not have to walk. The weather was very warm and intense.

  We then headed to Notre-Dame.  It was a few minutes walk from where the boats were.  On the way there were stalls and I bought some souvenirs.  There it was, Notre-Dame.  It looked imposing and was very big inside.  The large stain glass windows were impressive.  I lit a candle for my family.  There was a small museum that had objects dating back to the third century.  There was also a shop inside and I got some rosary beads.  The beads were made from dried rose petals and there was a lovely scent off them. I knew my mother would love them.

  On our last day in Paris we decided to take it easy and strolled down the Champs Elysees. We went into a massive make up shop with a very good selection.  It was very impressive.  We then sat outside a café, had some tea and chatted about what we would do next. After looking at some more shops we headed back to the hotel to get ready to go out to dinner.

  The restaurant was just around the corner from our hotel.  We all went together and we had a good laugh.  The staff were very friendly and helped us choose from the menu as it was in  French.  I had fish and it was delicious.  We then got some drinks and chatted away about our time in Paris.  Afterwards we headed to a bar that was beside our hotel and made the most of our last night.

  It was time to go home already.  We had to check out before 9 o’clock.  I had a shower, went downstairs and had my breakfast.  We took a metro to our bus, that would take us to the airport.  At the airport I got my sister a souvenir and before I knew it, it was time to get on the plane!