I imagined giant trolls roaming this treeless Ireland landscape. Big round boulders dot the bog land like a giant rock garden for the trolls. The sky was gray, and the fields were brown, and I was feeling an overwhelming amount of blah as I looked out my car window.
This area in Galway County was so different than the flat Burren walking trails I had just come from. Fittingly a village named Roundstone was at the heart of this rock garden landscape.I rounded the corner along the Wild Atlantic Way and drove into the village of Roundstone – all of a sudden my blah color palette came alive – pinks, blues, yellows, greens appeared as if my ‘movie’ had just been colorized. I immediately stopped as I felt as I was aching for a little color in my life after a few rainy days. As I walked around Roundstone with my camera shooting the radiating colors of the town a guy stopped me and introduced himself on the street. He told me he retired around Roundstone and he went on to explain why.
“This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” he said as he gazed out at the horizon
His comment made made me stop and pause – I loved the uniqueness of the landscape but not sure I would call it the most beautiful I had ever seen. It made me wonder about this man, what would make him love such a really barren, brown area? An area where I imagined trolls to live. I have often thought that the love of a barren landscape had something to do with what you are used to and where you grew up. My parents retired in Eastern South Dakota because it has a similar landscape and culture as where they grew up in northeast Nebraska. It brings them comfort. I wonder if this means that one day I’ll retire to a flat landlocked Midwestern town. After all, I am strangely drawn to ‘nowhere places’.
The guy invited me to coffee and as much as I wanted to go learn more about him and why he felt Roundstone Ireland was the most beautiful landscape he had seen – I had to decline and keep on driving. During my stay in the Roundstone area, I did really learn to appreciate and love the landscape – you can see why through these pictures.
What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen and would you retire there? Let me know in the comments!
A boat tied up with a colorful blue rope at the Roundstone docks
A blue door sticks out among the blah colors.
A fishing boat in the Roundstone harbor
An abandoned home outside of Roundstone. Maybe a future retirement home someday?!
The Roundstone waterfront
The Connemara landscape – is it the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen?
Sherry Ott is a refugee from corporate IT who is now a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer. She’s a co-founder of Briefcasetobackpack.com, a website offering career break travel inspiration and advice.
Additionally, she runs an around the world travel blog writing about her travel and expat adventures at Ottsworld.com.com.
