Categories: uncategorized
Date: 13 March 2008 13:03:18
Friday morning saw my meeting with the customer. It was amazing that it had taken 8 years, an office move and a job with a new company in order to finally get to meet them. Let's just say that things went very well and they are very happy with everything. So much so that they are recommending me to their customers as well.
The afternoon saw us taking the Alfa for a spin. I had been told that I had to trake the coast road to Galway to see how beautful it is. I must say that the initial journey couldn't have been further from the truth. Yes, the countryside was green and verdent but the Irish roads leave a lot to be desired. Imagine a country road/lane with potholes every 20 yards. Now extend this for about 40 miles.
Then we stopped off for a late lunch but the pub didn't take plastic and there was no cashpoint in town. Yes, it is that rural... However we did see where Burran Salmon was smoked. This is a very much sought after delicacy in Ireland. We were told that there was a cashpoint and a pub that took plastic in the next town - about 10 minutes away.
35 minutes later we got there. We went on some of the bleakest but most beautiful scenery you'll see. Green fields and low hills gave way to steep hills and fields containing more limestone than grass. The roads got worse and narrower but you didn't care when you saw the view. You could just see the sea before we dropped down into Ballyvaughan.
We stopped there for lunch in a lovely pub before carrying on. That's when things changed again. So much that I have finally found somewhere other than Wales where I'd like to live.
The coast from Ballyvaughan to Galway was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Very rural, very quiet but with a mixture of limestone hills, green fields, small cottages and a superb shoreline. Mile after mile of breathtaking scenery rolled before us. I was sorry when the road rejoined the main road from Limerick to Galway.
God defnitely knew what he was doing when he created Ireland. It is second only to West Wales - that is anywhere West of Swansea ;-)
Unfortunately the journey took a lot longer than we'd anticipated and we finally rolled into Galway at 5:30. We didn't get to see as much as we'd hoped but it is a very good place to visit. And so we decided to take the dual carriageway back to Limerick. What had taken almost 4 hours (including lunch out) took an hour and a quarter back.
I'd recommend that anyone looking for a quiet holiday should try the west coast of Ireland. It is well worth it and cheap to get to with ******* from a whole host of UK airports. See it now before Global Warning takes hold.