Ireland, céad míle fáilte
This Summer, my dear friend Anne and I were brainstorming about a destination for a short vacation, when she came up with ‘Ireland’. It didn’t sound like a typical Summer holiday destination, but we could use a break from the extreme temperatures in Belgium. In a few days we planned our visit, jumped on the plane and were welcomed with a satisfactory shower.
We stayed one night and half a day in Dublin. Next we rented a car, drove to the other side of the country and ended up in Connemara National Park. This part of Ireland has the most beautiful scenery with mountains, lakes, 50 shades of gorgeous greens, waterfalls and desolated coastlines. You can drive for hours and rarely see other people. On the other hand the land is packed with sheep. Beware of the ones that are taking a relaxed walk in the middle of the road! They own the streets of Ireland like a wooly gang of thugs.
The capital of Connemara is Clifden. Great for some shopping and drinking cold Irish cider. We went on a hike outside of the city and discovered the beautiful ruin of the Clifden Castle. Another great day trip was to the Inishbofin Island. We travelled by ferry from Cleggan, rented bikes and spent a splendid time on beaches with crystal clear water, having stunning views of the mountains, cliffs and the Atlantic. For lunch we had delicious fresh fish and mash in the cutest restaurant on the island, with Irish music playing along.
The last part of Ireland we visited was the magnificent Dingle Peninsula area. We stayed at the home of the friendliest Irish gal (Irish people are warm and cheery human beings) who served homemade breakfast every morning (blueberry muffins and sodabread right from the oven) and gave us the best tips for the area. We had dinner with the prettiest sunset over the Dingle bay, drove along the scenic Slea Head Drive and had an intensive hike in a gloomy mist with two sheep who showed us the path (don’t ask - Ireland is a mystical world).
I fell in love with this mysterious, desolated land of wonders. And can’t wait for my next visit.
