Our First Month Overview
Wow, we have been abroad in Europe for one month! That sure went by fast. We are going to take you on a quick journey with us as we reflect on the past month.
A 10 day road trip through Ireland
We kicked off the start of our European adventure by flying to Ireland with our best friends, Ben and Katie. This was a 36 hour ‘day’ with no sleep. We toured Tullamore Distillery, listened to music at Leap Castle, and ended the night at Gertie’s Bar. The next morning we drove through Westport for lunch and explored parts of the Connemara Coast. Before checking into our bed and breakfast, we devoured guinness stew in Clifden. Clifden Bay Lodge B&B was a highlight of our trip. The views were stunning, the breakfast was delicious, and the host was gracious. We relaxed outside watching the sunset and made friends with ‘Pierre’ the horse.
Our third day started with a ferry ride to the Aran Islands. We discussed renting bikes to explore the island of Inishmore, but elected to save money and walk. This was a decision we slightly regret. When we finally made it to Dun Aengus, a 3000 year old fort, we were swept away by the amazing views from the cliffs. We enjoyed it more than Cliffs of Moher.
We loved Galway so much on our trip in 2016 that we decided to stay in Galway two nights this time. Our accommodation was an airbnb above a bar (and ironically, we never even went to that bar). Highlights were listening to live traditional Irish music at Crane’s Bar and eating shepherd’s pie at Finnegan’s. We took a daytrip to Currhagduff Farm, toured the farm, and walked alpacas. This was quite a fun and unique experience!
On our way to Dingle, we had breakfast in the lovely picturesque town of Adare and walked along the beach of Castlegregory. A trip to the west coast is incomplete without a drive through the Connor Pass. The landscape is so different than we have seen in other areas of Ireland. We stayed in the fishing village, Dingle, and was provided with an array of live music and dancing.
Before heading to Killarney, we took the beautiful route of Slea Head Drive and stopped many times to see dramatic coast views. This is absolutely a must do!
For our two night stay in Killarney, we stayed at an upscale hotel, The Brehon. We relaxed a portion of each day in the spa’s vitality suite, which was included. This was our mid-trip rejuvenation! Besides the spa, our other Killarney highlights were O’Connors Pub and Courtney’s Pub.
Our drive to the 370 year old mill (which was also our airbnb accommodation) consisted of sweeping views of the Irish countryside, cows, and semi-trucks. We stopped in Dungarven for the afternoon and then explored the Copper Coast just in time for the golden hour. Stopping along this coast to see the drastic cliffs and beaches was another major highlight of this trip. This is a must do if you are near the southern coast of Ireland.
In Kilkenny, we were hoping to do the Smithwick’s Experience, but unfortunately they have not reopened for tours yet. We had a nice picnic in the hotel courtyard and explored pubs for the rest of the day and found one to watch the Manchester United vs Chelsea soccer match. After a long fun day, the night ended with delicious doner pizza.
As our flights were all out of Dublin, we stayed in Dublin for our last night. We walked around and explored some of the touristy attractions but ultimately wound up in the room early, preparing for our early departure day.
One night in Geneva, Switzerland
With just 24 hours, this was a quick visit to Switzerland! We mostly explored the city via feet, seeing parks, flowers, and history. Check out what we did with our 24 hours in Geneva here!
Workaway assignment in Sallanches, France
Workaway is a platform where hosts provide accommodation in exchange for 4-5 hours of work per day, 5 days a week. We were quite nervous for our first workaway, but it has beyond exceeded our expectations! We are with a lovely family in a chalet in the French Alps. Greg has been using his carpentry skills building a fence gate and compost structure. I have been weeding and trimming their garden.
We are finished with work by 1pm, leaving the afternoons open. I have been working as a virtual nurse mentor, practicing French on Duolingo, and working on blog/social media/photos. Greg has been managing our airbnb properties, working on Connect travels, and planning for our upcoming travels. Of course, there is still time for napping and netflix, but trying to keep those at a minimum!
Every night, we gather around the table for a homemade meal that Deidre has prepared. The cultural exchange has been amazing! Between all of us, we have backgrounds from Scotland, Spain, England, Nigeria, Ghana, and of course, America. Some nights we all play Uno together. Coming up, we may have a movie night and introduce them to Jurassic Park. Needless to say, this has been a fantastic first assignment!
Weekend in Sallanches
On a weekend break from our workaway, we explored market day in Sallanches. We bought olives and strawberries and had a picnic by the lake. The next day, we climbed up through the mountains to the Doran Refuge. This was quite a strenuous hike for us! We found sticks along the way and made them into our walking sticks. From the refuge, it is a 2 hour hike to the peak. If we are brave enough, we may attempt it this week. We’ll see!
Weekend in Chamonix, France
We took a bus to Chamonix for a lovely weekend getaway. Chamonix was beautiful! Fortunately, we were there in the shoulder season and it was not too busy. We ate and drank around the town, practicing my very novice French. Most people smiled or maybe even chuckled, but hey, at least I tried! The highlight was taking the cable car up to Aiguilles Du Midi, seeing panoramic views of the snowy Alps. We could see Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, France, Switzerland, and Italy!
What’s Next?
We finish our workaway next Thursday and then we are headed off on a road trip across southern France. Jim flies into Italy on June 5th and we explore Italy and relax on a Mediterranean Cruise! More blog posts detailing the above adventures will also be posted in the near future. Keep up with our upcoming journey here!