Ireland - Grass is Greener in Irish country side

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Thoughts

Going to Western Ireland was a great escape. Rolling hills, clear skies, green grass, crisp air, happy cows, smiley kids - this culiminated into a relaxing vacation from hustle/bustle of everyday life

We flew into Shannon and stayed in a small town called Fanore in the Burrens. Our Bed & Breakfast was run by a nice couple with 3 adorable kids. This charming Bed & Breakfast served organic breakfast with fresh veggies from hand-picked from their outdoor garden. We woke each morning to a spendid view of the countryside from our window.

Where We Went

We spent our time primarily in the Burrens with scenic drives along the coast and made 2 trips to Galway. Along the way back to the airport, we stopped by the Bunratty Castle. The castle was so much fun

Places Visited

• The Burrens
  
• Kilfinora
  
• Kinvara
  
• Fanore
  
• Galway
  
• Aran Island (InishMor)
  
• Shannon
  

What We Loved

• The friendliness of the Irish people we encountered.
  
• The Aran Islands: These islands are charming. We rented bicycles and rode around the island of InishMor. We
  
  Scenic Burrens

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  Clear skies, grass, crisp air, what more can you ask for?
  had lunch at this cozy cottage-like place and spoke to the owner. She told us an interesting story of a visit from Finneran and how he had he expected royal treatment. only had time to explore (InishMor) but wished we had more time to travel to all the islads
  
• Ring Forts Galore!
  
• Cows, cows, cows! We love cows. You will see more cows than you've ever seen before. And the Irish cows are brown, and healthy looking. they will look at you and even walk up to you.
  
• Driving was actually very fun
  
• Cliffs of Moher is breathtaking, although a bit scary with the sudden drop
  
• Medieval Romanesque Churches
  

What We Didn't Like

• There is increasing development in the countryside and it will probably grow worse in the future. The locals we talked to agree that development is on the rise . We fear that it will become too commercialized.
  
• We found Irish food to be quite bland - too much meat and potatoes
  
• Those crazy tour buses kept hogging the narrow road!
  
  

What We learned

Isabella, the friendly freckled face Irish kid
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This little girl was the cutest Irish kid (freckles, redhair, light skin)


• The Irish are not only friendly but accommodating.
  
• Guinness is good for your health (or so the Irish think)
  
• Irish dancing is a lot of fun and a great work-out!
  
• The Irish say "It's brilliant" all the time - it's equavalent of the American "That's great".
  
• End of August is a great time to go to Ireland - that's when the tourist season starts to taper off and there are less people.
  
• We kept seeing signs that said "Angling" and couldn't figure out what it meant. Later, someone finally told us it meant Fishing
  
• Did I mention the Irish love Guinness?
  
• The Irish schoolkids we observed were incredibly well-behaved. For example, sometimes, parents bring their kids to the pub and leave them at a desk to do their schoolwork while they mingle with others. One 10-year boy sat quietly next to us. When I went to get my meal, a napkin dropped and the boy quickly ran to the dropped napkin, picked it up and gave it to us.
  
• Like most places, the people outside the city are much more friendly. I had a
  
  Guiness is good for you?

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  The Irish are very proud of their beer and tout Guiness as a health drink. It seem that every Irish I met drank Guiness every day. Is Guiness good for you? I don't know but, I did order a Guiness for a photo shoot in Galway. This Pub was in Galway center and happening. The place was converted from a church. You can still see the stain-glass windows. We watched a group of dancers doing traditional Irish dancing here - it was so much fun!
  chance to visit Dublin 10 years back and had a different experience of the people
  
• We learned how to drive on the left (see tips below)
  
  
  

• Tips for driving in Ireland

  
  Yes, the roads are VERY VERY Narrow and lined by stoned walls. This makes driving quite interesting. Did I mention that the roads are Narrow?
  
  
  
  
  
  • 1. Rent the SMALLEST car you can get! SUVs are American dreams, not practical in the world.
    
    
    
  • 2. Drive slow in the beginning, so you get used to it. Other people will pass you if u are too slow, but they don't get mad like in USA
    
    
    
  • 3. Stop and pull aside, when a big tour bus comes by. There are tons of shoulders (ie empty spots) for you to pull aside.
    
    
    
  • 4. Get as close to the wall as possible by gauging how much distance you have. For me, I just felt it was better to scratch car against the wall, then get hit by a upcoming car. FYI, we got into no accidents, not even one scratch.
    
    
    
  • 5. Get full insurance, just in case you do scratch your car against the
    
    Caves

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    The cave cafe had awesome vegetable soup
    stoned walls. FYI, I returned my car unscathed - not one scratch!
    
    
    
  • 6. Practice a little before driving in the lot, so you are used to it.
    
    
    
  • 7. Have one person navigate while the other drives
    
    
    
  
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