Ireland - The Emerald Green Isle

With non-stop flights direct from Providence to Shannon, Cork or Dublin with Norwegian Air - Getting to Ireland has never been easier.  Norwegian Air offers comfortable, new planes with airfare at a fraction of the cost from rival airline carriers.  My husband and I were thrilled to be in Ireland within four and a half hours.  

Stationed in the surfer town of Lahinch in Country Clare - we explored the surrounding areas during our whirlwind 3 Day/4 Night stay.  I found the most impressionable areas to be the Wild Atlantic Highway, famous for the Cliffs of Moher and County Clare's area named "The Burren."  The Burren is dominated by a karst landscape of limestone.  Its geographical expanse reaches from the uplands of north western Clare, bounded by Galway Bay and the Atlantic extending well into the Gort plain, encompassing Coole Park and the lakes around it.

Free from children, we stopped at almost every church, prehistoric monolith and geographically significant vantage point, all while enjoying the local pub fare along the way.  An amazing location for fresh Irish gastronomy is Monk’s Bar & Seafood Restaurant, in Ballyvaughan.  Set on a picturesque harbor overlooking tidal flats and coastal islands beyond, we dined on the best oysters we have ever had.  Followed by a delicious seafood stew accompanied by brown bread and the most amazing dessert, we left fortified to contiue our travels.