Day Trip to Dublin

We arose before the sun – 4:30 a.m. – in order to catch the 6:30 bus from Galway center to Dublin. We drove to the bus station with practically zero traffic on the streets, and parked in the car park next to the train/bus station. (It was 36 Euros with the Internet discount for the two of us, round trip). We were plenty early. The bus loaded up a little before 6:30 and we were on our way. Unfortunately, the weather looked grim, but we had our portable umbrellas and put on a happy face. As we neared the half way mark of our journey, it started raining quite hard – yuk. But, to our surprise, Dublin greeted us with blue skies and sunshine – a miracle! It turned out to be the nicest weather since our arrival in Ireland.
We found our way to the nearest Hop On-Hop Off tourist bus and yes, hopped on. I had booked the tickets the day before so got a little discount. There were 23 stops and the tickets were good for 24 hours. There was running commentary from the bus driver so even though there was nowhere near enough time to see everything, we did get an overview of the city. We went just a couple of stops and hopped off at Trinity College – Ireland’s oldest university – opened in the 1500’s. Oscar Wilde and other famous individuals attended Trinity. The buildings were architecturally interesting, some original and some added on over the centuries.
Our next stop was the National Museum of Natural History and it was quite interesting with exhibits of pre-historic Ireland – artifacts from as far back at 3000 BC. They also had an excellent exhibit about the Viking era in Ireland. We spent quite a while at this museum.
We debated where to go next and decided that we would go to the Guinness Brewery before we got too tired of walking. It is a MAJOR attraction in Dublin so there were hordes of people and it was not cheap – even with the senior discount, the tickets were 11 Euros each. However, it did include a pint of Guinness at the end of the tour. The tour was self guided and the exhibits were excellent – you do not see the actual brewery – just exhibits and simulations – all very well done, if you don’t mind the hordes of people. The Storehouse is shaped like a pint glass of Guinness so it goes up seven floors. At the very top, The Gravity Bar, you get your “free” pint and a 360 degree view of Dublin.
By this time it was getting well into the afternoon and we were very hungry. We hopped back on the bus and went several stops, enjoying the commentary and the views, to the Temple Bar area (Bar means something like “street”). This took us pretty well along the entire route. There were supposed to be shops and restaurants in this area so we walked a few blocks until we got to Luigi Malone’s Restaurant which looked promising. It was very good – I had beer battered shrimp and chips (French Fries) and John had Lasagna with a salad. Lunch included wine or beer and it was one of the better bargains we’d seen so far – 12.95 Euros including the wine. Since I was with the Shopping Ogre, we didn’t do any shopping.
After lunch we were both feeling a little weary and decided we would try to catch the 5:00 pm bus back to Galway. It was already 4:40 so it was a little iffy considering we were not exactly sure how far the bus station was. Turns out it was quite a distance but we walked fast, found our way and got there in about 10 minutes. We were both pretty pooped, especially after the final sprint to the station. It was easy to doze on the bus home.
When we got close to Galway center, the traffic was at a near standstill. The Galway Races were on this week and there was lots of traffic and partying going on. We finally got to the station and after paying 22 Euros for parking all day, we headed for home, arriving a little before 10:00 pm. We had a great time and were happy to not have used our umbrellas.

Exploring Inishere-Aran Islands

Wouldn’t you know it, cloudy again and actually looking like rain but we have the tickets booked and paid for so off we went at 9:00. John brought an umbrella but then we left it in the car. It was not raining when we set off on the ferry for the approximately one hour ride. However, it was raining lightly when we arrived so we headed to the restaurant that one of the ferry crew members recommended, something like Roary’s. They were just setting up for lunch so we ordered beer and decided on Irish Lamb Stew. It was hot and delicious, perfect for this cool, wet day. By the time we finished, it was raining a little more seriously. We hurried to a little grocery shop across from the pub and found fold-up umbrellas for 4.95 each, a bargain in this situation – we purchased two of them and headed off to see the sights. The Island was really gorgeous with its stone fences, lush greenery and wildflowers everywhere plus a castle (in ruins), church ruins, ancient cemetery, a rusty shipwreck and other picturesque sights. We walked for a very long time – my legs got really tired at the end due to still recovering from back surgery. We arrived back at the ferry dock a little early so had an ice cream cone/bar while we waited. It had stopped raining about the time we got to the shipwreck so that was good. I took a lot of pictures even through the rain and they came out pretty well considering the weather. In some ways the lighting is better than when the sun is blazing. This is a new situation for my photographic endeavors since the sun is nearly always shining in Mexico.

We had an uneventful trip back home and snacked on cheese and Guinness for supper. Maybe the weather will be better tomorrow - or maybe it won't.

Trip to Country Museum - Castlebar

Today we decided to drive to Castlebar in Mayo County – north of Galway. The overall distance was not great but the roads were again narrow, winding and scenic. The first part of the trip was over roads we had traveled on the Connemara Loop but then we headed into new territory to the north. Once again the weather was pretty overcast but it was not raining. We pulled over along the way and ate our picnic lunch. We found our way to Castlebar and looked for the National Heritage Museum of Country Living, which was our destination for today’s trip. We saw no signs so finally asked an old fellow on the street and he told us it was about 3 miles out of town. We did find it then but it was more like 4 or 5 miles. The museum is situated in a beautiful park and old mansion. A couple of rooms in the mansion were open to viewing but the exhibits were in a separate new building built for that purpose. There were four floors of exhibits on country life in Ireland from about 1850 onwards. They also had an interesting video presentation. While in the museum we noticed that it started pouring outside – the first hard rain we’ve experienced since our arrival in Ireland. However, it didn’t last long and by the time we were ready to leave, it had stopped.
We took a slightly different route home and enjoyed some new scenery.

