Galway is a huge tourist destination, and the day we were there it was packed to the gills with tourists. But one place you could pretty much count on getting away from them was in a major church. We visited the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, the religious center of Medieval Galway, founded in 1320 and dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. He is the patron saint of seafarers and basis for the legends of St. Nick (Santa Claus!). We have been to Myra in Turkey. It is believed that Columbus visited here in 1477. This church uniquely houses two denominations— the hosts are the Anglicans, to whom the church belongs, but they have given one of the transcepts to the Orthodox as a place where they too can worship… a very ecumenical Christian gesture. 
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