The Magic of the Cliffs

In Italy it's still hot, but in Dublin on 12 September definitely not. There's a killer wind, and the sky is heavy with clouds. Hire car directly at the airport, then to the b&b booked from Italy, nice even if a bit out of the city. First evening in the capital very positive: a good dinner, the obligatory Guinness (which I don't even like that much), a bit of shopping. The next morning we set off early, since we'll have to come back to Dublin to catch the plane to Italy.

We travel north, towards Donegal. We cross the border with Northern Ireland, and finally arrive in Donegal. The town is only pretty, with a small castle, but the nature is fascinating. Very few trees, low bushes everywhere, desolate moors, deserted beaches full of giant seaweed. It doesn't feel like Europe, but a remote and unexplored landscape. From Donegal we head south, passing through Sligo, then Westport until we reach Galway. From there we board for the Aran Islands, where we'll stay a couple of days. There isn't much to say except that they're amazing: absolute peace, very few tourists, lots of sheep, and an awful lot of rock. Even in the typical walls that serve to save the crops from the incessant wind. And then beautiful cliffs, and unforgettable scenery, including a sunset over the sea that takes your breath away.

Dinner based on fish, obviously, before returning to the b&b, with big windows onto the sea, for a night I won't forget.

The ferry takes us back to Galway, from where we set off again heading south. We arrive at the Cliffs of Moher, a fantastic sight even if crammed with tourists, then at Limerick, a rather dreary city made famous by Frank McCourt's novels. From there always south, to admire the Dingle peninsula. The temperature has become decent, and given the white sand beaches we get half a mind to take a swim. But the water doesn't encourage us, and once wet up to our knees we retreat while the rest of the bathers snicker a bit, disappointed by our retreat.

After the Dingle we leave the more nature-oriented Ireland to seek out the one of monasteries and churches. We pass through Killarney, then Cork, then Caher and Kilkenny. On the road to Wicklow we stop at Glendalough, a splendid monastery situated in the valley of the two lakes, equipped with a famous round tower that served to spot the Viking ships that came to raid the Irish coasts. A wonderful place, nestled in the wildest nature, among trees and mountains.

After Glendalough we return to Dublin, where we can't avoid a trip to Trinity College, the National Museum, St Patrick's Cathedral. We devote another bit of time to shopping on O'Connell Street. We can stay almost three days, and we also devote ourselves to "pitch and putt", a kind of mini-golf played on grass golf courses. In the evening we have dinner based on Irish Stew, the exquisite Irish stew. Our holiday is about to end, the plane is already there taxiing on the runway, and as we take off amid the clouds and the rain that has unfailingly returned to greet us, I find myself thinking that this country is absolutely unique. Not the most beautiful I've seen, but certainly unique.