After the craziness of London, we were both so happy to arrive in Ireland where the pace was slowed down. We arrived at the Shannon Airport and walked off the plane onto the tarmac. It's a small airport so this is pretty standard, but I felt like I was arriving in style. Once we picked up our luggage and got our rental car we were off to explore beautiful Ireland. Our first stop was Galway, but there is no way you can skip out on the Cliffs of Moher so we made a pit stop to see them and to grab some lunch. I was struggling with my broken foot. I had been walking on concrete sidewalks and hadn't needed to learn how to maneuver my boot on unstable ground yet. I swallowed my pride and whipped out my foldable walking cane that I was carrying in our backpack. It was well worth making it up there. Sea cliffs are incredible.
We were finally getting over our jet lag from the flight over. We made all the rookie mistakes, we didn't sleep on the plane, we took a nap instead of pushing through, and were thrown off schedule because of it. Thankfully, by the time we got to our hotel in Galway, it was time for dinner. We could relax eat some food and than crash at a normal hour! I had never had a yorkshire pudding before and I was immediately sold. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now... This was my favorite meal in Ireland including a nice cold Smithwick's Blonde Ale on the side. Beer tastes so much better when you are on vacation. I would highly recommend staying at the Nox Hotel.
The next day we were exploring Galway's main city center. It was so colorful and complete with cobblestone streets, just like you imagine it would be. This was the first day I finally felt confident on my broken foot. I had tackled London and the Cliffs of Moher. I could do anything! I also took quite a bit of ibuprofen to help with the pain. But my day still included quite a bit of resting. I would find any place I could to put my feet up. We were so lame this time and decided to opt for Mickey D's for lunch. We were curious what it was like overseas. I have to say I think because of the food regulations in Europe it was much better...or was I just really hungry?!
There was so much to see, but here are a few highlights from walking around. I guess I should also mention the weather, it was absolutely perfect in May. Warm enough to feel comfortable but not too hot. Does Ireland ever get too hot? Probably not. It was a great time to avoid the heavy rainfall. It also seemed pretty slow tourist wise. I never felt over-crowded anywhere we went.
We stumbled upon the Galway Cathedral as we were walking around. It was free to enter and even though we aren't religious in the traditional sense, these buildings are always so beautiful and can be a great place to reflect on how lucky you are to experience new places.
What You Want to Know:
Where to Stay:
The Nox hotel had great food and a nice big room. We loved staying here and it was reasonably priced.
What to Do:
The Cliffs of Moher are a must-do. They are so beautiful and it is a great pit-stop on your Ireland tour. Galway is the perfect place to head to the City Center and just start walking around. We both enjoyed the Galway Cathedral.
Where to Find the Best Deal:
We booked this trip with TripMasters. It included all of our hotels, car, and flights for traveling from London to 4 cities in Ireland. A little pricy, but it was nice to have everything planned out for us in one go.
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