Our week-long stay in Ireland started with the West banks of Galway. We picked up our rental car at the Dublin airport & drove {on the left side of the road, mind you} the long trek across the country on our first day on the ground. I remember not being surprised by how green & lush the land was, having seen so much of the country in movies & books, & was deeply satisfied that the landscape was everything I thought it would be & more. We arrived at the lovely Station House Bed & Breakfast & was received warmly by the family {& many dogs} who ran the estate. They prepared us a real Irish breakfast every morning, complete with Irish bacon, eggs, & an assortment of sweet breads & teas.
We spent the next two days caught up in the giddiness of exploration. The Connemara State Park was a glorious sight of tall, green mountains covered in grass & rock. All around the park were historical castles {the Kylemore Abbey being the most well-known} that we took in with wide eyes. The roads were covered with sheep {always}, the weather turned to rain {daily}, & we couldn't get enough of it. The town of Galway rests on the mouth of the ocean & I wanted to keep the sight of its tiny townhouses nestled upon the tall stone banks embedded in my mind forever. We stood listening to the water lap the sailboats into the dock, creating a soft thudding lullaby. It was a great first impression to start our trip in Galway & we'll always cherish our time spent getting to know this gentle Western land.