Some of my best days in Ireland are simply unplanned drives in rural counties. I use google maps and find an area to which we haven’t traveled. A simple “things to do” or an “attractions”tag in the search bar yields lots of options. It is how I found an awesome Gaelic Warrior statue in a roadside park. There was literally nothing else around and only a delivery driver dozing on his lunch break in the lot. But the horse and rider blazing under a blue sky is one of my favorite trip pictures.

We find monasteries and ruins of every variety. Some are maintained by the national trust and others have cows peaking out of the rubbles windows. The most memorable experiences are often those surprising moments in places others skip over. Sometimes we drive down lanes barely wide enough for our car, hoping we won’t meet other vehicles. Sometimes we can’t find a place to park. Sometimes we drive in circles. Whatever happens is a fond memory.

Sometimes, a quiet moment by a lake or stream brings balance to our day. The stress of daily life melts away. We watch swans or sheep. I could sit on a rock at Glendalogh or Lough Erne for hours. Okay that may not be true. I am not good at sitting. But I could hike trails along the lake for hours, and have happily done so.

We find the remains of great houses and wander through servants tunnels. I am reminded of the sturdy stock of laborers from which I come. I remember to be thankful for all that have come before. Stories are told and retold in this place. There is connectedness and history at every turn.

And I find endless trails, woodland walks, boardwalks and mountain staircases. Much to my husband’s chagrin, I would like to hike them all. We find compromise in shorter walks. We stop for a 99 or a cup of coffee or a pint. The point is not the destination. The point is fully experiencing a place. We have found balance in longer stays and living local as much as possible along the byways.