April 21-22

Finished with the Hawkwalk, we returned to the car, first stopping on the way to the parking lot at Mrs. Teas, the small café and gift shop on the property where we grabbed a small snack to take with us.  We then made the short drive to Westport where we checked into the Mariner Westport for our two-night stay which ran us 288 Euros ($339).  Although we had to park in a lot across the street for a very reasonable 2 Euros a day, we enjoyed the property which had a bar and our room rate included a very good breakfast menu. 

We relaxed awhile in the room after I got us a drink from the bar and then we set out for dinner, walking a couple of blocks for a extremely good meal at Il Vulcano, so nice that we would return the next night for another one.  We started with a glass of Barbera apiece and the fried calamari, light and tender and then dug into that night’s special, Veal with a creamy mushroom sauce accompanied by perfectly roasted potatoes.  As we split the starter and the main, it left enough room for a Panna Cotta to share and along with very good service, the final tab of 90.75 Euros ($106.71) including a tip left us even happier. 

The next morning, we thoroughly enjoyed our included breakfast, with Joanna getting the Free-Range Poached Eggs, served on a toasted muffin with spinach, chive butter sauce and Smoked Salmon while I had the simple, but good Homemade Granola Pot (blend of rolled oats, nuts, honey, puffed rice and seeds, baked until crisp, toasted and golden brown and served with potted natural yoghurt).  Our original intention for staying here in Westport was to ride bikes on the Great Western Greenway, a 26-mile-long off-road trail that begins in Westport and ends in Achill, passing through the towns of Newport and Mulranny as it runs along the coast of Clew Bay.  It is intended for use by cyclists and walkers and follows the route of the former Achill extension of the Midland Great Western Railway’s Westport railway line, which was constructed in the 1890s and closed in 1937.

But that morning it was cold, windy and drizzling and as I felt like I was coming down with something, we decided to pass on riding bikes and instead opted to do the walking tour in our Steves tour book.  We started at the Octagon, just a short walk from the Mariner, Westport’s eight-sided main square. Surrounded by 30 townhouses, it was the centerpiece of the planned town back in the 1760s.  The monument in the center was built in 1843 (just before the famine) to honor Lord Browne’s banker, George Glendenning.  But the statue of the English banker was shot to pieces by Irish patriots in 1922 during the civil war (notice the gunfire-pocked column). Today, St. Patrick perches on top, garbed in Roman clothes (recalling his kidnapping from Britain’s corner of the crumbling Roman Empire).

As we walked down James Street towards the River Carrowbeg, we noticed that there are no stop signs. That’s because traffic is supposed to be so friendly that drivers yield to anyone in a crosswalk without being reminded.  Also, no chain stores as the town council has allowed no big chains to open in the town center.  This helps Westport remain a proud little place with a strong community spirit.  In 2012, it received the award for “best Irish town to live in and has also won the national Tidy Towns contest an impressive three times.

Not letting that large breakfast get in the way of something sweet, we stopped in at Marlene’s Chocolate Haven for a handmade steaming cup of delicious hot chocolate.  Suitably refreshed, we continued down to the river and then along it to stop in at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  Not very large or as impressive as any of the many cathedrals we’ve witnessed, and yet on a cold, wet day it was an appealing shelter from the elements.  We circled back up to the hotel and there we ended our day of activities, welcoming a chance to have a quiet afternoon.  As fun and exciting as day-to-day travel can be, at some point one needs to take a break and not do much, perhaps catch up on the blog, or watch TV, or any of the other mundane things we engage in to occupy time. 

As mentioned earlier, we opted to return to Il Vulcano for dinner.  While it is often the case, our return visit was not quite as memorable as the first, the food was still excellent.  Joanna chose an Aperol Spritz to accompany her Lasagna al Forno (homemade meat ragu sauce & mozzarella cheese) which oddly was served with chips while I had a half liter of house red wine and the Linguine alla Carbonara (with fresh cream, parmesan cheese & smoked bacon).  The tab came to 70 Euros ($83) including tip and as we continue to encounter in Ireland, well worth the money. 

And that would do it for us in Westport as we dedicated the evening to streaming the Quiet Man and making plans for the remaining part of the trip.  We now had just seven days left of our original thirty and as with all trips, this one started without seeming to have an end in sight, and yet, here we were.  Having traveled extensively for a long, long time, it’s just like when you were a kid and school let out for the summer and the days appeared to stretch out endlessly.  And then, before you knew it, you were back at that desk staring at the chalkboard at the front of the classroom, an eternity to go before summer rolled around again.  We’ll cover our time in Belfast and Dublin in the next series of posts.  Until then, keep dreaming of summer. 

Links

Mrs. Teas: https://shop.ashfordcastle.com/en-us?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=shop-mrsteasboutiquebakery

Mariner Westport: https://www.themariner.ie/

Il Vulcano: https://www.ilvulcano.ie/

Great Western Greenway: https://www.greenway.ie/

Marlene’s Chocolate Haven: https://marleneschochaven.com/