Ireland // Day 2 // Dublin to Galway via Clonmacnoise

MY FIRST IRISH BREAKFAST
I got up early so that I could go down to the beach before breakfast. It was just as beautiful as yesterday and even more deserted, only a few dog owners with their four-legged friends and me!
But hunger quickly drove me back, because at 07:30 I had my first breakfast in Ireland: scrambled eggs, baked tomato, toast, jam, coffee, and fried half-cut potatoes. Delicious! In between, I chatted with my landlord, he made a great effort to speak 'high English' so that I could understand him. We sat in the middle of his chaotic living room, with pictures of the family, souvenirs, documents, wild decorations... it was wonderful! B&B is definitely something different than a hotel, you immediately feel like part of the family. Later on, we cleared the table together and then I was ready to leave. Fortunately, I never have to pack much when I'm living out of a suitcase! But first, I was hugged tightly again and warmly bid farewell with a 'it was very nice meeting you'.

HIGHWAYS AND TOLLS
I have to admit that I got into the car with a slightly uneasy feeling, the mishap from yesterday was still in my mind. But no reason to worry, it went smoothly from there! Especially when there was a median strip on the road, I could always orient myself optimally using the right side mirror, so there were no more 'anti-scrapes' on the sidewalk. If not: urgh! That was still a bigger challenge, but the more I drove, the better I got. At the end of the trip, I was 'complaining' like at home when someone drives too slowly, haha...
Since it was Sunday and still early, there was hardly any traffic. My landlord had explained to me that all the Irish are still asleep now because they drank heavily yesterday. I wouldn't meet anyone outside until 11:00. It wasn't that bad, but the first section of the highway, the M50 around Dublin, was actually very empty.
There, like on many of the highways in Ireland, you have to pay a toll, called 'toll charge'. The M50 is special, here the license plate of the vehicle is scanned and the owner has to pay the fee (3.10 euros for a regular car) online within 24 hours. If not, a penalty fee is due. Fortunately, Hertz automatically adds the toll to the invoice, so I didn't have to worry about anything.
On the rest of the way, I had to pay twice more, I think it was on the M4 and the M6. 2.90 euros and 1.90 euros could be paid directly at a toll booth while passing through. So it's best to always have some change ready!
By the way, 'learners', meaning novice drivers, are not allowed on the highways. Although tourists familiar with driving on the right side should be a much bigger safety risk!

CLONMACNOISE
In the middle of the trip, I made a stop at Clonmacnoise, an ancient monastery ruin. I was there as early as 10:15 am and besides me and a few cars, 'only' 3 tour buses. So it was actually possible to take pictures without people in them! And finding a parking spot was completely effortless. It would have looked quite different a bit later on, I'm sure.
The grounds are manageable, there is a small cinema where a short film about the history is shown, an exhibition, and the outdoor area. I found the outdoor area the most exciting by far! I did watch the film, but since there was no option available in German or English, I joined a French tour group. And pretended that my French skills from the past were enough... to say that I understood 25% of the film would be a generous estimate!

B&B NO. 2 // 'WOODVILLE' IN GALWAY
After this stop, I continued straight to Galway. The next B&B was also a bit outside and, compared to yesterday, much more stylish and professionally run. Patty is the hostess here at 'Woodville'.
In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't choose the B&B's in the city center. It was always much easier to find a parking spot that way, the location was nicer, and getting to the city center was usually relatively easy anyway.
Speaking of parking: there was one, but the entrance was so steep that I was glad when the Audi finally stopped. I then checked three times whether the handbrake was properly applied. After I had to find the doorbell first (because the front door is hidden behind a patio door), Patty also whirled around me ('lovely day, isn't it?') and showed me my room. The bathroom was huge compared to the day before, everything looked a bit like in a Rosamunde Pilcher film, very pretty!

THE CITY CENTER OF GALWAY
Like yesterday, I wanted to take the bus to the center, but Patty advised me to walk along the coastal path, it would take 1-1.5 hours and the view of the sea was great. She was right! And since I had spent almost the whole day in the car, my feet needed some 'exercise' anyway.
The promenade was busy, especially dog owners and joggers were doing their rounds here. And people were swimming at several beach sections as well. I would never have gone into the sea at 18-20 degrees, but - that's what I heard the whole week - it hadn't been that hot in Ireland for a long time and everyone was totally thrilled about the great weather. Apparently, there was also some important sports event in town, because half of the people were wearing wine-red jerseys. But I never found out what it was about.
When I arrived in the city center, I went searching for something to eat again. I found it at the 'Dough Bros': that was by far the most delicious pizza I have eaten in a long time! I chose the 'Posh Pepperoni' with spicy salami, pepperoni, glazed onions, arugula, and lots of cheese, yammi!!!
After that, I walked around the city, but, just like in Dublin, I wasn't really impressed. There are many pubs, the 'Latin Quarter' is quite nice, but I don't think I could spend more than a few hours here.
On the way back to the B&B, I took the bus, but unlike Dublin, the bus stops here don't have names. That's why I only knew where we were turning based on my map app maps.me (highly recommended, it always tells you where you are!). When I was reasonably close to the B&B, I just pressed 'stop' - it worked quite well! On the way, there was 'Joyce's', a cool supermarket with a huge selection. There I directly bought the 'Digestive' biscuits from McVitties, which I already liked during my study time in England. And they still taste great! This will be my snack for the rest of the journey.

And tomorrow: Off to Killarney. I will stay here for 2 nights because there is so much to see in the region.