I was planning to write a long and detailed post about the remainder of our Ireland trip, but after a few setbacks in my blogging (the biggest one being my computer breaking down and subsequently taking a vacation in the apple store) and the imminence of year 2 exams and accompanying need to study, I will just write a little summary and post some pictures.
The Cliffs
After spending our first half day in Ireland exploring Dublin, we set off to take on the Cliffs of Moher on day 2. We got up early to catch a 6:30 bus to take us to the cliffs, making frequent rest stops and stopping at sight seeing spots, and made it to the Cliffs just before lunch time. The Cliffs are huge (as one would expect)! They span out across the horizon for nearly as far as the eye can see, dark and looming (they may have appeared so more because of the weather than their actual appearance - I'll bet on a sunny day, they would look less looming). In the rocks making up the sides of the cliffs you can see white specks dive bombing into the rocky ledges. These, I later found out, are the sea birds that build nests in the crags and crevices on the cliff face. They dive into the sea below, pluck up some unsuspecting fish from the depths, and then carry their prizes back to their nests to feed their young. I also found out recently that the Cliffs of Moher are the cliffs that were used in the filming of 'The Princess Bride' in the scene where they use a thick rope to clamber up the cliff face. For more photos of the cliffs, click here.
After seeing the cliffs, we loaded back onto the bus and drove back to Dublin, making a few more scenic stops on the way. Here are some photos of some of the stops:
We stopped in a little fishing village to re-fuel (both the bus and the people). It was raining a bit, so many people stayed on the bus. I ventured out, though, and found a little rocky beach and, further away, these fishing boats docked at the wharf.
Another view of the little beach I found. It was very mossy - I nearly slipped on a rock and fell into the water. I wonder if the bus driver would have let me back on the bus if I was soaking wet...
boats along the side of the beach
Another stop we made during the bus tour - this one was a ruin of an abbey
more of the abbey
lunch: seafood chowder and an open faced pulled pork sandwich (VERY good)
a sign painted onto the wall in Galway
On the third day in Ireland, we took the train from Dublin to Galway. Galway is a city in western Ireland. It lies on the river Corrib, between Galway Bay and Lough Corrib. It is a much smaller city than Dublin, and I honestly much preferred it to Dublin. It was cleaner, less busy, and right next to the ocean - all pluses for me. I don't really like big cities much.
On the first day, we wandered around the town for a while, looking into small shops and exploring the area. We had a very nice lunch in a pretty nice restaurant, and then took a bus to the B&B we had booked. After dropping off our bags, we took a walk to the beach. The ocean was ten minutes from the B&B, and we walked down just in time to see the sunset. It was beautiful. For pictures of the sunset, click here. We also walked down in the morning of the next day, our last day in Ireland, and took more pictures of the beach, this time with the sun rising over the water. Click here for those photos.
Here are a few more photos of Galway:
in Galway
On the beach at sunset
On the beach again
Galway
All in all, it was a wonderful first trip to Ireland. It was also one of the first times I have travelled, by plane, with friends - in the past I have plane travelled either alone or with my family. I would deem the entire experience a success, and can't wait for my next trips (which are coming up: France in mid May, then Sweden and Denmark in late May. Posts on those will surely follow!)