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Summary (for those who just want to look at the pictures. Photos start on page 2.)
Ireland: Galway and the Connemara Coast
Guides: Gina and Catherine
Guests: Kim and Nancy, Andy and Diana, David and Joan, Dan and Karen, David and Vicky, Bonnie and Steve, Dennis, Amy and Jim, Alice and Merrill, and of course, Jill and Dave.
We booked this trip last summer thinking it would be a beautiful ride and a great way to see Ireland. About 6 weeks before the trip, we woke up to the fact that a.) there is a lot of rain in Ireland and b.) the average high this time of year is 65 degrees. Suddenly, we wondered if a bike trip was a good idea. We packed for chilly and rainy and hoped for the best.
Ireland held a few wonderful and unexpected surprises--like the flowers. The flowers are beautiful! Between the rain and the great soil conditions, flowers like fushia and bugleweed grow wild, forming beautiful flowering bushes along the road. The hydrangeas vary in color but are full of blooms and add wonderful color to the gardens they grace. With few of their winter days going below freezing, the flowers do very well in the mild climate. We didn't see temperatures over 70 degrees and it was very comfortable for biking during the day. It doesn't get too hot or cold--I believe Gina called it a maritime climate.
The national pastime for Ireland seems to be music and the opportunities to see and hear live music were constant. It wasn't ever a scheduled show, as explained by Catherine--more a matter of who showed up when to play.
The food was wonderful--but then again, it usually is on these tours. Jill hasn't met an Irish soup that she doesn't like, as well as the breads and scones. She regrets that she missed the scone-making lesson but the beautiful morning weather made the early-morning hike to Dun Aengus was too good to pass up. The desserts were very good and Gina and Catherine kept us supplied with very good chocolate-covered shortbread cookies in the goodie basket.
True to these tours, we had experiences that can only be found in Ireland and we truly appreciate the beautiful blue skies that the fairies blessed us with most days. The days that weren't so sunny meant tea and cocoa to warm up with. We had a wonderful time and highly recommend it!
Ireland: Galway and the Connemara Coast
Guides: Gina and Catherine
Guests: Kim and Nancy, Andy and Diana, David and Joan, Dan and Karen, David and Vicky, Bonnie and Steve, Dennis, Amy and Jim, Alice and Merrill, and of course, Jill and Dave.
We booked this trip last summer thinking it would be a beautiful ride and a great way to see Ireland. About 6 weeks before the trip, we woke up to the fact that a.) there is a lot of rain in Ireland and b.) the average high this time of year is 65 degrees. Suddenly, we wondered if a bike trip was a good idea. We packed for chilly and rainy and hoped for the best.
Ireland held a few wonderful and unexpected surprises--like the flowers. The flowers are beautiful! Between the rain and the great soil conditions, flowers like fushia and bugleweed grow wild, forming beautiful flowering bushes along the road. The hydrangeas vary in color but are full of blooms and add wonderful color to the gardens they grace. With few of their winter days going below freezing, the flowers do very well in the mild climate. We didn't see temperatures over 70 degrees and it was very comfortable for biking during the day. It doesn't get too hot or cold--I believe Gina called it a maritime climate.
The national pastime for Ireland seems to be music and the opportunities to see and hear live music were constant. It wasn't ever a scheduled show, as explained by Catherine--more a matter of who showed up when to play.
The food was wonderful--but then again, it usually is on these tours. Jill hasn't met an Irish soup that she doesn't like, as well as the breads and scones. She regrets that she missed the scone-making lesson but the beautiful morning weather made the early-morning hike to Dun Aengus was too good to pass up. The desserts were very good and Gina and Catherine kept us supplied with very good chocolate-covered shortbread cookies in the goodie basket.
True to these tours, we had experiences that can only be found in Ireland and we truly appreciate the beautiful blue skies that the fairies blessed us with most days. The days that weren't so sunny meant tea and cocoa to warm up with. We had a wonderful time and highly recommend it!