Days like these

Our plans for the journey to Tralee today looked rather similar to the first set of signposts we came across as we left Galway.  We planned to drive through/around The Burren, take a look at the Cliffs of Moher and make our way towards the ferry across the Shannon to Tarbert and Tralee.

We were travelling through a more rural landscape than we’d come across so far and very much liked the small thatch cottages here and there.  They might be pretty basic for real life but made perfect backdrops for daydreaming about a simple Irish country lifestyle.

We soon arrived n the harbour of Ballyvaughan, pleased to find a quiet spot in which to stop the car and take a breath.  It had begun to stutter and stall a little, a couple of warning lights had flashed and my hero was beginning to feel anxious about the possibility of it breaking down in the middle of some tourist traffic.  Here, Mary and I could hop out and take a stroll in the fresh air, leaving the men to make phone calls and see what could be done.

Yes, it was tempting to push the blooming thing over the cliff.  It’s a no-frills VW Sharan without so much as a place to plug in an ipod and it has not endeared itself to us at all so far, being bumpy and rather cramped for just four adults and their luggage.

Just along from where we parked was a small blue tower marked “bicycle maintenance”.  It warranted a closer look.

The thoughtful people of Ballyvaughan had provided a repair kit for passing cyclists.  Sadly, it wasn’t any use for stuttering VW Sharans, but the range of spanners, wrenches, screwdrivers and so on would surely be appreciated by many.  As I stood taking the photo, a Spanish couple passed by and joined me in marvelling at the facility.  Remarkable!

Meanwhile the men were getting through to the rental car company and sorting it all out.

Because really, on days like these we can’t even begin to feel anything but joy.  I mean, this is labelled the “Wild Atlantic Way”.

Wild?

Never!

The sea was like a millpond.  The reflections as if they were in a lake, not the Atlantic Ocean.

How lucky are we to see West Ireland in these conditions?  Whilst the weather warnings were being issued for England, we were basking in sunshine with hardly a breath of wind.

Having sorted out an appointment with a mechanic in Tralee later, we continued south, doing our best to snap glorious views as we went.

We’d earmarked the Burren Smokehouse as worth a visit, thinking that perhaps we’d find some tasty things for today’s picnic lunch there.  Oh yes, a little bit of tasting was enough to make us want one of everything!  We left armed with a couple of different smoked salmon packs, some great dark and tasty bread, a few home made cookies and a couple of bars of chocolate.  A feast, no less.

But before lunch, we had one more call to make at the Cliffs of Moher.  We’d read that although the Guinness Storehouse is currently the #1 visitor attraction in the country, before long this more natural feature is likely to overtake it.  Unsurprisingly then, we were far from alone on the path to the coast.

Who cares, though?  There was room for everyone to see and more than enough sunshine, fresh air and blue sky to go around.

OK, so occasionally I had to wait to take my picture.  But I didn’t mind at all.

Life. Is. Good.

The Aran Islands were actually really clear across there, but in my photograph they seem to have disappeared.  You’ll just have to believe me that they glistened in the sunshine.

We resisted the temptation to go further along the pathway up onto the cliffs, dreaming instead of the salmon and our picnic lunch.

After a couple of false starts, we found the ideal place.  No, not on the dangerous cliff edge!  Neither did we settle for the picnic area near the harbour where the odour was not of the seaweed drying in the sunshine, but of the sewage which burst from a pipe sometime yesterday, according to the priest who was parked in his car next to ours!

Instead, we found a grassy spot high above the busy beach of Lehinch and can only describe the smoked salmon picnic as one of the tastiest lunches imaginable.

Suitably fortified, it was an easy drive over the Shannon ferry to Tarbert and on to Tralee.  Whilst Mary and I settled into our cosy hotel, the men took the car to the repair shop and returned an hour and 70 Euros later.

This evening, watching the news of flash floods in Kent, downpours in other parts of the United Kingdom, we are thankful for blue skies and sunny days in which to see this most beautiful of landscapes.

Not only that, but the weather forecast for the weekend looks promising too.

Wednesday in Connemara

We were a little later to get going this morning and the large groups had left the hotel by the time we’d made our way to breakfast.

Our first stop was a craft village where one or two craftspeople were at work.  Interesting things to see though only one workshop would have tempted me to buy.

My friend and colleague Norah would have been quite at home here, although the basket maker wasn’t actually working today.

I admired the beginnings of a couple of large trays, described as sciobs, intended for draining and then serving cooked potatoes.  I especially liked the central designs on these baskets and the soft, natural colours.  But the one I liked would never fit in my luggage and maybe that’s as well…

We drove through the lovely Connemara countryside, frequently within sight of water; sometimes it was an inlet from Galway Bay and others, it turned out to be an inland Lough.  Unless we consulted our map, we couldn’t be sure – it’s just that kind of landscape.

