Ireland Day 4 - June 19, 2011

We got up rather late this morning since we were up until 1:30am at the pub.  BTW:  Dublin is on the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska so the sun doesn't set until after 11:30pm and I think it rises around 4:30am (I haven't gotten up early enough to see the sun rise).   Another BTW:  Even though the latitude is the same as Juneau they have palm trees.  Go figure.  On with me tale.  We hit the road around 1:00pm.  We drove through the countryside on our way to Westport, Ireland on the west coast.  I have to say that the middle of Ireland reminds me of Iowa or Missouri.  We stopped in a little town to have lunch which was OK.  There was a family eating who had two little boys that were complete brats.  I'm usually pretty patient with kids and their behaviors but I thought they both needed to be spanked.  Craig, you would have been very tense and for good reason.  Not the best experience in more ways than one.  Continued on to Westport which is a pretty little seaside village.  Our hotel was on Clew Bay and our rooms faced the bay.  Christopher and I took a walk to stretch our legs and look around the scenery.  There were sheep across the channel on a very green hill and down to the west were a lot of islands (around 365 I think).  We went into town and had a very good dinner.  They have a lot of local fish dishes and I had the stuffed Plaice.  After dinner we got in the car for a little drive and Wil saw a "brown sign" (his words) so he turned off on a little sideroad.  He had found a nature preserve and it was beautiful.  The sun was starting to set over the bay with lots of soft pinks and blues in the palate.  We took a walk through the woods on the edge of the bay onto a beautiful peninsula.  There was a beach there with probably 30 pre-teens swimming in the freezing cold water.  They were excited for the warm day which was probably 60 degrees.  BTW:  There were sheep pretty much everywhere and allowed to roam free.  I mention this because there was sheep poop everywhere.  Maybe that combined with the rain is why everything is so green.    Drove back part way and stopped at a little road side pub.  We were the only tourists in the pub which had quite a few locals enjoying some traditional Irish music.  There were two Irish flutists, an Irish guitar, a small accordion and an Irish fiddle.  They sat in a booth to play and they were fantastic.  The Publican (owner) came over to introduce himself and was extremely friendly.  He knew where Kansas City is and asked if we have Irish relations.  I told him no and he looked totally deflated by my response.  He was the 3rd generation of a family that has owned the Pub.  That evening was a fantastic evening because of the beautiful scenery, sunset, Pub, music and friends.  What a grand day!