Today was another long day on the bus. But we made the best stop of Ireland so far – the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher are described as an impressive wall of rock that towers some 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.
We drove in and out of rain going to the Cliffs of Moher. While there we hit a dry spell and were able to climb up to see the cliffs in dry weather conditions. It was even clear enough to see quite a distance which the guide told us is not always possible. It started sprinkling on the way back to the bus.
It was, however, very windy. I didn’t bring a heavy jacket and it was nippy cold. I didn’t stay outside very long but climbed high enough to get a good picture and then went to the visitor’s center. It was a magnificent scene with the water crashing into the cliffs. Absolutely breathtaking!
We then went to Bunratty Castle. I could have skipped this two-hour visit. It was a recreated Irish Village of old. The food selection was poor and there were not many places to sit down. They had pigs, ducks, chickens, goats, etc. The buildings didn’t have anyone demonstrating their craft. I can see pigs, ducks, chickens, goats, etc. at home. Oh well, you win some and you lose some.
Those were the only two stops we made today and they were 30 minutes apart. We had a two hour drive from Bunratty Castle to our hotel and a two hour drive from our morning hotel to the Cliffs of Moher. I saw four rainbows today. None were complete rainbows like I see on the prairie but they were beautiful.
We drove in and out of rain all day. The skies would clear up, then cloud up and it would rain, then it would clear up and then cloud up again and it would rain. Repeat often throughout the day. I’m a bit jealous of how much rain they get. Sometimes it would rain when it appeared that there were no rain clouds. Hard to get a full view of the sky sometimes though.
The scenery at times was so green it almost hurt my eyes. Lots of dry-stack limestone fences. Made me feel right at home.
We have a group dinner at 6:00 tonight. Not sure I am going to go down for it. I am about grouped out for the day. We leave in the morning at 8:30 so will need to go downstairs at 7:30 for breakfast. Thankfully we are staying in this hotel for two nights so won’t have to pack and take my suitcase down with me in the morning.
Tomorrow we are doing the Ring of Kerry Tour. This is the place that I originally had planned to come and walk and then changed my mind. With the rainy weather it is probably a good thing I shifted my plans but I know I would have enjoyed walking it more than the group bus thing. I’m not sure where we are stopping for lunch and other stops during the day. They usually tell us ahead of time but didn’t for this day. I’m sure we will make a few stops on the 111 mile Ring of Kerry Tour.
Friday we go to Blarney Castle where I will get to kiss the famous Blarney Stone. Then we go to the Waterford Crystal Showroom and then we will spend the night in Waterford. There is a Blarney Woolen Mill Store I am looking forward to visiting.
Saturday we head back to Dublin and will have our farewell dinner. Sunday and Monday I will be on my own in Dublin. Tuesday I fly home.
When I was coming up the tiny elevator when we got to this hotel, a man spilled a small bit of beer on my sweater. He wiped it off and offered to pay to have it cleaned. I told him not to worry about it. This hotel offers laundry service at a much more reasonable rate so I fixed a bag of laundry and took down to the reception. I put the sweater in there so it will be clean for the rest of the trip. I don’t want to smell like a brewery for five more days.
I need to give some thought about how I want to spend my two free days in Dublin. If I had realized I had a free day before I flew home anyways I probably wouldn’t have stayed over an extra day. I’m not sure what hotel I am staying at and where I will be in relation to things to do. If I remember I will ask tomorrow and then do some research and make a plan.
I have a feeling these last few days are going to go by quickly. Six more days and I will be home. The three weeks has flown by. It will be ever so good to be home again though.
Grateful for yet another safe day of travels, grateful for the beauty of the Cliffs of Moher, and grateful for affordable laundry service.