Touring the West of Ireland

As a private driver and tour guide i sometimes think that i have been blessed with an occupation that allows me to feel like i am on holiday myself as i travel through some of the most beautiful places on God's earth. Today was an unusual day for me as i had been approached a few days ago by a small private bus company who were touring my neck of the woods with a group of Irish pensioners. They simply did not feel that they knew enough about this side of the country to supply their own guide so they wondered if i could bail them out on this one and be their guide. Normally i just look after my own personal clients but on this occasion the lady who spoke to me was so nice that i felt i could not let her down. She was the wife of the owner of the bus company. From the moment i joined the bus on the outskirts of Galway city this morning i knew i had made the right decision. Traveling with senior citizens has always been a special favourite of mine and today was no exception. Being their guide in what we know as God's country today was an honour and a privilege.They were lovely from the word go and before too long we were enjoying the stories and jokes and the songs. Yes...i did sing a few songs for them and indeed we all sang together as we wound our way through the mountains and valleys of Connemara. We passed through the Quiet Man country around Cong and through the Maam valley, and what a gorgeous day it was for this. We do get our share of rain in Ireland but there are days also when it does not rain, and today was one of those. It was truly special and on reaching Kylemore Abbey in the heart of the Twelve Pins (a mountain range) we were ready to tuck in to a hearty lunch. There is a lovely restaurant here and i would have to say that they must have been glad to see all of us arrive (28 in all). The homemade vegetable soup and quiche were great and i had a big slice of apple pie and fresh cream to finish up. What a tough life i have.
Our return journey took us along the northern shores of Galway Bay back into Galway City. What a lovely day i had and when they dropped me off where my good wife was waiting for me they left me in no doubt that they wanted me to be their guide again tomorrow. In the morning we make for the Burren of county Clare. The forecast in for a lovely sunny day again and i am really looking forward to that.
I think one of the special pleasures of travelling with the older generation is that we can talk about the way things used to be in the "Good Old Days" and reminisce about things that the younger ones can never experience. Things may have been tough back then but life was good in so many ways and we never missed what we never had. There was an appreciation for the little we had and people looked out for one another and a neighbour was someone you really knew. We talked today about the excitement at Christmas time and how we treasured the little gifts we got and they were few... but wonderful. If we were short of anything we really did not notice it that much as long as our tummies were full. We were not handed menu's but we ate all that was left down in front of us. We got excited about hand-me down clothes and wore them with pride. I had older brothers and could not wait to inherit things like their long trousers and corduroy jackets, and i remember that well. Yes, today was a trip down memory lane for me and i really am blessed.
I will post again as soon as i can and let you know how our trip to the Burren goes tomorrow.

Comments welcome.