Last Sunday Erin and I made the journey to the largest of the three Aran Islands, Inishmore. Like the trip I took with Kevin, we rode a bus from Galway to Rossaveal and a ferry from Rossaveal to Inishmore. Unlike the experience with Kevin, we had water in the apartment (so we started the day clean) and no rain while we waited for the bus.
When Kevin and I took a horse and carriage ride around the island, our driver told us he chauffeured tourists until the end of September. Erin and I were resigned to ride in one of the mini-vans and I consoled myself by imagining how much warmer we would be. As it turns out, the day was beautiful and the horses were ready to pull tourists around the island. Erin and I climbed aboard a small carriage and began our trip around Inishmore.
Our driver, Michael, grew up on Inishmore. He shared with us some of the way life has changed on the island. He lit up when he told us about his two children. His son is about eleven years old and his daughter is about eight. He said his daughter notices EVERYTHING. He and his wife have to remind their son to look at people and they have to tell their daughter to stop staring at people.
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| Michael, our driver |
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| Prince, the horse who pulled us around the island |
Inishmore is a magical place. I enjoyed observing the small differences in the landscape made by the passing of time. Dun Aengus was significantly less crowded than it was in August so our time there felt reflective to me.
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| Some of the cows in Ireland seem "fluffy." I'm not sure if it's the breed or the wind... |
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| Inishmore field near Dun Aengus |
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| Erin at Dun Aengus |
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| Not as close to the edge as it looks |
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| Flowering fuchsia plant |
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| Teampall Mic Duach, 10th - 12th century, near Dun Aengus |
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| On Inishmore |
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| On Inishmore |
After sweater shopping (I managed to restrain myself this time), Erin I took tea at a lovely restaurant called the Bayview that included marvelous berry bread pudding.
That evening Erin treated me to a “thank you for hosting me” dinner at a nearby restaurant, Ard Bia. Ard Bia has the most interesting address: Ard Bia at Nimmos, Spanish Arch, Long Walk, Galway. Of course, a provocative address like that wouldn’t count for much if the food wasn’t wonderful. It. Was. Wonderful. We both ordered the roast beetroot risotto topped with goat cheese. I am still dreaming about it…
I ended the day with a profound sense of well-being.
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| Ard Bia |
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