Letterfreac Co Galway Ireland

We departed Dublin for Rosleague Manor, Letterfreac. As we arrived at Maam Cross, we decided to explore the road through the Maamturk mountains

instead of going to Letterfreac via Clifden. 

It was a misty evening but here and there light broke through the clouds, light so reflective of the West of Ireland.

We arrived at Leenane and drove by spectacular Killary Harbour, the only fjord in Ireland. 

We passed Kylemore Abbey and Connemara National Park before arriving at our destination Rosleague Manor. 

We were welcomed by the quiet, friendly dog of the house. The manor is one of the historic houses of Europe. It's location is spectacular overlooking Ballynakill Bay. 

We were assigned a large garden suite. It was very comfortable and cosy - a perfect place for a winter break! 

We walked down to the shore.

It must have rained a lot here recently as the grass was waterlogged. We continued by road to the pier and called in at the Avoca shop before returning to the manor to dress for dinner. 

We had an aperitif in the conservatory but as it was now dark, we couldn't admire the gardens outside. We then adjourned to the dining room. Dinner was 5 courses and of excellent quality. All the ingredients are sourced locally -  the manor boasts its own pigs and a walled kitchen garden. Starters included rillettes of lamb and cured mountain lamb for me and the best crab claws I've tasted for CC.  Soup or sorbet followed - I can't comment on the soup as we both had the most delicious sorbet. My main course was mouth watering lobster, simply served with salted butter and a juicy fillet steak for CC. For desert, a most generous cheese board with many accoutrements and a delicious local carageen ice cream. Tea and petit fours completed a fantastic meal - if I had a quibble it would be that the petit fours were disappointing. A bottle of St Emilion proved to be a fine accompaniment.  I won't trouble you with photos.!! 

This morning, Sunday, commenced with an appetising breakfast. There were the usual selections - an excellent granola and local smoked salmon were among the highlights of the self service table, followed by poached egg and kidneys for me and an Irish breakfast for CC  - I must compliment their brown breads - they were among the best I've eaten. 

All the talk here is of Ophelia - a tropical storm said to hit the south and west coasts tomorrow morning. We are due to return to Dublin but if the red alert for this area comes to pass, we may have to extend our stay!!  

After a brief respite to enable me to do my exercises post my fractured humerus, we drove into Letterfreac. Here is situated the infamous reformatory school that reflected the brutality of the borstal system, where children were removed from their families for such crimes as truancy from school or their mother dying. Today it is used as a woodworker training centre. 

We continued to nearby Connemara National Park. 

There is an excellent Visitors Centre which explains the history of the area. Having completed our visit there, we went outside.  The weather was questionable? The Apps were forecasting rain but in any event we decided to take a walk in the Park. There are three - one easy, another of medium difficulty and the third more difficult with a steep climb. In consideration of my incapacity, we walked the first two. The scenery was stunning looking down on the bays below from every vantage including the old bog road. 

The walks were not very long about 3km a piece but as we missed the turn for the Diamond walk, we had to retrace our steps. We spent a pleasant two hours walking and though the rain threatened to fall now and again, it did not rain. 

A return to the Manor with the Sunday papers proved irresistible. Now I am sitting by a cosy turf fire relaxing for the evening and yet the rain has not come ...... 

Monday morning 0430 and I heard two German tourists depart for Dublin. At 1030, it appeared calm so we set out for Galway and called on friends. A wind was blowing but not strongly. In Galway, they were expecting the hurricane to arrive at 15.00 hrs. We decided to quit Galway at 13.30.  It hadn't yet hit the Midlands as yet and we were informed that Dublin was quiet. The motorway was windy but not excessive. We arrived safely in Dublin.   

It was a most enjoyable week- end. 

Bordeaux-St Emilion-Granville-Cherbourg

It's Friday and time to hit the road to Bordeaux. It was suppose to be a 4.1/2 hour drive until we met a severe traffic jam outside Bordeaux and in addition Sat Nav was playing tricks again so our arrival time was  2.1/2 hour later than planned.!! 

The journey through the Cantabrian mountains was very scenic albeit that sudden thunder showers intermittently occurred. Little wonder the area is so green in contrast to the landscape of its southern cousins.

The Basque people are very proud of their heritage. Their language is a living one. The area is divided 50:50 as to whether to secede from Spain or not.   

We crossed the border. The only indication was a change in language on the signposts. We eventually reached the Ibis hotel in a great location on the Bastide side of the Bordeaux but a few minutes tram ride/10 minutes walk to the Bourse. 

