Before we left Ashford Castle, I had to take some more pictures of the interior because ... well, look at this place.
Every hotel should have a suit of armor. Every building should have a suit of armor.
The lobby.
The lounge.
The dining room. We had an amazing breakfast buffet here (thanks to Rodney Rogers!)
Up to the second floor hallway, decorated with paintings from local artists.
And the library.
We were very sad to leave our room.
I love this detail. They could have painted over this nut and called it good, but no, they had to dress it up and make it look like a flower first.
Did I mention the complimentary bottle of sherry? Because we had a complimentary bottle of sherry.
At last we had to leave the castle and make our way to Belfast. If you plot this on online, you'll see it's a little more than a four-hour drive. We made a little detour, though, a mere two hours out of our way. (Did I mention that Bridget is the most patient and loving woman the world has ever known?)
This is Leo's Tavern in County Donegal, named for its proprietor Leo Brennan. The pub opened in 1968 and has hosted countless live music acts, few more famous than Leo's own family. His daughter Eithne gained worldwide fame as Enya (yes, that Enya), while younger daughter Moya and her brothers Ciaran and Pol, along with their uncles Noel and Padraig, formed Clannad. And I love Clannad. Here are some of my favorite songs, though their best known in America for the theme to Last of the Mohicans. So this was kind of a pilgrimage for me.
This is a Guinness clock that has no real relevance outside the cool Escher-esque artwork.
After lunch at Leo's (thanks to Michelle & Connor Tibke!), it was on to Belfast. You know what that means: more landscape shots!
(A quick note about the trip into Northern Ireland: I had read that the two nations had an open border, which surprised me since they were blowing each other up not too long ago. As it turns out, "open" is an understatement. I figured there would be a gate to pass through or line to drive over or a big sign reading "WELCOME TO THE UNITED KINGDOM" or something, but no. The only changes we could spot were the license plates on parked cars, and the speed limits on our Garmin unit suddenly switched from KPH to MPH. It was weird.)
At last we arrived in our hotel in Belfast (thanks to Amy Lineaweaver & Marianna McClellan and Bob & Julie Zwink!) and enjoyed a quite night with some really good pizza (thanks to Glenn & Melissa Pasley!) Our two nights in Belfast would be our last two nights on the island.
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