A couple weeks ago, Erika had some work in Ireland, so Rob flew up to join her for a quick weekend road trip. We originally planned to focus on a few, small areas, but quickly bit off more than we could chew. Erika's work was in Shannon, so Rob drove up from Cork (after enjoying the traditional Irish treat, Starbucks. There was a time when Rob would feel like a guilty, typical tourist for having a Starbucks, but after two years in a country where a take-away coffee is nearly impossible to find, some of the snob is wearing off).
We made our way through the gorgeous-even-in-the-overcast-fall-weather countryside to Galway, where we stayed in a fantastic bed and breakfast. We were planning to double back to the south after a morning in Galway, but our hostess convinced us to head north, into the area known as Connemara. The thing with Ireland is that it is beautiful everywhere, but each part is uniquely beautiful, so, if you're not careful you end up driving the entire island as you realize, "Oh, we're not too far from X, let's go check it out, too." This is a perfectly wonderful way to travel, but not if you have reservations 5 hours away.
Connemara is beautiful (how many times will we use 'beautiful' when describing Ireland?) and we had a great morning drive to the coast, along the only Irish fjord, in which dolphins are often found if you have the time to stop and look for them. We visited some lovely shops and saw a castle and Rob clapped like a six-year-old when our car was forced to stop for a passing herd of sheep: "It's just like the movies!"
We finally made it back to Galway for a late lunch (for some of the best chicken pot pie we've ever had) and then pushed on to the Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately, two things happened then. One, we'd spent too much time (and daylight) in Connemara, and, two, the 'cute' picturesque, windy Irish roads caught up to us and we got a little carsick. So we raced to the cliffs, trying to reach them before sunset but also trying not to drive too fast. It was pretty stupid. We made it in time to see the cliffs and grab a photo, but just barely:
Finally, we continued on (after an insane GPS-inspired trip through several farms) to Kilarney. Though we'd originally intended to drive both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, we actually learned a lesson from the first day, and chose to just do the Ring of Kerry. The drive around the Ring of Kerry is absolutely breathtaking. The weather wasn't great for photographs, but we managed to get in a few.
Like our trip to Scotland, we just barely got a taste of Ireland and can't wait to get back. We ate well, the beer was phenomenal, the people were fantastic and the countryside is stunning. You just can't see it all in two days.
