§ Caroline and I landed in Dublin early Monday morning, slightly dazed from jet lag but otherwise excited. The flight was surprisingly easy. I managed to sleep—albeit fitfully—for a majority of it. We dropped off our bags at the hotel and wandered through the city for a while. Around the River Liffey, St. Stephen’s Green, and Temple Bar.
§ On Tuesday we took a bus tour to Glendalough and spent the morning walking though the Wicklow mountains. It was fascinating to see how much incredible nature is accessible so close to Dublin’s city center.
§ Continuing the theme of beautiful nearby nature, on Wednesday we took the DART to Howth, the picturesque little seaside town where Bad Sisters was filmed. We saw the castle and the abbey but the highlight was obviously the cliff walk which was absolutely breathtaking.
§ On Thursday we spent most of the day exploring the various museums of bookstores around Dublin’s city center. For dinner, we went back to Howth to eat at our new favorite seafood spot.
§ Early Friday morning we packed our bags and took the train west across the country into Galway where we picked up our rental car and drove an hour south to Liscannor.
I didn’t realize the Galway Races were in full swing so Galway city was a bit of a madhouse but soon we were out far enough into the country that traffic wasn’t a problem.
Driving on the left side of the road was fine, it turns out. The unbelievably narrow Bóithrín roads, on the other hand, made for some stressful driving. There are 80 km/h two-lane roads that are narrower than any single-lane road I’ve seen in the US. Absolutely mad.
§ Finally, yesterday we joined Pat Sweeney for a hike along the Cliffs of Moher which has been the highlight of the trip so far. Thanks in equal measure to the cliffs themselves and Pat’s stories.
§ I have to admit, during yesterday’s cliff walk I got a sunburn. In Ireland. On an overcast day.
