Irish Cliffs to Swiss Alps to Tuscan Hilltowns

Tuesday, June 27th We left Tullamore after a full Irish breakfast and drove to the Dublin airport.    All was well for the hour and a quarter drive until we got a flat tire on M50 about 10 minutes from the rental car return during commute hour traffic!    After the emergency response team told Larry to fix it himself, we had it changed and were underway in about 15 minutes!    Impressive!    We were required to file an incident report…the cost was estimated to be about $180!    The flight to Zurich was less than 2 hours.    Larry was excited to see three of Switzerland’s four operating nuclear power plants on our approach to Zurich airport.    We took the train from the airport (12 minutes) to our hotel, Central Plaza, which was about 3 blocks from the train station.    It took one hour total from when we landed to when we checked into our hotel…now that’s Swiss efficiency for you!    After unpacki...

  Monday, June 26th Before leaving Galway, we took a last walk around the city, visiting Eyre Square and the Spanish Arch!    It took about 1.5 hours to drive to our next destination of Tullamore and our hotel, Bridge Street House, a grand hotel and spa in the center of the city!    We laundered our clothes while we ate lunch and then drove to Birr for a self-guided tour of the Birr Castle, most known for its innovations in science!    In 1845, the third Earl of Rosse oversaw the construction of a giant telescope, known to be the biggest in the world for 70 years!    Very impressive!    The grounds were lush and beautifully forested!    Upon returning to the hotel, we took a swim, steam & sauna at the hotel spa!    We had a lovely dinner at the Brewery Tap!

  Sunday, June 25th We drove to Westport, a quaint Irish village, about 1.5 hours north of Galway!    A young man in the pub the night before recommended it!    Centered around a clock tower, the bustling town buzzed with locals enjoying family time, tourists strolling the narrow avenues and a motor club showcasing their vintage cars!    We enjoyed a small bite to eat before heading back to Galway with a stop for a lovely lunch at Cullens at the Cottage on the grounds of the Ashford Castle!    My portobello mushroom, goat cheese & grilled onion burger & Larry’s mussels in garlic sauce were beautifully prepared & presented!    We felt like the lords of the manor!    We then strolled the grounds, stopping to watch a falconry demonstration!    We enjoyed dinner in the West End at Keogh’s gastro pub and Irish music in the Latin Quarter at 1520 Bar! 

  Saturday, June 24th We caught the 9 o’clock bus to Tralee after a quick breakfast!    It was amazing to see how narrow the main road is and that we walked alongside buses speeding by at 100 km/hr!    It still amazes me we made it 2 miles or so before calling it quits!    Our rental car was still there and in good shape!    We drove to the Cliffs of Moher along the Wild Atlantic Way via the Shannon Ferry, which goes every hour on the half hour!    We made a brief stop in Kilkee for a lovely lunch at Holly’s Cafe!    Larry bought tickets on line, which saved us time at the entrance gate and ensured us a parking spot!    Walking the cliffs was impressive…a narrow path dangerously close to the edge without barriers!    Some people were much more brave than I in how close they sat, stood or walked!    We walked the trail most of the way to Hags Head and then the opposite direction to the tower wh...

  Friday, June 23rd Our breakfast was lovely…eggs over-easy, toast, tomatoes, bacon & sausage served in the cozy dining area next to Kate’s (our host) kitchen!    We spent time last night with Kate’s husband and his mates in Brosnan’s bar run by our hosts.    While we like to think we understood all they said, I believe we missed most of the Gaelic (the official language of Ireland).    Assuming we got it right, they said years ago one could drive legal after 7 pints!!    Wow, especially on their narrow roads!!    We were greeted outside with a drizzly morning (more typical for this area than the last two days…very welcome for the locals since they hadn’t had rain in 5 weeks), which lasted all day & night!    Just over the bridge, we met up with the Seattleites and walked to Minard Castle and the storm beach at its base.    We enjoyed spending time with Carolyn, Mary Kay & Leslie from Seattle!  ...