Week 11 - Ireland. Seen, felt – and still on the way.

Matthias Fröhlich
14 hours ago
2 min read

At the very beginning, Ireland was… difficult.

Sometimes it's like this, sometimes not. When we arrived in Northern Ireland, it immediately felt wrong. No clear reason. No specific event. Just this quiet feeling in my gut. We won't be staying here long.

We quickly left Northern Ireland behind. Somehow everything felt familiar. Almost like Great Britain. And yet, not quite. Hard to put our finger on. We still made it to Belfast, though. The Titanic Museum was impressive. Quiet, powerful, and well done. Definitely worth a visit.

Then we headed towards Dublin. Now it was finally time to get going. The real Ireland. We parked the van in a parking lot behind a pub. Music, conversation, a few beers. A good evening . The next morning, a headache. And no, not from the beer.

Dublin made it difficult for us. Dogs on public transport? Forget it. For us, that meant rethinking our approach. So on we went. Westward. Galway.

And that feeling returned. Somehow, Ireland just doesn't quite suit us. We found beautiful places, no doubt about it. But it rarely felt truly van- and dog-friendly. A lot of things seem strict, not very spontaneous, not very relaxed.

Galway was different. This is where we arrived.

A small town. Manageable. Not loud. Not pristine. A little crooked. Just right. Street music. Pubs with stories. The Atlantic never far away. Here we felt at home. Truly at home for the first time.

The next day, the Cliffs of Moher. Yes, touristy. Very touristy, in fact. And yet: WOW!

These cliffs aren't a view. They're a statement. Rock. Wind. Depth. Below, the Atlantic, loud and uncompromising. You stand there and realize how small you are. And that feels good.