The evening was spent in the old city. We took a tram and 3 stops later, we were on the quays. As it was Friday night the place was alive, especially with young people. It was somewhat cold but most people were sitting outside the bars and restaurants. After a brief walk, we chose a fish restaurant and had the  French favourite huitres (oysters).  The city looked lovely bathed in light. 

      Porte Cailhau-an old city gate (1495)

This morning (Saturday), we took Bat 3 (€2), a 3 minutes walk from the hotel, to the recently opened La Cite du Vin. 

It was a very pleasant  voyage along the Garonne. 

The  morning was bathed in warm sunshine and the citizens of Bordeaux are out walking, cycling and breakfasting along the quays. 

                      La Cite du Vin

The €20pp entrance fee to La Cite, I thought a little steep, for what was a very basic description of the wine industry. An audio tape was supplied with 1-2 minute snippets of information on various presentations. Possibly, if we had more time, we might have delved deeper, though I doubt we'd have learned much!!  I considered that trying to accommodate all wine regions of the world was too ambitious! 

On the first level were conference rooms, on the second an explanation of the wine industry, on the 9th, a panoramic restaurant and on the11th a panoramic view of the city, with a glass of wine included  in your ticket price. 

There were no grand crus among the selection!! 

On the ground floor was a very spectacular wine shop, selling wines from all areas of the world and a restaurant. 

Wine tastings were available at a price as was 

a lecture on the architecture of the building. 

We quitted the Cite and returned again by boat to the hotel. 

Saint - Emilion was our next destination. It is just 1/2 hour from Bordeaux, though with no road signs in Bordeaux, it proved a challenge to find the correct road (Sat Nav was misbehaving again!) but eventually we arrived in the very picturesque town. 

It is a world heritage site - the first wine area to be so designated. It is a beautiful village with a church dominating the central place. 

A wedding had taken place in the church and their chariot awaited.  

 

                       Saint Emilion

The grapes were heavy on the vines, awaiting harvesting. 

I wonder will the recent thunder storms experienced in the area damage this year's crop? It is a difficult industry so reliant on the vagaries of the weather.

There are in excess of 127 chateaux in the village and surrounding area. There were many wine shops in the village and a large cave du vin but the village had kept its integrity unlike the garish Chateau Neuf du Pape village, we had visited on our Rhone trip. We visited Le Petit Gravet in the lower village square and made a purchase. 

This morning (Sunday), we decided to visit some chateaux. We visited Saint Christophe, a small, family owned 8 hectare estate.

The chateau has been in the family for seven  generations. The wife of the present owner gave us a tour and explained their process in detail. I am impressed by her enthusiasm, considering she  does not know whether we will purchase or not. We tasted their three wines - most of their customers are French - the chateau only exports 5% !! We purchased a case. She explained that it was difficult for the chateaux as the Russians and Chinese are tempting owners with their unlimited cash. As a result the price of a hectare has trebled in the last ten years. She added that it is difficult for family enterprises as the inheritance tax is 30%, which must be a huge sum for families to raise in this difficult industry, so open to the vagaries of the weather. The harvest commences c 25 September and the wine growers are hoping for temperatures of 25-30 for the next three weeks so the grapes can ripen. I tasted a few and they appeared ripe to me!!  They had to contend with frost in April and much rain this year!

Why are governments so slow to address these  anomalies.? It is similar in London, where again the Chinese and Russians are investing in apartments in the wealthiest parts of London and leaving them idle. It is said many apartment blocks in areas such as Chelsea are mostly dark at night because of absentee buyers!! 

We eventually located Chateau Clotte. It is a popular wine among the local wine growers so we decided to visit it. We located the previous owner. She explained that she had run it with her two cousins but it needed big investment and the cousins were unwilling  Were they lured by Chinese or Russian money, I wonder?The new owner had closed it at present awaiting renovation !! 

Our next chateau was Arnaud de Jacquemeau - here they practice organic farming. 

  

A tasting had just finished as we arrived. The owner did not speak English but his elderly father did. Having enquired as to whether or not we had time for a tour, with our acquiescence, he treated us to the most informative tour we had yet received and gave us a detailed step by step demonstration on how to PREPARE before drinking wine. One could see his passion for his subject and how proud he was of his ancestor who planted the first vines on the estate in1870 - another two cases added to our stock!

Last night we chose a restaurant in St Emilion. 

