I am feeling alone and melancholy tonight.  My apologies.  In an effort to lift the funk, I will look ahead - actually, for this first aspirational travel post, I will look behind.

Some years back (circa 2006), we visited Ireland.  It was when Fruit Loop was really quite a Mini Loop, and The Despot (who is no longer so despotic, FYI - will have to revisit that at some point) was not even on the horizon yet.  It was a wonderful little weekend trip, with the perfect amount of activity + aimless driving and staring at beauteous landscapes and old castle rampart-y things + great food and friendly people.  Here is the itinerary in a nutshell:*

To fly:
Shannon Airport

(This is awesome.  Go wild indeed!)
Great little airport, excellent flight options.  Plus, it puts you right in the center of multiple day jaunts - great hub for visitors.  (Go see a castle!)

To stay:
The Quay House

A true gem of a hotel/B&B/family-owned and -loved business.  The owners are cosmopolitan and warm; friendly, accommodating, and inviting; and clearly love this property and what they do.  The building is a blend of history and modernity, nestled right on the waterfront and surrounded by beautiful countryside.  That being said, it is a quick 2-minute trip to the town center, so location is ideal for its beauty and convenience.  The decor is a great mix of traditional and contemporary, with a variety of rooms, arrangements, and views that will suit any traveler.  Clientele when we were there ranged from young families (i.e., us) to business folk to older couples.  

To see:
Kylemore Abbey

A castle, an abbey, and a world-renowned boarding school for girls - this stunning place has a rich and storied history.  Tucked away in the scenic idylls of Connemara, its grounds also have a traditional Victorian Walled Garden, pond (complete with swans!), and numerous paths to explore.  Tours are given, replete with folklore.  Also:  every picture you take will be stunning.  The natural and manmade beauty are breathtaking here.

Leenane Sheep and Wool Centre
This relatively non-descript building houses an amazing variety of all things sheep-related.  They also host classes, festivals, and events.  The throw we purchased during our stop here is one of my favorites - warm, durable, and unique, with great memories woven in.

The natives!
On our trip, we meandered our way through the countryside.  Around many outcroppings, overlooking crumbling stone walls, and ambling over rock-studded hills were Connemara ponies.  This compact, kind pony breed is a welcome site in its namesake region.  (And, again - great picture moment!)

To eat:
G's Restaurant:
I will admit, when pulling up sites and pictures for this post, I got a little scared - this gem of a restaurant may not be there anymore.  (I found one picture, but it doesn't look like I remember.  Which could just be my faulty circuits upstairs.)  This restaurant was on the square in Clifden, and the chef had a phenomenal resume with an even better menu.  We were fortunate enough to sample some of the chef's specials when we sat down to our early dinner.  (Which we then proceeded to eat one at a time, as Fruit Loop was having none of this whole travel thing and squalled pretty much the entire meal.  Poor guy.  But GREAT FOOD.  And, for the record, the wailing baby and constant inside/outside to quiet said baby was graciously accommodated by the waitstaff.)


Leave time to drive aimlessly.  Follow the coast up north for spectacular views and history around every bend.  I can't wait to go back - to revisit familiar places and discover new ones.

There, I do feel better now.  Wunderbar!




*This post is simply the itinerary we created.  There is no sponsorship or affiliation, and there is no compensation for this.  (In fact, I am pretty sure none of these places know my little blog exists.)  All pictures from referenced company-owned websites.  Leenane Sheep and Wool Centre photo is via company's website by way of Linda McNulty Photography.  Connemara pony photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org.  

Dear heavens, the dust in here is thick. The Bootstrap Family continues to be far busier than any family should ever be. Many, many things going on in the years (eek!) since I last posted. No update today, just needed to share some melancholy. 

I am not a social media-heavy person, to say the least. (Shocker!) However, I got back on Teh Facebook not too long ago. I troll my friends' feeds, and was doing so today when I came across some pretty sad comments.

 Backstory: my friend served overseas in Iraq. Many of the subsequent comments to her post are from fellow armed services veterans.


This is so sad. These are people, human beings, on both sides of the fence here, and it is too easy to forget that in the pervasive Us vs. Them ideology. "They" are the enemy. "They" should be denigrated. "They" should be, essentially, taken out back and shot. These thoughts exist on either side of the Us vs. Them equation. US veteran or civilian, Muslim or non-Muslim - these were all once precious, innocent children, individuals who had their paths in life spread like an open canvas in front of them. Somewhere along the line, that canvas became colored - whether by violence, acts of hate, or constant threats to self and loved ones - and this meanness (not just unkind or vicious, but ignoble) is what now obliterates a once-promising life's work. All because of sociopolitical and religious intolerance. Ignorance. They are essentially the same thing. Sad, sad, sad. That we have the beautiful cultures and blessings of intelligence and empathy and compassion, and yet we squander those to baser, coarse, destructive attitudes of the myopically narrow-minded.

 The most scary part is thought dictates action. If you allow hateful thoughts to occupy your head, you will behave hatefully. You may tell yourself that you don't really believe x, y, or z, but if your unvarnished thoughts are x, y, or z, then you can guess where I would put my money on your behavior when push comes to shove.

 Nobody is right here. It is all wrong.





 * Fyodor Dostoevsky - maybe from The Brothers Karamazov? Many also attribute this quote to Dostoyevsky and cite "unknown source."