Ireland Cliffs of Mohr

I'm so in love with Ireland already! The people have been so nice, the countryside is beautiful, the food is good and they like whiskey.

Yesterday we signed up for a tour of the Cliffs of Moher at 7am the following morning. We did actually make it all up that early this morning and red and slept for 2.5 hours on a bus to the town of Galway on the west coast of Ireland. Upon arrival, we met our tour guide - Laura - who group up in the area and was very sweet and funny.

Galway Bridget

Village of Galway

She told us That several at stories of history and folklore. We heard the story of how the Claddagh ring came about, the Joyce family and how their monkey saved their baby, where the word lynching comes from, and that Irish people will exaggerate a story. She said that the doors in Galway are painted bright colors so that mean on their way home from the pubs intoxicated can find their door and not their neighbor's door. In essence, they have no excuse to be in bed with the neighbor. We heard several at street artists playing as we walked around town. We stopped by the St. Nicholas church for a few short minutes. They have a clock tower with four sides. Three of the sides have a clock but the fourth that faces the Catholic church in town is just a vent. This is because they do not want to give the Catholics the "time of day". Pretty cute there! After the short tour of Galway we headed to the Cliffs of Moher.

On the way to the cliffs, we stopped for lunch at Gus O'Connor's pub in Doolin. This time we tried to order the European way and have one person order for us all. I was the chosen one and went up to order. We were with a tour group that all stopped at this one pub so the bar was a little packed. As I'm standing there, this patron strikes up a conversation. He asks if I have a job where I could take off on Monday afternoon for a drink. I tell him that I actually can do that with my job. Him and two other patrons and I talk for a bit about what I do and that I love Ireland so far. He asked if I'd like to move there and have a farm. I Said That I'm not really a farm girl. He asked about a bed and breakfast and I said that i'd be in for That Because I love cooking. He then introduced me to his son (who was the bartender) and the son said to come back later if I could. Enter me blushing a lot! I wish I could have told him but were were headed back to Dublin today.

Gus O'Connor's Pub in Doolin

We received our food - Guinness beef stew, fish and chips, and a goat cheese tarlet - and dove in. It was soon followed by statements of this is great and yum!

 About 30 minutes after lunch we arrive at the cliffs. Laura says we take our selfish now shouldering Because we will not look the same at the cliffs. Man she was not wrong! The wind was so so strong all of us almost got knocked over several at times. The cliffs are gorgeous! Everything is so green and the water so blue. Colors only mother nature can make. After our ride to the cliffs I fully understand why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle. So.much.green. We spent two hours at the cliffs taking pictures (or trying to take pictures with windblown hair).

Cliffs of Moher

On the way back we overtook a coastal drive through Clare and stopped at the mini cliffs. According to our guide, Tolkien stayed in Ireland, saw the cliffs and they inspired Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Pretty cool to see the original inspiration for a classic story.

Mini Cliffs of Moher

Our guide was very good and told us stories and history on the ride to and from the cliffs. She mentioned several at terms That we know today That came from Ireland. One story she was mentioned that in old Irish law a man may take more then one wife but the first wife has 3 days to legally kill the second wife and avoid prosecution. So the honeymoon was invited where the husband hid his second wife from his first. Also, raining cats and dogs comes from Ireland. When thatched roofs were used cats and dogs would sleep in the rafters to get warm. Then as it rains - because it occasionally rains in Ireland - the water would drip in and the cats and dogs would fall from the rafters. So it was raining cats and dogs. Searching every nook and cranny is an Irish term as well. Nook or knook is as Irish term for hill and cranny is for valley. So you are searching hills and valleys for something lost.

When we returned to Dublin we headed put to Temple Bar. We visited the Temple Bar Pub and Fitzimmons Pub. Since it was a Monday night not a lot was going on and we headed back to the hostel.