Connemara, Co. Galway.

Hey guys, just saying hello again. Wonderful weather we're having here, isn't it? Martha brought me a way for the weekend, kindof a last minute surprise unexpected opportunity type of thing. We stayed in the Zetland house hotel, near Cashel in Connemara. Which is near Roundstone. Oh, get a map.

With weather like we had over the weekend, anywhere would have been nice, but Connemara is just spectacular this time of the year. Vibrant colours, mountains, lakes, the ocean, what else would you need. Total unwind and destress!

Spent Saturday afternoon at the beach at Roundstone, and then had a leisurely meal at the hotel. That was nice, but a little too long. 3 hours! This picture on the left is not of the beach at Roundstone. It is Roundstone however. Pleasant little village.

Sunday we went to Inis Mór. My first time to the Aran Islands. We took the ferry from Rossaveal (€25 return each, about 45mins) and landed at about 1pm at Kilronan, the main town on the island.

Hired a bike for the afternoon (€10 each for the day.) My advice is get your bike from the spot just to the right as you walk along the quay, their bikes seemed a little newer than where we got ours from, and the cost is the same! Proof ---->

So we cycled around Inis Mór for the day, that was so pleasant. Apart from the very occasional vehicle, the place is utterly tranquil and serene. I heard my first cuckoo! All you can hear when you stop for a minute is the breeze in the long grass, and the birds in the hedges. I'm sure it all changes in the winter though!

I finally got to see Dún Aonghasa! This is a very spectacular fortress. (Something of interest here) My pictures don't do it justice.....the aerial shots always look fantastic. But there is a sheer drop off to the Atlantic Ocean which is just awe-inspiring. Like the Moher cliffs, but with a fort. We had lunch nearby at the Man of Aran cottage. The American who worked there was loud but friendly, and while the café didn't accept credit cards, they did accept "get some cash from the ATM and leave the money at the tourist office in Kilronan."

There is a Spar, a Bank of Ireland and a Supermacs on the island. I thought that was strange. But I suppose it isn't. I still wonder whether securicor come over on the ferry with squillions of euro to fill the bank and the ATM? How does that look?

Cycled back to Kilronan, M wouldn't let me eat in Supermacs so we got a coffee in one of the local coffee shops and waited for the ferry to leave. Got back to Rossaveal about 830, and dropped into the first eaterie we saw after that - a Chinese restaurant in Carraroe. Then we watched the sun set from the coral beach in Carraroe. (Dead romantic that.....) Made our way back to the hotel - that was a dark evening.

Monday we spent the morning at the beach again, that was a beautiful beach at Roundstone. When we get weather in this country there is absolutely no need to leave. It's fantastic to swim in the Atlantic.

We didn't get a chance to drink in Willie Boulgers' Drinking Consultants unfortunately, but we did have time for one in Roundstone. Martha even smiled momentarily and I was very lucky to capture the moment on non-volatile memory disk.