Wrapping Up in Ireland

I haven't quite gotten used to this constant updates via blog yet, so after hearing from a few people that I needed to update it (including my father, who usually isn't in the loop when it comes to new internet related things), I realized that indeed a new post was necessary, so hear goes.

Bright and early Wednesday morning Rae, Grace and I headed off to Galway City to begin our Cliffs of Moher (Moe-her) tour. It was a MUCH longer drive than I had anticipated, but spent all of it reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (by Steig Larsson, for those that haven't read it, DO!). The countryside was gorgeous, but the weather wasn't the greatest, so being on the bus at that point was nice. Once we got into Galway City, we met up with the tour guide, Conor. We drove through parts of the city as he told us about the history of Galway and some of the things to come on the tour.

We passed numerous castles and drove through tiny little towns on tiny little roads in a BIG bus, talk about a terrifying experience on the road! We stopped in a little town near the coast for lunch in Doolin. We also stopped and saw historic Celtic crosses in an old cemetery.

We picked a gorgeous day to visit the cliffs. By the time we got there the clouds had moved inland and there was just a slight breeze. The cliffs are 700 ft high and have a view of the Aran Islands. There is a sign that says not to cross a certain point (for safety of course), so naturally, we being the Three Musketeers hoped the stone wall and continued the hike in search of getting closer to the edge and better pictures of course!

Towards the end of the time we had to spend at the Cliffs, the weather was getting gray and the wind was coming in, making us a little bit on the chilly side. We got back on the bus and heading up along the coast on the way back to Galway. The view was spectacular! We then stopped at a place known as the mini cliffs, which were tiny compared to the Cliffs of Moher, only 100 ft. The drive back was very long with traffic and the three of us slept about the whole time.

Again, it was an excellent day and was so much fun! Since the day of the cliffs we have met up with the MacCabes, some other family friends of ours and enjoyed great meals and great company. Rae and I have enjoyed getting to know the small towns that make up Dublin and cannot wait for the next leg of our European Adventure!

For me, that starts in precisely 4 hours (4:00am) when I need to get up and get ready to head to the airport! In less than 12 hours I will be in Madrid and have met many of the people in my program. Here's hoping for a great power nap and an easy morning!