Another driving day, though a short one, from Clifden to Galway with a few stops in between. First stop was the Roundstone Music Shop, housed within an old Franciscan Monastery and home to one of Ireland’s famous Bodhran makers, Malachy Kearns. Bodhrans are traditional drums, all made by hand in the shop. Malachy runs the shop, and we had the opportunity to talk with him and have him sign our Bodhran. He said that unfortunately, with all the cheap goods from China, they don’t really make enough on the drums any longer to have a sustainable business, but that it is still his passion. He loves to travel and has met a lot of very friendly Americans and would like to retire to the U.S., preferably Laguna Beach if he could afford it. How funny!

We then stopped at Aughnanure Castle, an old Tower House ruins. As we have since learned, Tower Houses were rather common in the 1500s. They were multi-story towers surrounded by one or two walls and then typically some sort of moat or other water (lake, river, stream). The first floor was used to store grain and other food. The upper floors were then used for eating, sleeping, and hosting guests at banquets. Wealthy families that owned animals would bring the animals inside the stone walls at night so they wouldn’t be stolen. The Aughnanure castle had a murder hole, basically a double door, with a grate in the ceiling above the area between the two doors where enemies could be trapped and shot from above. It also had a garderobe, a chute on the side of the castle, used as a toilet. Disgustingly, the people of the time thought that excrement could be used as a disinfectant and would sometimes hang their clothing in the chute to cleanse it of bacteria. Gross!

McDonagh’s fish and chips counter, recommended in both the NY Times 36 Hours in Galway and Lonely Planet was a must for dinner, though Ryan and I opted for the restaurant side with slightly healthier fare, starting with grilled Gigas Galway oysters and a fried fish skewer followed by grilled salmon with mash and veg, as it is called here. Based on the food available and how we have been eating, ie. full Irish breakfasts, lots of pastries and scones, food with cream and cheese, we wondered if Ireland had an obesity problem like the U.S. A quick Google search turned up an article stating that according to the WHO, Ireland was on track to become the most obese country in Europe by 2030. No indication of why, food vs lifestyle, etc, and no comparison to the U.S., which probably still has higher percentages of obesity than Ireland.

Afterward our not quite so bad for us meal, we walked down the main pedestrian thoroughfare of pubs and restaurants, crowded with people and lots of street performers. The crowds were slightly reminiscent of our stay in Beijing, though not quite as crowded and not nearly as chaotic.

Street performers; Music and dancing, a mix of Irish and what sounded like Latin music

Tiny houses on the walk back to the hotel. Can people stand up straight on the second story?

Cool feature discovered on the Golf. The emblem flips up and the back-up camera pops out

Correction posted 8/16/2016: The correct term is ‘garderobe’, not ‘gardenrobe’.

It wouldn’t be a vacation if we didn’t do at least a few hikes. First one up was Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park. It was a relatively short 3.5km hike up to the peak of Diamond Hill, providing great views of Kylemore Abbey, Twelve Bens peaks, and the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout the hike, we encountered many younger kids and older adults, all European, doing what we considered not an incredibly easy hike. Thus, we have come to the conclusion that Americans in general are out of shape compared to Europeans. In a reversal of roles, Ryan hiked faster than Nicole, who is a bit out of shape and maybe carrying a little extra weight :-).

That’s where we are headed – Diamond Hill

Views from the top.

Connemara is home to the Connemara pony, the only breed originating in Ireland. They are all over the area and were taking a nap as we passed them on our hike.

Most of the landscape on Diamond Hill and along the coast has been rocky with low colorful vegetation, reminding us a bit of the Alpine tundra areas of Rocky Mountain National Park

Post hike, we stopped at the Avoca handweavers gift shop and then walked across the road to savour some more Killary mussels, fresh from a trailer next to the fjord.
  

Ryan then navigated the very narrow and windy Sky Road, a scenic single-lane, 2-way road along the coast. At the lookout point, a guy launched his very fancy drone high into the sky. It was crazy windy up there, and he didn’t look too sure was sure it was coming back at one point. However, a few mins later, it did manage to fly back to him. He must have gotten some really cool photos from that flight!  No pictures of the drone unfortunately.

Light day today . . . driving from Ashford Castle over to Clifden, with a few stops along the way. First, I got to visit with the Irish Wolf Hounds at Ashford Castle before breakfast. They are very large (150 lbs) and very calm, letting everyone pet them. Funny to see dogs that large roll over on their backs to have their bellies rubbed. Unfortunately, then it was time for breakfast and to check out of Ashford Castle.
    
The drive to Clifden, via Kylemore Abbey, should have taken about 1.5 hours according to Google, but as we have learned, everything takes longer. The roads are narrow (VERY narrow in some spots), with no room for passing, so if a slow car, or biker, or something else (like a sheep) winds up in the road, it could definitely delay travel.

Views of the Atlantic Ocean to the west

Views of mountains to the east

Killary Harbour – Killary is one of three glacial fjords in Ireland

Speaking of sheep, these are the first escapees I saw, up on a hill on the side of the road. Soon after, we saw a ton more along the road, and have since witnessed them easily jumping the stone fences frequently used as enclosures. Mystery of the escape solved! We have also resolved the painted sheep. The markings are used to identify 1) which sheep belong to whom and more interestingly 2) which ewes have been impregnated. During mating season, sometimes “a ram will be fitted with a bag of dye around its neck and chest. When the ram mounts the ewe a bit of dye will be deposited on the ewe’s upper back.” Fascinating.
    
We stopped at Kylemore Abbey, which was teeming with tourist buses. Kylemore Abbey is a neogothic country house currently home to Benedictine Nuns and known for its beautiful Walled Garden, mostly what I was interested in. Ryan just read out of the guide book that in 2015, Notre Dame (the university in Indiana) signed a 30 year lease for summer classes and student housing at the Abbey. However, we saw no signs of the Fighting Irish. Ryan and I opted for the longer, Woodland Walk over to the Walled Gardens and only ran into two other people on the whole route. The Walled Gardens were huge gardens with sections including herbs, a rock garden, ponds, traditional Victorian gardens, and greenhouses. It was starting to rain, so we headed for some food (big surprise) in the tea house before walking over to the Abbey itself.
     
Dinner was at Mitchell’s Seafood Restaurant in Clifden, a short 5 min walk from our B&B; Killary mussels and Irish lamb stew. Ryan said those were the best mussels he has ever eaten, and probably the freshest, as we drove by the Killary Harbor where they were being harvested.