Inishmore
Last evening we caught the ferry from Rossaveel west of Galway across Galway Bay to the Aran islands. The weather had been blustery and rainy from Kilkee north to the Cliffs of Moher but when we got the cliffs,, the crowds were small and the weather had improved to misty low hanging clouds that obscured all but the closest cliffs. While impressive, we weren't gob-smacked by the cliffs. Without sounding pretentious, we have better and more spectacular scenery along our own Oregon coast. Let's leave it at that.
We arrived on Inishmore and found ourselves in the care of a friendly Aran Islander named Noel. He drove us and 4 other Americans from the port 3 miles to our hotel, gave us 20 minutes to get settled, and then came back and drove us back to town for dinner. Our dinner companions all turned out to be TSA agents. I was relieved when they didn't ask me to take off my shoes and belt when we got on the bus. (Seriously, 2 very nice couples.). As we were finishing dinner, the band started setting up speakers, mic stands and music stands along with amps and a sound board, right behind our table. We took the hint and moved to a nearby table, slightly farther back. When the band kicked in they had the requisite squeeze box, the Irish drum and guitar with a woman singer. They played traditional Irish music and were still going when we left before 11.
I looked out the window about 7:30 this morning to find a perfectly still, cloudless sky and mirror like waters on the bay. After a quick shower, I grabbed the camera and set off on foot down the lane toward the water to try and catch as much of the golden first hour as possible. I was accompanied by the B&B's dog who happily escorted me, no doubt to protect me from the numerous hares that kept bounding across my path. In about 20 minutes, Noel will be back to take us around the island.
We came across a spectacular castle on the way from the cliffs to Galway. Paid our 3.5 euros admission and climbed to the top of the tower. Just another 16th century castle. Ho hum.
I'd also like to thank the gods of GPS. Making our way through Galway with our serpentine turns and numerous roundabouts, the GPS was continuously confirming our course and we drove right to the ferry an hour west of the city.
The Irish are about the nicest people on the planet. In about 10 days of driving, and making some obvious mistakes, no one has honked, flipped me off, rolled down their window and yelled, or otherwise indicated their displeasure with my obviously inferior driving skills. I challenge anyone to do the same in the U.S., or most industrialized countries of the world. Our TSA companions said the same thing was true for them.
All for now. Noel approaches.
We arrived on Inishmore and found ourselves in the care of a friendly Aran Islander named Noel. He drove us and 4 other Americans from the port 3 miles to our hotel, gave us 20 minutes to get settled, and then came back and drove us back to town for dinner. Our dinner companions all turned out to be TSA agents. I was relieved when they didn't ask me to take off my shoes and belt when we got on the bus. (Seriously, 2 very nice couples.). As we were finishing dinner, the band started setting up speakers, mic stands and music stands along with amps and a sound board, right behind our table. We took the hint and moved to a nearby table, slightly farther back. When the band kicked in they had the requisite squeeze box, the Irish drum and guitar with a woman singer. They played traditional Irish music and were still going when we left before 11.
I looked out the window about 7:30 this morning to find a perfectly still, cloudless sky and mirror like waters on the bay. After a quick shower, I grabbed the camera and set off on foot down the lane toward the water to try and catch as much of the golden first hour as possible. I was accompanied by the B&B's dog who happily escorted me, no doubt to protect me from the numerous hares that kept bounding across my path. In about 20 minutes, Noel will be back to take us around the island.
We came across a spectacular castle on the way from the cliffs to Galway. Paid our 3.5 euros admission and climbed to the top of the tower. Just another 16th century castle. Ho hum.
I'd also like to thank the gods of GPS. Making our way through Galway with our serpentine turns and numerous roundabouts, the GPS was continuously confirming our course and we drove right to the ferry an hour west of the city.
The Irish are about the nicest people on the planet. In about 10 days of driving, and making some obvious mistakes, no one has honked, flipped me off, rolled down their window and yelled, or otherwise indicated their displeasure with my obviously inferior driving skills. I challenge anyone to do the same in the U.S., or most industrialized countries of the world. Our TSA companions said the same thing was true for them.
All for now. Noel approaches.