The Emerald Isle Day 1

We returned last week from a wonderful trip to Ireland.  It was perfect.  Considering that Ireland has had more rain this summer than ever in 'living history' we lucked out.  It rained a little bit most days, but was, for the most part, sunny.  And cool!  Just as autumn is supposed to be.  Not the 90 degree weather we're still having in Sicily (and Yes! I am complaining).  I digress...  Soren behaved beautifully, and was a joy to everyone he met.  Patrick and I had a relaxing and enjoyable time.  I would say it was a great success.

People in Ireland are gems, they are lovely and sweet.  We enjoy staying in Bed and Breakfasts, meeting new people and getting recommendations from locals.  We've never been steered wrong.  And speaking of steering (nice segue), I was so impressed with Patricks driving skills.  He was able to navigate through extremely narrow lanes all while shifting with his left hand, and driving on the left side of the road.  It was so wonderful to have a rental car.  We were able to get on the road when we wanted, stop when and where we wanted, and see parts of the country that you don't when taking buses or trains.

Our first full day we made our way from Athlone in the midlands to Galway.  We stopped at the tourist information office to get recommendations on what to do that day and where to stay.  Unfortunately we stayed in a budget hotel in downtown Galway, while it was convenient for our exploration of the city, it left much to be desired by way of homeyness and perhaps cleanliness.

How YOU doin'?

Our first Irish breakfast.  Later I would order smoked salmon and
scrambled eggs whenever I had the chance.  Little did I know
that Soren would eat nearly as much as I would. 

Soren was practicing driving on the other side of the road.

Our little trooper.

We decided to head out of town North to Cong, a very cute and quaint little town.  Their claim to fame is that  the town was the backdrop for the John Wayne film 'The Quiet Man' (I've never seen it either).  The town is darling.  There's a nice park with an old monastery, a beautiful stream, and many nature trails.  Unfortunately I didn't have on the right shoes, nor did we have enough time, so we were unable to explore as much as we would have liked.

Patrick pulled off on the side of the road when we saw this castle (?) in the
distance.  There were so many of these manors, keeps, and castles
scattered throughout the majestic countryside.

I love these series of photos.  

Soren up to something....

Ha, ha!  Got your nose.

Outside the city limits is an amazing five star hotel, the Ashford Castle www.ashford.ie.  It's always been my dream to stay in a castle, but it wasn't to be this time around.  This particular castle was built in the 13th century.  For 5 Euro per person you have access to the grounds, with gardens to explore located on a loch (lake), there is much to see.  It was an afternoon well spent.

On our way back to Galway (about 1.5 hours) Soren napped.  (This would be our habit, take off around nap time.  Soren would sleep, well, I might add.  And we would often arrive at our destination when he would awaken.  We would explore the area, walk around, etc.  Then we would either have him take another nap, or head back to our hotel.)  We checked into our hotel in Galway and headed out on the town (as much as you can with a 7 month old).  We found a couple pubs that started playing Trad (traditional Irish music) early and were able to listen to a couple songs before Soren was bored.  Honestly of our entire trip the only thing I wish I could have done more of was listen to live music.

The bartender thought it was funny (though not unusual) to see a baby
in the pub.  After asking me if Soren needed a straw, he poured
him his very own Guinness.