http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Ireland , County Galway , Connemara en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:10:27 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:10:27 +0000 Okay somehow i will try to make this quick....First of all I survived my first day of driving in Ireland...Yeah Second of all this place is so charming and picturesque...I feel like royalty on vacation at a country cottage. It's a fairytale and a relaxing night well deserved after white knuckling it all the way from Dublin.I could not have made it without a great copilot either. Warren is http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-451009.html Our home for our time in the Connemara is tended by a British couple the Skeltons who have been doing the B B thing for many years first in their native Portsmouth and now in Ireland. We really enjoyed interacting with the couple. While Dave is the front man and the one we interacted with most often it is pretty obvious that Diane rules the roost. Although he is well into his sixties Dav http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-437150.html Saturday July 4 Galway Connemara National Park. We have been so busy. Irsquom just catching up with our journal. Saturday morning we spent time relaxing around the breakfast table with our hosts Liz and Joe. At 1000 Liz led us into Salt Hill so that Dean could use the pool. It is a lovely facility with 3 pools a gym minigolf midway rides etc. While he swam Liz Jackie Jeff and I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-416259.html Wednesday June 24 Connemara National ParkTodayrsquos activities were an easy choice we were going to drive back towards the north and see Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey. The abbey was practically next door to Connemara so we were almost obliged to stop. As we drove over a bridge on the approach to the abbey I let out an ooooh and ahhhh at the beautiful image of the abbey set on the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-413854.html After yesterday's very challenging Croagh Patrick climb Emily took Matteo Adrianna and I on a lessstrenuous trek up a smaller mountain with a path to a shrine to St. Patrick overlooking a hidden mountaintop lake at Maum. The wind was ferocious and it was very cold it was so wild and completely apart from the world. Ringed by mountains with a green valley below us it was breathtaking or ma http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-409953.html After our late night last nite we all slept a little later than normal. After a quick run thru the shower we were on our way for the day. We made a quick stop at the grocery to pick up some snacks for a picnic lunch. Our first stop of the day was the town Cong. We spent a good amount of time in the Cong Abby and on itrsquos grounds. We then ventured over to the TI for directions. The TI pointe http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-386363.html Happy Motherrsquos Day March 22 is motherrsquos day in Ireland. Weird their dates are a little different than ours for certain things. Daylight Savings is also different they do have it but theyrsquore a couple of weeks off from us. The time difference from there to here is normally 5hrs but has been 4hrs for my whole trip because wersquore in that couple week period between us http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-384795.html Our touring day in the Burren highlighted something that we noticed on our very first day in Ireland the odd system of road signage. On our first day we observed Lauriersquos favorite sign Walking on Water. The road signs though proved even more intriguing. Other than the fact that many intersections have no signage whatsoever and that many small country roads are not numbered the signs http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-351102.html Hey all Wonderful weekend here I just had. I returned back from the World Fleadh to Galway to rest. I was COMPLETELY exhausted in so many different ways. So it was good to do that for a day or two. Then Friday Grainne and I headed up to the edge of Connemara for a day of hiking. It was really great. It was very boggy and brown which made for some interesting footing and path creation adventure http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-311184.html July 13 2008Galway to Connemara to Castlebar County Mayo Ireland Oscar Wilde described Connemara as a savage beauty and its patchwork of lakes rugged mountains and windswept bogs certainly give a sense of splendid isolation. Ireland but especially NW Ireland is a fisherman's delight. This is for you Dave Geis you would love the fishing... the lakes the rivers and the ocean fishing http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-300579.html Today was supposed to be a visit to the Aran Islands three islands off the coast of Ireland just out of Galway Bay where the people still live much as they did over a hundred years ago. This is also where the Aran sweater originated the traditional Irish wool sweater with different designs woven into the sweater. Each design has a meaning and each family had a specific pattern which identifie http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-273624.html 4.18.08 Update since back in Londonhellip Dartmoor was incredible. Got back into London and enjoying it better this time. A tale from the hostel...rated R First night back at the hostel a pretty young lady stepped in the room while I was about to go down and make dinner. We got to chatting and decided to go get some dinner at a Greek restaurant just down the street it was raining. Shersquo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-268703.html Today was pretty amazing to say the least. We left for Connemara around 930am and it was just the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. Again if you are on the west coast of Ireland take a trip through Connemara. The ride itself will be an adventure filled with amazing scenery. We went through the peaklands of the area what I guess to be the equivalent to the highlands in Scotland. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-265711.html Christmas travel www.worldtravelling.cn Christmas in Ireland is an experience to be cherished. Christmas traditions have been handed down over generations. As you stroll along the streets you feel the excitement of Christmas Past while shopping for traditional Christmas treats.Ireland is one of the few places on earth where the meaning of Christmas is still remembered the birth of the C http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-229947.html August 2005We were looking for somewhere easy and price competitive from EMA for a spontaneous trip at August Bank Holiday. The best option was direct to Shannon on board the penny fight champions without a particular plan of action thereafter. The most obvious destination was Limerick. However a quick read of certain travel guides seems to focus on a place with unemployment crime and general ne http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-207196.html Monday started out with no rain to visit KYLEMORE ABBEY. Built in the 1860's this was acquired by the Benedictine nuns in 1920 when they left Belgium in World War I and now houses a secondary girls boarding school. It was rather breathtaking when we pulled in the parking lot. I tried to get my camcorder to tape but no luck. I don't know what what was wrong it ticked me off . So I lugged around http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-198278.html When last we left you we'd been exploring the Connemara area. On our last day in Connemara we saw some really spectacular sights. On Monday we drove from Clifden out to Cong in Co. Mayo. Cong is famous for being the place where much of The Quiet Man was filmed and boy is the town milking it there's Quiet Man everything for sale there and the area is very scenic. We walked around the ol http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-154468.html For our last API excursion of the semester our group headed to the Delphi Activity Centre in Connemara for an overnight stay and the opportunity to test our athletic skills. There were different options for outdoor activities we could choose surfing or team games . . . I stuck with the ones that got me off the ground. Being addicted to anything rock climbinghigh ropes related I was super exc http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-144111.html So option 1 for this past weekend was to go up to Tory Island a little island about 15 kilometers off the north coast of Ireland which has apparently claimed independence from the republic has its own king and is nothing but rocks. We were to go with the Gaelic speaking Drama society who was headed up to Tory Island to perform its current production about heaven and hell fighting over the sou http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-125407.html Yesterday I finally made it down to Salthill for the first time since I have been herewhich has been exactly one month and a day. The weather was absolutly perfect so Sudie and Jenny and I decided to walk on down to see the ocean. We sat up on the diving platform for about 30 minutes just taking pictures and watching. Unfortunately Jenny's sunglasses fell into the water taking a dive http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-125367.html