Meet Peat!

Our first days in Ireland were damp and chilly. Michael and I both noted a distinctive aroma in the air. It wasn't quite the smell of a wood stove. He wondered, was it coal burning? No. It was peat...burning in fireplaces to keep the chill off.

Peat is harvested from bogs and it appears that it is used widely throughout the areas we traveled in Galway County. I have a series of photos of peat. One shows it piled up outside a farmer's house as we might see a cord of wood after a recent delivery. In the bucket next to a shallow fireplace it is ready for usage. Finally the last shows it offering welcoming warmth upon our arrival at Abbyglen Castle.

It was a pleasure to enjoy peat's warmth during those first days.

How's this for a breath-taking view?

No trip to Ireland is complete without a stop at the Cliffs of Moher.

Every meal is a delight.

Whenever I mention that the biggest discovery of my first visit to Ireland was the high quality of the food, some people think I am joking. But a few days into my second visit and my inital opinion is confirmed. Dining in Ireland is a delight.

The first evening in Galway, we couldn't decide which of many wonderful options to select so we enjoyed a moveable feast...an appetizer and glass of wine in an Italian bistro, an entree of locally-sourced seafood stew at an organic restaurant, and dessert from a little place that specializes in pies either sweet or savory. We went with rubbarb ginger.

We have enjoyed fine foods in many different settings. We had fresh mussels from Killary Fiord at a small family eatery, locally-provided salmon while dining in a castle, and an amazing vegan mushroom soup while at a museum cafe. We've had yummy scones, home-baked breads, and even delicious porridge. In Galway, we found the best breakfast at the Providence Market Kitchen. This evening, crab salad and lamb shank, both from the local providers.

The farm to fork concept is clearly evident in Ireland, and we are the beneficiaries.

Providence Market Kitchen in Galway

A great breakfast stop.

A view of the Irish countryside

We have been enjoying our days in Galway and the Connemara region. We've explored the coast and inlets, hiked in the National Park, and droved through a valley adjacent to the mountains called the Twelve Bens.

Packed and ready to go!

In a few days, we will be on our way to our 2015 adventures in Europe. One of us is celebrating a birthday soon so we decided to mark the occasion in a special way. We begin our travels in Ireland, visiting Galway, the Connemara region, and Dublin. It's Mike's first time in Ireland and we anticipate beautiful vistas, friendly encounters with locals, traditional music, and good food.

From there we fly to La Rochelle, an Atlantic coastal city near our temporary summer residence in Charmeneuil, France. We will be staying with hosts, Veronique Deplanne and Peter Vance at Veronique's family homestead, known as Les Grandes Ormes. It's pictured here.

While there, we hope to improve our French language skills, learn about the local culture, and enjoy getting to know Veronique, Peter, and their guests. I look forward to sharing our adventures small and large as the weeks progress.

The cross-country road trip...a perfect transition

Corner of Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado

 

As teens, the biggest adventure of our imaginations was driving across the U.S.  This journey was glorified in the movies, literature and music of the day. I made my first cross-country trip by car in 1977. It was an eight-week adventure filled with so many “firsts” that even now it is outstanding in my memory.  These included my first view of the Rockies, the first time I ate catfish, the first time I saw a slot machine, my first sighting of the Parthenon in Nashville and so much more.

At this point in my life, I drive cross-country annually. The trip westward generally follows the same route south to the intersection of Virginia and Tennessee, and then westward on I-40.  The return journey eastward varies with many stops at museums and historic sites, and visiting friends and family along the way.

Either direction, it is always an adventure. Each evening, my husband and I hunt out locally-owned eateries to get a flavor of the community in which we’ve stopped. We’ve experienced amazing meals and colorful characters at many of these establishments. This year, we ventured into Brown’s Catfish in Russellville, Arkansas.  We enjoyed meeting proprietor Al Brown and feasted on a great diversity of offerings including delicious seafood gumbo, fried okra, catfish and ribs. We topped it off very indulgent cinnamon rolls.

I love heading west and seeing the country unfold before us. Each day, the sky seems to get bigger and the landscape opens.  I count the rail cars passing on the parallel tracks. I check out all the vehicles and wonder where the other drivers will end their journeys. We watch for windmills and mountain ranges in the distance, and look for recognizable shapes in the clouds.

Each year, this road trip offers a wonderful pause that helps me get reoriented to the scale of our continent. In my opinion, it provides a perfect transition from one place to another.