Galway. Of all the places in Ireland we have visited, this city stands out. The quintessentially friendly and funny Irish, clean streets, bright and colourful homes and rain were the hallmarks of this place.
As one does when one finds a good place, the compulsory visit to the shopping centre followed. We discovered that prices are marginally cheaper here than in Dublin but the shop staff are infinitely friendlier. But of course, there is the matter of cloudy skies and rain. I am starting to doubt that we will ever see the sun while we are here.
Before we left Australia, our Irish born doctor impressed upon us the necessity to take a look at an area named the Connemara. We can heartily endorse his recommendation. We had breakfast and walked to the car in the rain (again, will this ever stop?) and set off on one of the most scenic drives l have been on. Regretfully the rain restricted our vision, but wild Atlantic seas, lush green and leafy roadways, rocky hills with amazingly calm black faced sheep and miles of stone fences was our stunning vista. We made our way to the National Park with a somewhat forlorn hope of scaling Diamond Hill. The rain had cleared by now (it was 3pm) but we had not been counting on the fog. The peak was completely invisible, shrouded by mist. That, coupled with quite strong winds, was the reason we did not progress beyond the half way point. We could not see the sense in reaching the summit to see nothing but fog.....
I would venture that the Connemara has been the highlight of our Irish adventure so far.
