Ireland 2013: Part 6

Part 6 of our journey through Ireland was the start of wrapping up our tour of the countryside before landing for a few days in Dublin. We set out early that morning heading for the Cliffs of Moher. As I'm sure you have discovered by now, much of the sightseeing in Ireland is landscape related. This was probably the largest difference we found between this trip, and our trip to Italy last year.

Everything was absolutely stunning, and as green (if not greener) as it appears in all of the pictures. The sky was that bright and blue. It was beautiful and the Cliffs of Moher did not disappoint. We arrived mid-day at the Cliffs and found that the weather, though beautiful, was extremely windy and VERY cold! We bundled up and started our trek!

View from the road on the way to the cliffs.

Our first view of the Cliffs.

More cliffs

This picture sort of shows how windy things were. But to put it in perspective...
there were a few times when I thought it might pick me up and throw me over!

The Cliffs were quite a sight, and like most of the other sights we'd seen over the past few days (Skellig Michael...) there were very few safety precautions, aside from the typically "don't be stupid" speech. Though it is wonderful to see nature without ugly metal railings...the combination of the height, with the wind made me a little nervous. I did a pretty good job of steering clear of the edge!

A beautiful view of the cliffs and the blue water!

Cows...because they are EVERYWHERE.

We had a great tour of the Cliffs and then headed into the Visitor's Center for a nice hot lunch. Adam and I both got big bowls of Guinness Stew and it did not disappoint. I think I'll have to try my hand at making Guinness Stew this fall! It is exactly what it sounds like, a hearty beef stew made with Guinness, onions, carrots, and potatoes. It was perfect after freezing by the cliffs. After our lunch, we got back in the car and headed to Galway, our last stop before Dublin!

Galway was definitely the largest city we visited before Dublin. It had lots of shopping, great restaurants and a neat little river running through the city with the most beautiful swans floating along. Adam and I had a wonderful dinner date here before meeting up with the rest of the family at a pub! This was for sure our wildest night out...not that it was wild per se...but we had a great time! But you'll probably be able to tell from the pictures!

Musicians in the shopping area in Galway.

One of the many friendly swans, he did a great job posing for my picture!

Sampling a few brews at the pub!

Our very eager bartender.

Our two drivers for the trip (they were finished with the driving for the day, don't worry)
And as you can tell from the looks on their faces, they are having a good time!

Alli's friend. I can't remember where he said he was from...but he was friendly!

We had a great night out in Galway...and luckily the only thing on the agenda for the next day was to make our way to Dublin. That was good news because everyone needed a little more rest after our big night out!

Stay tuned for Dublin!