Even though our hotel is only 3 km from restaurant it cost €40 return as taxis have to come from nearest town 8 km away. I suspect we were the only clients. Le Roy de Clos was an excellent choice. Initially, we sat outside, but the rain arrived in buckets and all the guests had to retreat inside. The meal was superb 

 

                      Cod with celery

 

                Duck with forest fruits

 

     Chocolate filled Macroon with ice cream

Menu €32 - all delicious with excellent flavours with the exception of the cod which was a little bland. 

The quality of French food for the price is amazing. The waist line would be seriously compromised if I lived here! 

Yesterday (Monday) , as we left St Emilion, we visited the nearby Chateau Cantenac, 

purchased more wine and set out for Granville, the home of Christian Dior , where we spent the night -  to break our journey to Cherbourg. We travelled via Bordeaux, Saintes, Nantes and Rennes to Granville on the coast. Thankfully, the roads were quiet, the French having returned to work after their August break!  

The town of Granville is situated on the coast and boasts a beautiful beach with an amazingly, large marina. 

               A portion of the marina!! 

I suspect everyone in Granville owns a small yacht.! 

Granville is the home of Christian Dior.

We took a walk along Casino plage. It was a beautiful autumnal morning and a few hardy souls graced the beach. The promenade had bathing boxes reminiscent of former times. 

We reached the end of the promenade and climbed the steps up to the house. It is in a spectacular setting - high above the town and looking out on the beach.  

As we approached the house could be seen, situated in spectacular gardens. 

The house was purchased by Christian's father in 1906. His mother Madeline had a great interest in gardening and it was her rose garden which inspired his perfume fragrances. 

His mother died in 1931 and a few years later, the house and gardens were given to Granville. Why this bequest was not explained but the town opened a museum in Dior's honour in the 1990s.  

Inside the house (no photos permitted), were a few examples of Dior's creations but most exhibits were by later House designers. 

             John Galliano's creations!! 

The museum was well presented and there was an informative video with English subtitles. All other notations were in French. 

I walked back to the town and returned to the hotel to commence our drive to Cherbourg. What a journey it turned out to be! As I sit here, as the ship departs the port of Cherbourg, I didn't think we'd make it! 

Leaving Granville, there are few signs and at one point we turned back, thinking we were on the wrong road. The car's Sat Nav and google maps kept recalculating and the road signage was woeful. We were on the correct road! 

Next we came upon a very recent road  accident, involving three cars! As a result the road was completely blocked and the cars appeared in no position to move though thankfully no one appeared injured. As we didn't know how long it would take to clear, we had to reroute. Without appropriate signage and technology of little use, we found ourselves at one point going in the opposite direction to Cherbourg! Finally we arrived at the motorway, where signage was excellent but by the our ETA was 17.40. The ship sailed at 18.00 and last check-in was at 17.00!

Speed limits were broken and having been observing the limits throughout the trip, CC was now driving like the French, who never appear to observe speed limits. 

We arrived at 1735 and to our relief, we were allowed to board. By 1750, much relieved, we were sitting in our cabin, awaiting departure!! 

What a day! I was never so glad to see Cherbourg! 

One tip: if you like an early morning cuppa - buy a travel kettle. The hotels in France and Spain do not for the most part provide tea/ coffee making facilities. 

Until the next trip ........

Toledo - Bilbao 2

Wednesday and we arrive in Bilbao. We had travelled in bright sunshine until at c 20 km from Bilbao, the thunder showers troubled us once more.

I had the impression that the Meseta plateau was a flat table top mountain but this was untrue. The Meseta is punctuated by numerous sierras. As we drove north, the landscape became greener, a reflection on the increasing rainfall. 

The ubiquitous bull accompanied us.  

We stopped in the Ribera del Duero area and purchased a few cases of wine. Two of the Bodegas were closed when we called -well after all it was siesta time!! 

We drove through the town of Lamia just south of Burgos. It was a  picturesque village dominated by a Parador on one side of its impressive square. In the plaza, were located many restaurants, where people sat outside enjoying the sunny afternoon 

On arrival in Bilbao, the rain was lashing down. Luckily we got the last parking spot in the hotel carpark. 

We ventured out to see the Old Town. It was dark as we reached it by the tram, which stops right outside the excellently appointed Zenit hotel. The tram circles the city and stops st the main sights- €5 per day or €1.50 per trip. 

We alighted at the Old Town. The rain was pouring down so we sought refuge in a Bar and had a glass of wine and a pintxos (Basque for tapas). 

