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!