We made another short stop at a general store-craft shop-bookstore-cafe in Recess village where there was an interesting selection of bog standard products.

Nice name, eh?

Arriving in Letterfrack, the back seat Road Trip Larder (previously consisting of mostly chocolate digestive biscuits and mint humbugs) was augmented with a loaf of soda bread, cheese, apples and a couple of packets of crisps for a picnic lunch.

Another Avoca store beckoned, however, with beautiful blankets, gorgeous scarves and friendly service, not to mention other facilities essential to our comfort

We found our ideal picnic spot alongside the lake at Kylemore Abbey where a small roadside pull in offered a great view.

There was a buffet table for our Irish lunch.

Sticks to throw.

Inspiration for artists, embroiderers and knitters.

An ever changing pattern of bubbles, debris washed up on the pebbly beach and ripples in the water.

There was even entertainment in the form of a walking group on the far hillside, in addition to the more local US vs UK stick throwing activities.  What a great lunch!

Back on the road, we stopped for a closer look at the oyster beds in Killary Harbour

We chatted to a couple from Waterford about the two rag trees there above the fjord, enjoying their gentle manners and good humour and smiling at their reaction to learning that we were from Gloucestershire.

“Oh, we’d love to go to Cheltenham”, they said.  “We love the horse racing!”

One last stop of the afternoon, then, by the side of Lough Corrib.  Here was another fine picnic spot and a blast of afternoon sunshine tempted us down to the waterside.

Lovely, unspoiled meadowland, peace, quiet and a glorious view.

What a wonderful landscape!  We are so thrilled that we chose to come here and are really enjoying the journey.  It feels so remote, it’s hard to imagine that we are almost back in Galway and our “room with a (different sort of) view”

Tomorrow, we’ll move on a little further south, towards Tralee.  More fun awaits!

Going west

Time to move on today and armed with a list of must-see places thanks to Adam, the cheerful young concierge in the Morrison Hotel in Dublin, we headed west on the N4 towards Galway.

As we neared the half way point, we left the motorway and continued our journey on ordinary roads, planning to take a break around lunchtime.  We found ourselves driving through an area of peat bogs and stopped to take a closer look at the stacks of peat blocks drying in the sunshine.

Our plan was to take a break at Clonmacnoise where we could spend some time learning a little about St Ciaran and his followers at the Irish Heritage site here.  It was a busy place and the car park already full, so we found a small patch of wide grassy verge and though there were no other cars around, we felt we’d left it in a safe place.

We walked into the monastery site and joined the delightful Davina for a guided tour.  Her Irish wit and amusing delivery had us all smiling in no time – what a great way to hear about this rather special place.

She explained all the motifs on the main replica crosses in the graveyard, the originals being in the museum next door.

She explained how to use the shape of the North Door to whisper a secret or share a confession to someone standing on the other side.

And she invited two of the group to dip their hands in the water contained within the magic stone, explaining that it could cure warts…or cause their hand to drop off overnight.

The two “victims” laughed.  So did we.

Davina winked.

Standing above the Shannon River, there was a chill breeze up here, so we didn’t linger too long, but it was a fascinating place and we were really pleased we’d come.

Before we left, we stopped in the museum to take a look at the original crosses and watch the video explaining the history of the place, auf Deutsch because we couldn’t be bothered to wait until the English language show.  Ellis and Mary took the chance to have forty winks!

Though the original crosses were beautiful, as always I went for the fragments of patterned stone.  Love them.

Returning to the car then, it seemed as though we’d started a trend for on-street parking!

We arrived at our hotel in Galway in the early afternoon and are very happy with our comfortable room, bearing a couple of hallmarks of the designer – Philip Treacy.

But though our room is lovely, the corridors are painted a deep purple and there’s a magenta carpet throughout and very low level lighting.

The hotel is on the edge of town; a low glass-fronted structure overlooking the bay to the front.  However, both our rooms overlook the back of the hotel and have a fine view of the shopping centre behind it: Pets at Home, PC World and Maplins.  Not quite in the same vein…

We spent the afternoon in Galway City, where gentlemen sat watching the world go by.

There was a lively buzz in the main shopping street and we were glad to find O’Mailles.

The shop came highly recommended by the chap in the Tourist Information Centre.

Each Aran sweater was signed by the maker and came beautifully presented.

Whilst Mary chose some hanks of yarn to take home, my hero found a tweed cap to add to his collection.

I was happy to admire the amazing hydrangeas in the flower shop along the street as we enjoyed the first Irish coffee of the trip (not the last, I’ll bet!)

This evening, we’ve been to a performance of Trad on the Prom which was absolutely incredible.  World class Irish dancing accompanied by fine musicians; we loved every minute.  We left tapping our feet!   Sorry, no photos, but the website gives a great taste of the show.

