We landed in Ireland four days ago and, already, any and all expectations of what I might have had of this country have been exceeded.
After getting about only about three-and-a-half hours of sleep on the flight over the Atlantic we picked up our rental car and I drove to Ireland’s west coast. The first few minutes of the drive out of Dublin were horrific but it didn't take long to get used to driving on the left, the endless roundabouts, and the impossibly narrow roads. Thankfully the drivers here are a lot more forgiving than I'm used to.
The city of Galway was our home for the first three nights and by the second day driving got much easier. What I've learned so far is this is an incredibly complex place with an even more complex history. The food, the culture, and the people reflect a humble warmth that’s born of struggle and is difficult to put into words.
The grass is a brilliant, an almost florescent, green that has a way of brightening your mood even when it's cloudy. Our raincoats have been our saviors because it can rain at anytime, buy a good one if you visit. Once you get out into the countryside the sheep and cows outnumber people a thousand-to-one.
The first picture I took in Galway.
There's nothing like your first trip to a destination. The memories made serve as a measure for all future trips. The food here must be tasted to be believed. The produce is fresh, the dairy rich. During our first few days we've had better food in Ireland that we've had anywhere else in Europe.
We haven't been to Europe since 2019 and about two days into the trip it was as though I felt this peace wash over me. It was almost as if residual trauma was being released. It seems the political tensions boiling in America and the violent crime running rampant in the cities have taken more of a toll than I realized. It's so refreshing to walk the streets without fear of being robbed or, worse yet, hit by a stray bullet.
During our time in Galway we took a side trip to Kylemore Abbey and stopped alongside the road for an impromptu sheep feeding. Click the YouTube video below for a collection of all the photos from our time in gorgeous Galway.
We have lots of adventures left to go. Next stop, the town of Killarney.
