A Wednesday Wander

Last Wednesday, when we were in Ballina, we set out to find the mural I posted about the other day. When we left the flat, we decided to use a different route to get to town, so we turned left. We quickly found ourselves at a little park and a waterway. It was a pretty spot.

We wandered towards town and saw this focal point of a front garden:

We really didn't know where we were, as we'd not been in that part of town before, but we enjoy meandering around and seeing what there is to see. We knew the general direction of town and kept moving that way, eventually finding familiar landmarks. We found the mural and decided to continue wandering around where we'd not been yet. We crossed the river and headed towards the opposite edge of town. I'm not sure what people would want to dig on the riverbank, but they're not supposed to do it.

We came across another river, called the Brusna and took a left, where we saw another lovely green space.

We walked a way down this road, but by then the sun was out and it was getting warm (for us).

We decided to turn around and head back. We were soon back by the River Moy, more green space, and flowers.

Mayo colours--red and green

By the time we got back to the flat, we'd been wandering for about 6 miles. We'd seen the mural we set out to see, looked around a few parts of town that were new to us, and enjoyed the scenery. It was a lovely day. I hope your day is lovely, too.

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Street Art and The Story Behind the Work

On Wednesday, we went off in search of another piece of street art that was created by Pure Ballina as part of the Ballina Fringe Festival. We knew these artworks were being created, but we couldn't find any information on where they are. We found one on Tuesday and, after scouring the Facebook page that evening, I found reference to this one on Pawn Office Lane, so we were able to find it.

As we were taking pictures, a guy walked up and told us what the mural depicts. He said that in the past, before they built the stairs and stuff along the river, guys would go out with their nets 4 times a day to catch salmon. It would then be brought out at a hut at the edge of the river. The mural depicts such a scene.
This is the bridge and river as they are today.

On the other side of the river, there is an area where people can hang out and there are steps leading into the river. This is a picture I took last year of the steps.

Ballina is known for salmon. There is an annual Salmon Festival, of which I think the Ballina Fringe Festival is an offshoot. The Salmon Festival took a hiatus this year to reorganise, but I think it's a very popular event.

Anyway, we timed it well so that we could hear the story from the local person who just happened to be passing by when we were there. 😀

Hope your day contains some serendipitous moments!

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