Adventure Culinary Travel
After a long week through quaint countrysides and tiny islands, we finally made our way into the city! Our exploration in Galway took us to a gourmet grocer, a great Irish pub, a huge cathedral, and a posh tea room… all while wandering down the city’s famous old streets!
Read MoreToday we said our farewell to An Nead cottage in beautiful Connemara. It was ten years since our last stay… hopefully it won’t be another ten before we get back there!
Read MoreAfter a scenic cruise through the Connemara countryside, we settle in by Galway Bay for a sunset, great seafood, great music in a fun pub, and we even got to make a new friend!
Read MoreWe drove the full way around Sky Road for amazing views and great driving. We decided to keep going along the coast, and found ourselves taking a very unique way to get across the sea to Omey Island!
Read MoreFrom the famous Sky Road you can look down on the ruins of Clifden Castle, but this time we found a way to actually go into the ruins and see it up close! We set off down the trail to explore the castle ruins, from the crumbling old walls to the towering turret and the overgrown outbuildings!
Read MoreOur return to Clifden brings us back to a favorite cafe in search of good coffee and the apparently famous carrot cake, before hitting a proper whiskey pub along the main street of town. We make our way out to the famous Sky Road for incredible sunset views that lead into an amazingly clear Irish night!
Read MoreRoundstone is a charming little fishing village along the Connemara coast with bright colored houses and boat-filled harbor. We venture to the pier, sample some local seafood, and get in some culture at the traditional music center before a breathtaking stop along a secluded country road!
Read MoreCnoc Suain was the center of our honeymoon ten years ago. It was where we made our home base, it was the site of the little village on the hill with our cottage An Nead. It was where we woke every morning to the stillness of the Irish countryside or the thrill of running through the fields with the dogs and pony. Today, we revisit the land of Cnoc Suain, walking those same bogs and fields, passing through those amazing buildings, and learning of how they’ve grown since our last visit.
Read MoreWe hit a couple of Connemara pubs on an amazingly clear Irish night! First we stopped in Ougtherard where we had a great meal with beers and music. After a bit of a craft brewing rant, we found our way back to Spiddal on the coast to check out a place we heard had quality session music… and were treated to a performance by one of the greats!
Read MoreThe Connemara seaside is a wild and rugged coast, full of rocky shorelines, sprawling bogland, and small natural beaches. We went seeking some of these beaches today. We returned to Coral Beach, with its rocky micro-environments and grainy coral instead of sand, before exploring the textures and colors along the White Strand!
Read MoreWe head west along the Galway Bay coastline toward the sea, stopping in the seaside town of Spiddal and talking a bit on the preservation and resurgence of the Irish Language as we venture along the coast!
Read MoreAfter a great dinner on the pier at Barna, we headed into the Salthill section of Galway city, where we found a great pub with great beers and great people. If you don’t have a fun night at the pub, can you really say you were in Ireland?
Read MoreAfter ten years away, we finally make it back to the lovely little cottage An Nead! Tucked back in the bogland in a rediscovered pre-famine village on a cultural center site with amazing hosts, An Nead is where we stayed over our honeymoon. It is one of our most favorite places in the world, and now we’re back!
Read MoreTen years had gone by since out honeymoon, ten years since we left our heart rock with a message in the box at the seaside grotto. We’ve often wondered what became of that stone. Was it moved or taken out? Was it still there? Today we will find out for sure!
Read MoreIn September of 2008, on our honeymoon in Ireland, we found a personal treasure on a hike up a mountain… a wedding gift from the lovely Emerald Isle herself! We returned to a seaside grotto with our gift, and left it to absorb all of the powerful energy of this place, and also some of that Irish luck! And so began our heart’s ten-year stay in Ireland…
Read MoreIn the town of Westport, Co. Mayo, we adventured out for some good seafood. But first, an amazing sunset over the Quay couldn’t be missed! We bid farewell to our Hobbit Hole, and then ventured further south to Co. Galway, into the town of Letterfrack, to find even more of the best Irish waters had to offer…
Read MoreIreland’s Wild Atlantic Way… a route stretching along the west coast of Ireland that shows off the most rugged, natural, stunning wild landscape the country has to offer. Over the next week of our anniversary trip, we will explore the nature and history of this beautiful area!
Read MoreOur morning on Inis Oirr was started with a full Irish breakfast before time exploring the beach and the little village. Eventually we caught our ferry back to Doolin… but found ourselves on an unexpected detour by the Cliffs of Moher!
Read MoreReturning from the MV Plassey brought us to the highest point of the island with old castle ruins and an amazing view. What’s left with a night on a small Irish island than to stop at the pub?
Read MoreThe MV Plassey wrecked on the rocky coast of Inis Oirr back in the 1960s, and has rested on the shoreline since, where it slowly rusts and decays in the salty air. The road around the island passes by the wreck, and it’s an easy climb through the stones to get right down to the old ship! From the shore there are not only great views of the wreck, but also of the Inis Oirr lighthouse and the Cliffs of Moher in the distance…
Read More