While Clifden wasn't my original destination the day I arrived there, I must admit it was the most pleasant surprise. The day I spent out walking the loop will be one I always remember as a perfect introduction to the east coast of Ireland. Here are pictures from that walk.
My posts have been kind of limited because, besides being super busy hopscotching all over the place, the last two hostels have been pretty wifi challenged. Hence my extreme happiness at learning last night that I now have free unlimited data here overseas as well. Ok, it's only in maybe 8 of the potential 28 countries I may venture into, but hey, better than nothing.
It also kind of helps ease the pain of my camera biting the big one as soon as I got to Belfast. 😱 I'll be looking for a new one soon as I can find a good sale, but in the mean time, only have my phone for pics.
Speaking of pics, I have tons to post and a nice long train ride again of me today (possibly an even longer layover at Connelly station thanks to our super late departure. Fingers crossed on making my connection), so I will do my best. I'll try to keep them grouped by local, in separate posts.
One last thing....to the grammar/spelling police out there.... As most of my posts will be coming from my phone, and my daughter can attest to how sucky it is to type on (EVERYONE has fat finger syndrome on this phone), just ignore the obvious errors I miss. As for my writing style, well, I've already been told I write like I talk, so you'll either love it or hate it. Either way, at the age of 50 it ain't changing.
C-ya
So, a quick round up of my visit to Dublin, plus pics. Really enjoyed Dublin. Could easily spend more time there exploring the city and expanding to the outer suburbs. Like most cities, it has its ups and downs, but all in all a great place.
My evenings were mostly spent at the Cobblestone Pub as every night a different batch of locals came in for what we'd call a good old fashioned jam session, all playing traditional music.
There are also plenty of parks and green space to enjoy, TONS of mixed and exciting history to explore, more beautiful architecture than you can shake a stick at and a wide variety of food to graze your way thru.
Dublin is definitely worth returning to, and is a decent jumping off point for exploring other parts of Ireland.
So, I'm out of Galway and on my way to Belfast. Contemplated a couple more days before leaving, but decided I need to get moving. Had a wonderful time there, and I'm sure the company of my roommates had as much to do with that as the town itself.
As it turns out, Northern Ireland (being part of the UK) uses the Pound as it's currency. Really wishing I could remember if I packed the left over ones Steph brought back from her senior trip in high school. At least I have all the loose change she brought back. I've heard from a couple people that Belfast is a great place to visit, can't wait to get there.
I need to play catch up after no internet access at the Bunk, but i you want to see more pics, check out my Instagram account. Just look for @hawgwldnhartlss
More later.
After a windy, wet, wonderful two days in Clifden I hit the bus back to Galway. Decision of the day is if I can't get there with my rail pass, I'm not going.....for now. After all, a girl DOES have the right to change her mind.
I can highly recommend the Clifden Town Hostel. Great people running it, good prices, good accommodations, great location. Met some really nice people including Silke and a group of Germans that make an annual trip there. Talk about doing it in style!! Told them next time I'm coming with them.
The word of the day is Lucky. Lucked into an empty bed at a great (and now full) hostel in Galway (except for the the wifi issues). Lucked into a great group of girls sharing my room. Jeanette, Moya, Paris and Lucy are all great!! After a fantastic fish chowder (thank you, Jeanette) headed for a girls night out. Great night!
Pics to follow. Back to girls night for me.
As I mentioned in the previous post, today I chose to take a nice long walk. Could have taken the bus to the National park, but chose the nice long walk instead. It was magnificent!!!! All told, between getting to the loop and getting back, I figure I walked at least a good 18km. This is the loop I did. It's called the Sky Road loop.
The rise and fall of the winds, the constant crashing of the ocean waves, God's perfect beauty all around me.
So, as luck would have it, I'm staying in Clifden tonight and tomorrow night. Working on totally cancelling the bed I booked this morning because without a car there's just no way to get there. A bus won't be going up there till Thursday. Yeah, not as easy to get to as they make it sound on the web. But all things happen for a reason....
At the hostel the bus driver suggested, one of my roommates just had the same situation with them. As we were talking, mentioned going south to the Cliffs and she recommended a really nice cottage hostel. Bus goes right to the town it's in, AND I can walk to the cliffs. She said it's about a 2 hour walk, and if I want to add an extra hour, I can get away from all the tourists and get some amazing pics of the cliffs. As a bonus, two pubs right there that hav music all night long. Sounds like a winner to me!
