West Ireland Day 1 - Saturday, June 30, 2007

We left Dublin at 8:30am, heading out to Galway. Theresa drove all the way, with Ray helping out with directions, which was particularly useful during the detours.

After a short stop in Galway for fish n chips (which was actually chicken, baked cod, and chips, and baked beans) we took R336 west from Galway, going along the coast. There were lots of really nice, fluffy sheep along the way. We got a little lost, and switched drivers at some point. We ran into an "Irish traffic jam" with a farmer, his 3 cows, and his dog. Soon after, we hit another "traffic jam" but it was just one lone sheep.

We took a stop in Roundstone for a snack: hot chocolate, orange juice, and chocolate cake. Theresa also bought a popsicle (lime ice, lemon sherbet which tasted too creamy for sherbet, and chocolate coating) and an Ordinance Survey road map of Ireland. Our next stop was at a small beach, where Theresa touched the Atlantic (or Gorteen Bay). Our final stop of the day was in Clifden, which was gorgeous. We drove out west along Sky Road and found a really nice B&B, with views of the water, cows, and sheep! The B&B itself was really new - it looked like we might have been the first people ever to sleep in that room. The bed was comfortably soft, the pillows plush, and the towels fluffy. We took a nap before heading back into town for dinner. Just as we got there, it started pouring down rain, so we didn't explore too far before stopping in at Cullen's Bistro and Coffee Shop. It was an excellent pick! Ray ordered Beef in Guiness stew, and Theresa had the traditional Irish lamb stew (even though it made Ray sad). Both stews were fantastic. Big, steamy bowls of hot, meaty, hearty stew - just what we needed after a tiring day of driving, and coming in from the cold, wet, windy weather outside. We also got brown scones which Theresa loved! Way better than the normal brown bread. It tasted like cake!