A day in Dublin

We’ve actually been to the city of green pillar boxes before, but I’m not sure a couple of hours in the Temple Bar really counts.  So, for our first real day in Dublin, we set out after breakfast with umbrellas and sweaters but fingers crossed, we’d need neither.

Our first stop was Dublin Castle and that small break in the clouds wasn’t quite enough to tempt us take off our sweaters just yet.  In fact, there was quite a chill wind blowing and we were rather pleased to step inside for a while.

Though the interiors were interesting and the history well presented, the star of the show for me was the Playing with Tradition exhibition, where traditional crafts were presented in a contemporary style.

My favourite was All About Sleeves, by Karen Brennan.  Made in Irish Linen, these exquisitely made cuffs were presented as a means of dressing up a T shirt or worn over or under another sleeve.  Clearly, they were a favourite with others too, for there were none to be bought, no information cards to be had or story to be found.  They spoke for themselves – very well, too.

We’d seen plenty of tourists around yesterday and if we had wondered then if there was anyone left in the rest of Europe, today would confirm that doubt.  Everywhere we went there were hordes of tourists and yes, although we four counted amongst that number, I hope we were less obtrusive than the larger, guided groups who must make life in the city incredibly difficult for the residents.  Still, we all bring in the Euros…

Our next stop was packed full of tourists too.

I was quite keen to see the Guinness storehouse (no longer a factory) and it was an easy walk from the castle.  The queues to get in made me wonder if I’d been a little hasty in my enthusiasm, though.

We headed straight upstairs to the Gravity Bar, from where there was a splendid view now the clouds were beginning to break up.  Even at this hour of the morning, the Guinness was flowing freely, not that we were ready to join the drinkers just yet.

During the next couple of hours, we followed the pathway through the five floors of exhibits most of which were a little thin on content.  This whole place was a triumph of design and though I loved the graphics and the manner in which the whole place had been styled, the information presented would have easily have fitted in one small display.  Still, here was a huge former storehouse to spread it out…

One floor was dedicated to the Academy, where visitors could be taught how to pour a glass of Guinness.  We looked at the queue and chose to be visual rather than kinaesthetic learners – none of us really felt the need to stand behind the pumps and pour it ourselves when we could watch the experts!

Instead, we went to the tasting room, to listen to Grainne (pronounced Gronya) explain about the flavours and to sample a tiny glass to experience them for ourselves.  And though we walked through the exhibition about the brewing process, my favourite part of the whole place was on the fifth floor.

Here, we found four chairs by an open window and with a fine view of the city and a pint of Guinness in hand, for half an hour or so I enjoyed a little respite from the crowds.

It didn’t last long, however.  Our next stop was St Patricks Cathedral, where the queues were as long as for the Guinness!

Once inside, we each went our own way to take a look around.

I joined the brass rubbers and created my own souvenir before moving along to take a closer look in a couple of the quieter corners.

It was actually a rather lovely space.  Peaceful and understated; crowded but with quiet and respectful people.  I was glad we’d come here.

How many times do I get to stand on such a beautiful floor?

Actually, the cathedral looks rather larger and grander from outside than from within.  Having approached it from the “wrong” side, we’d not had the benefit of the lovely garden setting, either.  On this warm and sunny afternoon, we got an altogether different impression as we left, heading back into the city.

Our last stop of the day was Trinity College, where we joined a small group led by a student.  Here too, the crowds were out in force, but somehow she managed to keep us together.

We’d intended to see the Book of Kells but this time, the queue defeated us.  At 4 in the afternoon, we were just too weary and footsore to stand for another hour or more and decided we will just have to come back to Dublin once again to see it.

This evening, we’ve been to the theatre, to see “Once”.  Though we’d not heard of it before, Ellis and Mary had seen it on Broadway and loved it.

We did too!

What a great way to end a fantastic day in Dublin.  Tomorrow, we’re moving on and I hope we’ll leave some of the crowds behind as we head off into the countryside.  I’ll let you know if we find a bit more breathing space later.

Off we go again

The travelling companions were eager to be off once more.

Travelling with friends, the journey was problem free, though Heathrow was incredibly busy.

Our flight arrived on time and we were soon on our way into the city.

Drive on the left!  As if we needed a reminder.

The last time I posted so many green photographs we were in Libya!

Needless to say, we are most certainly not in Tripoli today.

We’re starting another road trip, a little closer to home this time and look forward to enjoying the aran knitting,

the poetry

the music

and the craic.

As if you didn’t know already, we’re in Dublin, where (a different) Mary reckons that Molly Malone was selling more than cockles and mussels, if you ask her.  And only now, whilst uploading the photograph did I notice which part of sweet Molly Malone gets the most attention, too.

The sun was shining, the city was buzzing and our road trip is off to a cracking start.

But of course, I had to take a photograph of this sign in Avoca, by the notebooks and so on.

Grrrrr!   (and I now know I’m not alone – thank you for the reassurance)