The Emerald Isle...

 

Historic Galway

 

    Welcome to Ireland. There is a reason why it's so green! Yes, rain showers almost daily but they are usually short lived. 

    Apologies for the radio silence, we have been huddled up mostly in Abbeyknockmoy, Bridget's hometown outside Galway in the countryside. There are two bars, two undertakers, a gas station, a pizza place and a Chinese takeout place along with the Catholic church here. Bridget's family house is where we are staying with Ollie (Oliver) her younger brother, with Kevin, the families youngest next door with his wife and kids and another brother is 10 minutes away with younger sister Noreen about an hour from here. 

    I got out on an adventure yesterday to Aran island just off the coast from Galway. It's not very big, maybe 2 miles wide by 10 miles long and it's pretty rustic with lots of rock walls and sparse housing. Ireland has heavily promoted this as a tourist destination, but there is really nothing to see per se. That doesn't stop ferries loaded with hundreds coming over for wool sweater shops and fish and chips in the harbor. There are four bike rental places with hundreds of bikes of all flavors to rent for the day. I was one of them. I rode to one end of the island and then turned around and rode to the other. It was good to get out all day in the fresh air even if there wasn't much to see. 

 

 

Bridget had a relaxing day in Connemara where there are small villages and the Abbey/Castle Kylemore while I was on Aran. 

    We are off to France tomorrow for a couple days to a small town called Rennes. I'm actually not exactly sure why there, but I think we may see Mont Saint-Michael off of Saint Malo and then go on to Jersey Island where Bridget worked as a nurse there for a while before coming to the U.S.

D et B