India is a hard act to follow. Maybe Ireland is an unlikely choice, but it is our choice.
We need less poverty, less heat and fewer people, and Ireland delivers all of that in spades.
Ireland is green and beautiful, and when I say “green”, I mean REALLY green:
It gets that way because it rains, and when I say “rains”, I mean REALLY rains. And when it is not raining it is just grey and overcast. And when it’s grey and overcast the people tell you how lucky you are to be there during the nice weather.
The locals tell me that when you can see the mountains in the distance (there are no mountains, just hills, but the Irish are prone to exaggeration) it is going to rain. When you can’t see the mountains it is already raining.
We are taking nine days to travel the north east coast. The tourist flock to the west coast and leave this part of the country to the sheep of which there are many, and the local inhabitants of which there are few. The country is rugged and wild, roads are few and far between and there is no railway. Tiny stone villages built with a grey stone to match the sky, cling desperately to the rocks surrounding any inlet where a harbor can be built for the local fishing boats
Getting anywhere takes hours longer than you imagine. The main roads are narrow and twisting. The side roads are narrower:
Stopping for a tea break is not always possible, unless some enterprising gent decides to open up shop on a road less traveled:
And even then the choice of sandwiches does little to get the taste buds going:
But before we reached this area, there was Dublin. We flew into that fair city and found it to be enchanting. A small lively city, with not one highrise building. Instead it is full of stylishly beautiful Georgian terraces, pubs from a similar period lovingly cared for, and flowers. The city is a riot of color with flowers planted everywhere possible:
Dublin is also home to the Guinness Brewery where they brew 4 million pints of the dark liquid every day. Three million of those pints get exported. I leave it to you to say where the other 1 million pints go, but please remember the total population of Ireland is only 4 ½ million.
Andrews Fabulous Travel Blog 