Wow, it’s been a while since I blogged. Sorry about that, I just needed a little break. All is well, and Thomas and I spent a wonderful Valentine’s Day in western Ireland. He’s working in Dublin for a couple of weeks, and I flew in to whisk him off on a relaxing weekend. Other than learning to drive on the other side of the (very narrow, pot-hole filled) road, it was very relaxing. We stayed in a little bed and breakfast in a village called Oranmore and explored the sights.
Dallas at Cliffs of Moher
On our first day, we drove through The Burren National Park to the Cliffs of Moher. The Burren is covered with large flat limestone rocks. We drove little country roads lined with sheep. I found it interesting how the farmers penned off the areas with hand-stacked rock walls. One of the advantages of these walls, other than the abundance of rocks in this area, is that the farmers could easily unstack part of the wall to move their livestock to another area. The Cliffs of Moher, raising 400-feet above the sea, were quite a sight. I was surprised to learn that they are competing to be one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
View from Dun Aonghasa on Inis Mor
For Valentine’s Day, Thomas and I rode a ferry over to Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands. The islands are known for their traditional living and arts. People there speak the Irish language (Gaelic) rather than English. Inis Mor is a quiet island, inhabited by only 800 people. We rented bicycles and visited Dun Aonghasa, a prehistoric fort on a 300-foot cliff. We lucked out with gorgeous sunshine all day.
Hills in Connemara National Park
The owners of the bed and breakfast suggested that we visit Connemara National Park on our last day. They drew out a map and marked specific sights we should stop at, and they were completely right. It was a beautiful drive. The area is filled with clear lakes and rolling grassy fields. My favorite part was a drive out on a peninsula called Skyroad with stunning scenery jutting out into the sea.
Driving along the Skyroad Peninsula
It was a wonderful weekend to relax and reconnect with Thomas. If you’d like to see more of our photos, I’ve put them on PicasaWeb.
P.S. The title of the post was from a phrase we heard wherever we went – rather than just Thanks or Thank you, the Irish said Thanks a Million!
