Holy Smokes That's Good

Arrived at 6:45am (1am Chicago time) in Shannon. After an uneventful plane ride into Newark riddled with delays, we considered ourselves the lucky ones as we strolled off one plane, across the terminal hall and onto our connecting flight to Shannon, one of the last passengers to board. With a plane full of what seemed to be all relatives from the Keigher Reunion, we battled our way to the back of the plane and fought to get our carryon's in the overheads. Was a bit disappointed that it was only until after we were collecting our luggage, did an old Irishman offer to help us. The Irish are losing their charm, I thought, a bit disappointed. I would soon regain my faith as we arrived at the car hire (rental car) desk and the middle-aged gentleman offered to warm up the car for us as it was at 0 degrees (32 out) and would we like to get some coffee while we waited for the car to warm while he scraped off the ice. God bless the Irish - my faith has been restored! ha I can officially and proudly say that we have mastered and slayed the forbidden roundabouts that had foiled many our relatives trips. Nightmares had been retold day after day leading up to our departure, with warnings of the formidable beasts that refused to go down with a fight. Well this auto monster had met his match with these two quick thinking, street smart sisters from the states! Ok, maybe I've exaggerated a bit. Its different for sure, manageable yes, impossible, no. But mentally exhausting after two hours on the road. We drove immediately through the sunrise to the Cliffs of Moher. God blessed the Irish with freckles, quick wit and gorgeous scenery. We actually zipped right by the car park for the Cliffs of Moher, partly because I was a bit caught up in how I had mastered the left side of the road by then. Only one other crazy soul was out staring at the gorgeous green cliffs and that was a gal from San Francisco. We never caught her name, but we were glad to have someone take a picture of the two of us and she was equally glad to have a picture of herself. We laughed the whole time we gawked at the cliffs-they truly are a sight to experience. And we were on our way around noon. The roads were a bit crowded, but we found safety behind the big rig towing a tractor for several km. It was a blessing because it afforded us a bit of room as the big rig is much more intimidating to oncoming traffic than Meagan's scowl and fist. At a stop sign, the gentleman driving the truck gave us a friendly wave to signal it was ok to turn (definitally NOT something you'd see in Chicago) and we were almost to Galway. The whole way we just kept saying how beautiful it is here. We arrived in Galway at the old welcoming gates of the Nile Lodge B&B on lower Salthill Road. Weary and tired from the excitement of our travels, we rung the bell and a pretty woman in a long sweater dress opened the door with a smile. Maura, who runs the B&B welcomed us immediately--asking us to sit a while at the fire - very welcome as it is freezing here (that damp cold hangs in the air and cuts through your clothes) *which helped us immediately decide an Irish sweater is our souvenir* and we sat dazed by the fire as Maura finished up our room. We were the only guests she, and the rest of Ireland it seems, was expecting, and she was happy to let us have our pick of the rooms. We, of course, chose the one with the enormous bay window overlooking the formal gardens. After a short nap, we got up out of our cozy bed and ventured out to the hall. We asked Maura's advice on where to shop and grab a bite to eat. She suggest O'Maille's for authentic Irish sweaters and Rouge for dinner. She also said The Quey's was the best spot for music in the evening. We ventured out into the cold and not without a good laugh. We approached the brass gate at the entrance of the drive to the house and Meagan crawled through the large hole in it. But I decided to open the gate.ha We made our way through the beautiful little town of Galway which is seriously adorable. Kilkenny's is a modern Irish shop with Orla Kiely items we both wanted to spend our life savings on (and one thing would have cost it all). next we found O'Maille's and Anne, the shopkeeper was so friendly. She told us about all her knitters - the ladies in the area who knit for her. One is 87-years-old! So a purchase is like charity toward the elderly, right? We asked Anne about an antique shop we read about in the guides and she knew the owners - the Gallaghers-"lovely people". We stopped by the little cramped shop as an engaged couple was picking out an antique engagement ring. We almost died at the thought of how amazing an antique ring from Ireland would be for an engagement ring! We stopped by Rouge's for a bite but it was French. So we decided to skip it and went to the Quay's where we had the best Irish Stew and Seafood Chowder of our lives(Meagan's reaction to her Irish Stew: "Holy Smokes that's good!"). We thawed out for a bit and walked back to the Nile Lodge Inn. The key that Maura gave us is a skeleton key to open our room - this house is old. And super cold. But Marty warned us it would be and we're grateful for the advice. We're still sitting here wearing everything we brought with us. Maura left us a note and a warm peet fire in the fireplace at the foot of our bed. It doesn't get much better. God bless you!