Ireland: Day 5 - Cliffs of Moher

 Once again, Matthew's research didn't fail us, as he instructed us that we needed to arrive at the Cliffs of Moher by a certain time before mist often obscures the grand views. He was right. We arrived, captured magnificent photos and took in the breathtaking landscape in all directions. In less than an hour, visibility was nearly zero and they even closed part of the park due to windy conditions. I am so glad we got to see one of the more notable sights of Ireland, in all its glory!

We stopped in Limerick for lunch, saw King John's Castle, and meandered the streets along and across the river Shannon. We tried to stop in an antique store, but sadly being Sunday, most of Ireland is closed or closes early. We also ran into this problem upon our arrival back to Dublin, stopping at no less than 5 pubs to only be turned away for early closing. We ended up with Thai take-out, which was hilariously portioned but hit the spot nonetheless. 

You'd think we'd have turned in for the night, but instead, we headed up to finish off our final bottle of wine in Matthew and Katie's hotel room and talked about where we might go for our next trip together. It's always an adventure, if not somewhat of a risk, to travel with friends. I can wholeheartedly say, it will not be the last Artigues-Hopkins trip- only the first of many!

I would be remiss to not mention how thoughtfully this trip was planned out by Matthew, who curated every detail from a list of restaurant options near all our stays, dinner reservations, and the perfect road trip route. Spoiled is an understatement!

Ireland will hold a special place in my heart for the friendships that blossomed and the wonderful people we encountered throughout our journey. 

xxR

Ireland: Day 4 - Kylemore Abbey & Connemara National Park

 Today we got up and drove to Connemara to see Kylemore Abbey. This exquisite castle was erected as a gift for a rich man's wife, turned abbey in WWI when Benedictine nuns fled from Belgium, and now a working Benedictine Monastery and tourist attraction. It sits amongst trees, facing a lake, and with extensive grounds featuring the famous 6-acre Victorian Walled Garden. We wandered the castle, property, watched the pigs get fed, and were amused by the sorts of crops they were able to grow in the 22 greenhouses that sat inside the perimeter of the walled garden. I'm so glad we didn't miss this serene and moody castle and it's rich history!

A short drive away, with backpacks full of sandwiches, we began our hike through Connemara National Park. We were warned by our one of our food guides and also our host's brother not to hike this in bad weather conditions, but it was only misty and windy (which we Americans didn't equate to 'bad weather conditions'). The other important trail note was to hike clockwise around Diamond Hill, as to do the opposite is more difficult and possibly more dangerous. 

We trekked for several kilometers, slowly ascending the hill, which went from grassy, hilly, and green to rocky, steep, and misty landscapes. The wind started to really pick up as we ascended the jagged hillside, and we started to all become a little more than alarmed when the mist left little visibility while the wind was practically pushing us sideways. Slowly, crouching, we steadily looped our way down the hillside and out of the mist and the wind. With laughter and relief, we all agreed that we would have probably not done the hike had we known the length and difficulty, but we were proud and exhilarated at what we had accomplished!

   

On our drive back towards Galway we found another small castle on the GPS. With a little trial and error, we walked through a private drive to get back to an abandoned Gothic Revival-style castle that was built in the early 19th century. Only 75 years after Clifden Castle was built, the family that bought the castle from the original owner, who had died, let it fall into disrepair. It was surrounded by the greenest grass, sweetest cows and tiny, soft little lambs. 

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We stopped for dinner at a local pub in Clifden, which is the cutest little coastal town. I wish we had more time there, but the end of our journey was just days away! We looked around for live music and had dessert at a spot across the street from the pub, but Irish-time didn't come soon enough and it was time to leave before any music started to play :(

A long drive back, and it was time to turn in before our final day in Ireland. 

Ireland: Day 3 - Galway

We awoke to finally see our beautiful Home Exchange in daylight. As promised, Matthew made us the best scrambled eggs, paired with the morning light streaming, instant coffee, and Irish butter on toast, it became our morning ritual. 

A 15 minute drive into Galway, we started on our food tour with not one but two guides, since one was in training. We had a fantastic time learning about Galway, its rising food scene, and Irish history from the perspective of our college-aged guide alongside the veteran guide who was in the generation above us. Some of our foods and stops included a bakery with green croissants, a coffee shop, an assortment of local charcuterie, sushi, and whiskey, tiny traditional pub which was entirely too much seafood paired with Irish lamb stew, The King's Head where we had what I would call elevated bar food that included beet salad and lamb meatballs. We rounded out with delicious ice cream at Murphy's where we had samplings of unique flavors like Irish Brown Bread, Dingle Sea Salt, and Chocolate Whiskey. 

Needless to say, we had time to kill but no appetite or room in our stomachs to sit at another pub. So we walked along this coastal city, stopping into wool clothing shops, used-book stores, and then finally along the waterline with the wind in our faces. 

