I have been to England & Wales, and have always wanted to visit Ireland. This June, with Sharon and our aunties, we set foot on this country of lush vegetation, rugged mountain range and a beautiful coastline. If you have seen Westlife music video on 'My Love', you would know what I mean. The scene on Cliff of Moher is simply awesome. I just have to see it for real.
We arrived at Dublin, picked up the car, and drove straight to Galway. Ireland is a big island, and there are so much to see. We decided we should just visit the popular places where lodging & food is easily accessible. So the itinerary is focus towards the west of Ireland, and here is our route.
We stopped over at the town of Moate, where we had lunch. It is a quiet town with little activities. Only a handful of shops were opened.
St Patrick's Church
Ice cream on a hot summer day.
We drove west and made a stop at Clonmacnoise, a ruined monastery
Although it is summer, the sky is cloudy. In fact, the country is known for its graphite gray sky throughout the year.
I would say it has a certain romantic ambience, and the gloomy effect might add a nostalgic feel to one's mood. And in all cloudy days, the photographs 'suffer' always.
This is the lovely B&B that we spent two nights in.
We have the upper rooms with one facing the Rusheen Bay.
Here is the owner cocker spaniel Charlie checking out our MPV.
I do not put faces down usually but I really liked this photo. We had breakfast in this conservatory-like dining room at the back of the lodge. The setting and surrounding were cosy and nice, and my beautiful travel companions stood out amongst it.
After breakfast, we headed to Oughterard to see the Aughnanure Castle.
A better day for b&w shoot.
This would have been the exact castle back in the 16th century. Kind of small in castle sense.
Most of Galway's castles were land owning families. They came from the United Kingdom and settled in Ireland, and known as the 'old foreigners' or 'old English'.
We decided to take the coastal road to Clifden as we have time, plus the weather was beautiful. We stopped at Roundstone for a break. People were out alfresco dining in this sunny day.
Roundstone Harbour with Connemara mountain range, also known as the 12 Ben Mountains, on the background.
Roundstone means seal's rock. The village is lined with beautiful shops selling art crafts hand made from ceramics.
Beach along Derrygimla
Daisies blossom by the beach
Crystal clear water. Although it was summer, the water is cold.
The one reason we go to Clifden is The Sky Road. Driving on The Sky Road was simply exhilarating, complimented by the stunning beautiful landscapes along the coast. I felt I was reaching for the sky, and came to this old guard house that stood at the highest point of the drive.
Beyond the land is North Atlantic Ocean.
Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle of Europe, for its lush green vegetation
Our last stop for the day, Kylemore Abbey
We arrived near closing time and could not enter the abbey. While the girls shopped at the souvenir store, I have my photo shooting fixed.
The good thing about travelling in summer is we have plenty of daylight. The sun set around 10pm so we have enough sunlight to make our way back even though it is late.There was no worry of having to drive in the dark.
And another travel trip awaiting...
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