We sought out the nearest restaurant for dinner  - menu del noche €17.50pp. The latter included a three course meal with bread, water and wine. We ordered red and white and were surprised when a bottle of each was put on the table and we were requested to help ourselves! Usually it's a glass of wine with the Menu del  Dia. We drank half a bottle each and the price remained. We noticed all tables were provided with a bottle of wine - a Rioja 100% Tempranillo - very acceptable and the white did not identify the grape but was also very acceptable. How will we ever face Irish prices again? The food too was excellent - my starter of prawn tagliatelle was the best I've tasted. 

This morning on checking the weather apps - all but one stated that rain was not imminent!! Do I believe them - no! Having breakfasted locally, we took the tram to the Guggenheim Museum. 

The museum is composed of titanium curves which appear like running water in the sun, with computer cut rectangular and  triangular windows. To me it is an architect's design set to impress and  not user friendly. If one alights from the  tram, other than that one is wheelchair bound, one has to climb at least 50 steps up and as many down again to access the main reception area! 

Up to the 1970s, This was a ship building and port area. With the demise of the ship building industry, the City decided to revive its fortunes and rebuild much of the old industrial landscape. The Guggenheim foundation aided Bilbao's development. It continues to have a similar function - today it brings tourists from all over the world to the area as the ships brought sailors in the 19th and much of the 20th centuries. On the water's edge is a photographic exhibition of this transition. 

    A view of the river from the 3rd storey 

The sky darkened and we considered going to the Old Town while it was dry and returning to the museum once the rain arrived. However, as we considered our options, the rain arrived and we sought refuge in the Guggenheim!  It acts as a European showcase for the Foundation's art. Picasso' s Guernica is not on display. The Basque's have been requesting its return ! 

It is a very impressive building, designed by the American architect Frank Ghery. My question is, is  the structure a homage to the architect or the artist? 

The interior is designed with massive open spaces - but the exhibition space dwarfs in comparison. 

While it exhibited the old masters, 

                              Monet

it also exhibits some very avantgarde works 

including Warhol's  depiction of Marlyn Munroe.  (no photographs permitted).

Having completed our visit, we adjourned to the restaurant area for lunch. There were three - the 55th best restaurant in the world at €80pp, a Bistro lunch at €28pp and neither unlike last night's  included wine!!! The final choice was Bar food reasonably priced. After some deliberation, we chose the Bar as we decided that if we lunched, we would be incapable of continuing our city sightseeing. Three pintxos and a glass of wine sufficed €9.

I would like to return to both San Sebastián and Bilbao to sample their culinary delights but on this trip, we do not have time to enjoy gastronomic delights. After a day's sightseeing, we're exhausted! 

We took the tram to the Old Town and alighted this time at Ribera and explored the medieval  Siete Calles. (Seven medieval streets)

The area abounds with restaurants and Bars. 

The shops were closed as it was again siesta time!! Some of the Bars and restaurants are long established. Their interiors exhibit all the grace and eligence of a bygone era. 

We went to see Santiago Cathedral, but only to evaluate the exterior-there's only so many churches a gal can take! 

From there we returned to the Nirvion river alias Bilbao river. We admired the Arriaga theatre (1890) 

and on the other side of the river stands Santander station (1902). 

We returned to the medieval interior once again to visit Plaza Nueva (1849), built inNeoclassical  style. 

It appeared similar to the converted bull ring in San Sebastián but there is still a bull ring in the new town. Here in the sunny plaza I sat enjoying the most densely chocolate flavoured ice cream, I've ever tasted. I won't tease you with a photograph. All afternoon we were blessed with sunshine, having escaped the morning rain whilst in the Guggenheim. 

Having quitted the Plaza, I returned to the hotel by tram, CC leaving me to take the funicular railway. Now we must decide where to eat tonight?😙

After much deliberation, we decided to dine at the Guggheim bistro. The booking system is quite confusing - when we tried to phone, we were informed the restaurant did not open til 20.00 hrs, when we tried to book online, it stated that we were joining a waiting list. When we phoned after 20.00, we were informed that we had secured a booking online!! This would lead one to believe that the restaurant was full but on arrival, it was catering for only c.20 guests, when it could accommodate at least 100!!

We chose the Tasting Menu st €38 and €12 for matching wines. 

The food was extraordinary. The waiter explained each course and the wine which accompanied it. 

     Egg roasted st low temperature etc

                          The hake etc

           Pan fried French toast etc

The dessert wine had been made in house!! The waiter gave us the recipe but I think I'll pass on it! All other wines were impressive. (Apologies - omitted to photograph the tuna tartare and the delicious lamb).

An enjoyable end to a perfect sight seeing day.  

Tomorrow, we leave Spain for France - next stop Bordeaux........