Everyone was a little "extra tired" from our late night out, so the morning was spent relaxing at the room.  Everyone was on their own for coffee and breakfast, then we all met at The Coachman's for lunch.  We spent the morning and early afternoon exploring the cute downtown area of Kenmare around our hotel, and doing some souvenir shopping.  Around 4pm, we left to drive to Galway, where we would be spending the next three days.

On our way, we decided to drive through Tipperary to see some Irish history.  Only on a drive through Europe can you glance out our window and see an old mill, castle ruins, and an abbey.  The Glanworth Mill is the last remaining reverse undershot water wheel mills in Ireland.  All that remains of Glanworth Castle is the keep and the castle wall, but it is still a beautiful sight as you drive by with the late afternoon sunlight.  It is now used as a "public walk and courting area" by the locals.

We made it to St. Michael's Church in Tipperary, where we let ourselves in through the gate and wandered around looking for clues to the family history.  We didn't linger too long, however, because we wanted to make it to Galway while there was still time to grab some dinner.  Amalie was also starting to feel unwell.

St. Michael's Church

Our accommodation in Galway is a large house, situated in the nearby small town of Athenry.  We are continuing the theme of "arriving too late to eat dinner" and spent enough time chatting with the (very nice) owner of the house that we know dinner in town is not an option.  So Chris, Steven, Nick and Krista elect to go to the grocery store for food and drinks, while Robin helps Amalie get settled.  We managed to successfully get food, although we missed the alcohol license by 10 minutes.  We also didn't realize you need to bring your own grocery bags.  They have them there for purchase, of course.

While the grocery shopping was happening, Robin, Amalie, Lori, and Ryan were back at the house on the phone with Amalie's doctor.  She was feverish, with chills, and in a lot of pain.  By the time groceries were delivered to the house, they had heard back from Amalie's doctor and the decision was made to take her to the hospital in Galway.

Little did we know she would be spending the next four nights there.

Chris, Robin, and Lori took Amalie to the hospital while Steven, Nick, Ryan and Krista stayed behind to start doing laundry, making dinner, and waiting for news on Amalie.  We had a washer in the house, which was great, although of course not a dryer.  I'm not entirely certain how they ever dry their clothes, considering the weather is usually too damp to hang them dry, but maybe there is some trick we don't know.  As it was, we ended up with clothes hanging from every possible surface inside the house and out on the clothesline (until it started to drizzle).

Amalie was admitted to the hospital with a temperature of 105, and we were told in no uncertain terms that she would be staying the night.  The hospital does not allow overnight visitors, so around 2am the group that went with Amalie was kicked out and sent back to our rental house.  We had cooked some frozen pizzas; everyone ate then crashed for the night.