A trip to Ireland has always been a dream of ours but neither of us realized we would have the opportunity to visit so soon. Let me preface by saying that the beauty we saw in four days along with the details is too much to even cram into one blog post, so bare with me. We chose to visit County Clare, Galway, Mayo, and Dublin, unfortunately, our timeframe didn't allow us to visit anywhere else. You can drive from coast to coast in three hours, giving you a perspective of just how small this country is. Many visitors plan at least a week to ten days to tour around but we were feeling up to covering a lot of the country in just four days. Aggressive? Yes, probably, but it turned out to be the perfect itinerary.
We flew into the West Coast at 4:00pm and got set up with our bright red oh so tiny rental car which would be our primary transportation for the trip. We both kept saying to each other, "Keep left, keep left!" and laughing about how odd it seemed to be driving on the opposite side of the road. The Cliffs of Moher along the rugged coast of the Atlantic were our first stop. Magnificent and utterly breathtaking are words that come to mind to truly describe these massive cliffs. A winding drive through the rolling hills of The Burren region, mainly covered with limestone, would be the route to our first hotel. A tiny hiccup from the back seat followed by a cry had Alex immediately pulling over alongside the road. Brecken had gotten sick all over himself and his car seat, poor guy! We had an oh sh*t moment when we realized we had nothing but a few baby wipes to clean up a real mess. Thankful to our first hotel for awesome customer service and giving us detergent, hot water, a bucket and a scrub brush to clean everything up. We weren't taking any chances on being unprepared the next day and made an early morning trip to the grocery store for paper towels, sponges and detergent! Yet another new lesson learned for traveling with a child, always be prepared for sickness. After a good nights rest, B bear was back to himself and ready to conquer day two.
The next day started off with a full Irish breakfast and a few hours in Galway City, a harbor city that has an artsy feel with stone-clad buildings, musicians on the streets, bright colors throughout the latin quarter and many storefronts. We walked the streets, checked out a few sites, enjoyed the best donuts ever, and marked it as seen. Next stop was a drive through the Connemara region, a vast area of landscape that reminded me a bit of areas in Wyoming. Each turn gave way to different scenery although one thing remained consistent, and that was the sheep roaming about. We visited the Kylemore Abbey, once a castle and now home to benedictine nuns. The Kylemore is worth a visit to experience the aura of tranquility and rich history. Our evening was spent at a simple oceanside lodge in the countryside.
We rented bikes the next morning and biked our booties from Westport to Newport and back on the Great Western Greenway. The nice weather didn't hold out and left two of us biking in the rain, one of us, covered from the elements in a bike trailer, napping off his cookies from earlier.
We had lunch in Westport and then headed across the country, aiming to reach Dublin by dinnertime.
Dublin was such a great city, I think Alex and I need a trip back here without the little guy so we can sit in a pub after 10pm and listen to Irish music. We loved the vibe here, truly multicultural and laid back but true to its Irish roots. Highlight of the city was touring the Guinness factory where we earned a certificate for learning how to properly pour a Guinness. From green countryside to busy city streets, we enjoyed every moment of this trip to Ireland.