Walking in Galway Center

It’s a good thing we did the Cliffs trip yesterday because today the weather is not as good. We decided to take the bus into downtown and do a walking stroll through town. Galway center is not all that big and very easy to walk with a large pedestrian area and a walk along the Corrib River and through the medieval streets. We first visited the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas which was built around 1320 on the site of an earlier chapel. It was added to and modified over the centuries but still has many of the original features. It is the largest medieval parish church in Ireland still in constant use.
From there we walked along the river to the Galway Cathedral. This cathedral is very modern having been built in the 1960’s. It is a magnificent church and we spent quite a while looking around inside and watching a video presentation about the building of the cathedral which was interesting and informative. While we were inside, someone was practicing on the organ – probably the organist who was scheduled to play a concert that evening, so we were quite pleased to hear some of the work. The organ was built in Liverpool and consists of 2000 pipes ranging from 6 inches to 21 feet. It sounded heavenly and music filled this very large cathedral.
After walking everywhere, we stopped for fish and chips at McDonaghs – recommended by our hosts. I had salmon and John had cod – both were outstanding – and filling. We headed for home.

The Cliffs of Moher

My plan was to get an early start to the Cliffs of Moher. Well, that didn’t quite happen. We were on the road at 9:45 a.m. Armed with a print out with directions from Google Maps we headed for the Cliffs. Driving through/around Galway City was a bit tricky because of all the roundabouts. We did pretty well, though, with only one wrong exit which we quickly discovered and got turned around.

The Cliffs of Moher, (pronounced “more”), are located in County Clare, southeast of Galway. The actual distance from Barna is not very far – maybe 60 miles – but it is very slow going because of driving through the city and then the really narrow roads. Interestingly enough, the speed limit on these roads is 100 km/hr (about 62 mph) but we could not imagine going that fast. Most of the time we drove 60 kph (35 mph) and it seemed a lot faster – especially to the passenger. There are quite a few tour buses heading to the Cliffs and they took up more than their lane. I had to close my eyes whenever we met one – fortunately, John kept his eyes open.. There are NO shoulders on these roads – very scary.

We passed through many quaint towns, lush green fields, sea views, castles in ruin and the unique burren landscape. Our drive took us along the south shore of Galway Bay and then down the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the Cliffs. Just before arriving at the Cliffs we stopped for a brief look close up at the burren. This unique area is covered with limestone rocks of varying shapes and sizes, some with holes in them, varying amount of greenery in between the rocks and many species of wildflowers. In fact 75% of the plants in Ireland are represented in the Burren. The footing over the rocky areas is pretty tricky so we didn’t do a lot of walking there.

We arrived at the Cliffs and parked in the lot and paid the “facility fee”. There was a small visitor’s center but the main attraction was the cliffs. They were magnificent – a series of several cliffs towering over the Atlantic – 600 feet high. There were walks in both direction with stairs to get to the top to view the cliffs. The weather varied even while we were there from partly sunny to rain. After seeing all there was to be seen (except the shops which I was not allowed to visit), we headed back towards Galway.

At the town of Kinvarra nearly Galway, we stopped for lunch at Moran’s Oyster House on the Weir – recommended by my friend Thea whose parents had a cottage there for years. What a fabulous lunch! I had garlic broiled missels which were the best I have ever tasted – so very fresh. John had beer battered fried prawns and they were also delicious. We accompanied our meal with a half pint of Guinness. We sat outside with a view of the weir – a very pleasant late lunch and ending to a wonderful day in Ireland. The rest of the drive home was not bad and we got through all the roundabouts in fine style.

Drive to Clifden

Window Box in Clifden

Clifden Centre

Countryside in Clifden

Monday morning we awoke to more overcast and light rain. We were used to it by now and decided to take a drive up to Clifden in Connemara County about an hour and a half drive west-northwest of Barna. It sounds farther than it really is - the two lane narrow roads require a very slow pace. However, this allows one to savor the scenery.

Clifden is located right on the Atlantic Ocean and is quite charming with shops and restaurants and pleasant walks. We strolled through the central area and stopped for a light lunch. Clifden is a center of Connemara pony activities but unfortunately, the big show is in August, after we are gone. I did, however, notice a little tack store on and had a look at Irish tack and accessories - mostly for children and ponies. Another claim to fame for Clifden is that Marconi started his the first commercial transatlantic wireless service here.

The rain became a little more serious so we decided to head for home. The drive through the countryside is just so beautiful - even in the rain. Close to home we stopped at a Craft's center and browsed the few shops. Had a nice chat with a bored shopkeeper who talked about the Galway Races coming up next week.

Silver Strand and Salthill Beaches

Silver Strand Beach, Galway Co.

More Silver Strand Beach

Swimmers at Salthill Beach

View from Salthill Promenade

The weather on the weekend was quite nice so we visited two nearby beaches, Silver Stand which is only two miles from the house and the Salthill area between Barna and Galway City. We walked around both areas and enjoyed people watching and the beautiful coastal views. We dined at a local Italian restaurant, Mulberry's, where we enjoyed wonderful ravioli stuffed with seafood and a creamy sauce. This restuarant is just a block or so from the house.