galmc2Report

We have no family connections or ties to Ireland but it’s been a country that we have wanted to visit for a long while now. We had images of green rolling hills, sing alongs in pubs (mostly from being at the Blarney Stone and the Unicorn in Vancouver during our younger years), castles, lakes and, for Paul more than I, whiskey and Guinness.

We have now been here one week and most of these impressions have already come to light.

The other thing that is very evident, that we didn’t think of too much in advance, is the friendliness of the Irish people. In the B&Bs, restaurants, pubs, stores, buses, on the street stopping to check if we need a hand,… everyone has been so kind and openly friendly. It’s different from the stereotype of the Canadian politeness – they are chatty and exuberant and sincere in their kindness and welcoming ways.

We took a ferry from Fishguard, Wales to Roslare and then a bus to Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland.

After 2 nights in Waterford, we hopped on a bus to Cork. I was entertained and inspired the whole way by the driver and the passenger in row 1. They each had incredible stories of survival (an amputee and a cancer survivor) and, starting as total strangers were, by the end of the trip encouraging each other to dig deep and get back their “fire in the belly” and never give up.

We didn’t find Cork very inspiring at first but it grew on us over the next few days. It felt a little rough around the edges for sure but it was a a very walkable city with a central location and easy bus connections to a number of quaint villages.

One of those close-by villages is Blarney, where you will find the Blarney Castle and its beautiful gardens (and its magical stone).

We picked up a car at the end of our stay in Cork. Our initial reservation was for a small, manual car with no bells or whistles (not even air con). When we were in line, we overheard the guy next to us being handed the keys to a BMW X1, automatic with a navigation system. Paul’s eyes grew big and, after a short conference between the ministries, and a few calculations and conversions, we too were given the keys to a BMW X1. The ministry of finance isn’t too happy about the decision but the minister of transportation is thrilled as is the head of navigation and the members of marriage relations!

Now the road trip had begun with Killarney being our first destination.