Finally, we had some room for a pint, so we found a quiet pub and sat down for card games and drinks. We had previously discussed, since we were newer friends, that we wanted to get to know the family dynamics, per se, of everyone's upbringing. Thus began, over the course of several days, what we called 'family tree.' We started by showing a picture of each family member and describing 'in a nutshell' who they were and our relationship with them. This really began etching in the depth of our friendship with the Artigues and now, months later, I look back on all those hours of conversation with so much fondness. 

As a group we had decided we wanted to go to KAI, which is a Michelin Star restaurant in little Galway. We continued our lovely discussion of family and had a lot of great food and wine. 

Back to the Home Exchange, we continued to play games, talk and make a plan for the following day. I loved the nightly routine of talking about our Rose, Thorn and Bud of the day, and I think all of us had to say that Family Tree made it's way into everyone's hearts!

Ireland: Day 2 - Road Trip to Galway

 The next day, we grabbed some coffee and breakfast and then headed towards Galway. We had a few planned stops, one of them being Kilbeggan Distillery. 

We heard the history of the distillery and made traditional Irish coffees, but my favorite part was getting to speak candidly about Irish culture with our tour guide, who was actually a French immigrant who married an Irish gal and never left! I think we all enjoyed learning about someone who has been in Ireland for over half their life and never planned to leave - and why! He remarked that people were so much happier and friendlier in Ireland. It was a lovely cultural exchange, and it was a great surprise to be the only four on the tour so that we could have this type of conversation!

Next, we needed some lunch, so we were frantically looking for something nearby, but there were only small towns with very few proper restaurants. We stopped at what looked to be a promising pub, but it wasn't open mid-afternoon. Matthew and I charged into what appeared to be a cafeteria-style restaurant, full of locals. We enjoyed a quaint little lunch and giggled amongst ourselves at what an odd establishment we were in, yet thoroughly enjoyed our time there!

We then headed to Athlone Castle, which is perched above the Shannon River. It was a nice break from the car and we wandered through the exhibits and read about the history of the castle, which dated back to the 12th century. 

Max's kin hail from Roscommon, which was hardly out of the way for us to make a stop at Roscommon Castle. Now in ruins, it dates back to the 13th century and was open-air and free to walk around. We had a lot of fun speculating about different rooms and scenarios that happened around "Max's Castle." 

Of course, we had to stop at Aldi for the essentials! We agreed that with our home exchange, we'd take advantage of the full kitchen and Matthew's egg-making skills in the mornings. We surreptitiously shopped, looking at and then buying a lot of Irish treats and drinks. Why are grocery stores so quiet in European countries?

It was getting close to dinner, so we parked and walked around Galway at last and were recommended a really nice place for dinner 😆 It turned out to just a kind of average pub, but we still partook in all the traditional foods like clam chowder, fish and chips, and soda bread. From another recommendation, we found a spot for some live music and listened for a while, drinking in both the spirit and atmosphere of this bustling town of Galway at night. 

    

The thorn of the day was certainly when we sat in traffic for over an hour trying to get to our Home Exchange for the evening. It was a two-lane road and some kind of accident had us trying to take a backroad that turned into a lot of people trying to do the same. It was definitely an adventure and Matthew fearlessly drove us over bridges, roads, peat and narrow gravel pathways only for us to turn around for our own safety. 

We were greeted by our hosts' brother, who lives right next door to our Home Exchange. He gave us a wealth of information and was so kind and welcoming. Had he not been heading out of town the following day, I think Matthew would have found a new best friend for the entirety of our stay!

Ireland: Day 1 - Dublin

 Dia duit! Our trip to Ireland was somewhat spontaneous but full of SO many memories and good times. Matthew and Katie invited us in December on their trip to Ireland. They had arranged a lovely Home Exchange in Galway for 3 nights and want to know if we'd like to join. Max and I hadn't really finalized our travel plans for 2025 and decided that a trip across the pond (again!) was just the trip we needed for the Spring!

We arrived in Dublin in the morning and went to Naked Bakes for coffee and pastries. I've been a long time follower of @eatnakedbakes (formerly @ohhappytreats) and really wanted to go to the shop and get some treats. I met the owner, Aisling, and told her I was an OG fan and was giddy to be there.

After my brush with stardom, we walked over to Saint Patrick's Cathedral and read about the history of the church and the park outside of it. 

Next was our Guinness Tour, which is a self-guided journey through the process of making and the history of Guinness beer. It was really well done, and we had several tastings and then had the premier experience (thank you, Matthew!) of the laser-etched Guinness foam and then an extra rooftop pint! It was a Guinness-filled afternoon!

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We checked in our lodging and took the tram system to Brazen Head, which claims to be the oldest pub in Ireland, with an operating date back to 1198. The food was spectacular and we squeezed into a small room off the side of the restaurant section to listen to some traditional Irish music!  It was a great way to end the evening on our first night in Ireland!