Ireland: Part Two

On to part two of our Irish Adventure! I am not exaggerating ;with the use of the word "adventure". Every day was some new kind of excitement, be it a vista, excursion, an awesome meal, or just a run-in with an exceptionally helpful Irish man. 

Days two and three were most days of travel, but when you're in Ireland even that can be spectacular. A major player in this story that is NOT included in the blog author list is our Irish driver Matthew. He proved to be an excellent source of information (though he admitted later that his tips helped his family business). So Day Two we traveled from Dublin to Lahinch via motorcoach. CMD might be a little annoyed at my posting of this particular picture, but given the reference to rock stars in the previous post, it deserves a mention. Not many people can take a nap in the back of a moving vehicle as well as he can. CMD is our resident rock star. This stretch of travel was relatively boring. Incredible vistas from the vehicle, but jet lag was starting to wear on us and the guys were running late for a tee time. 

Once we arrive in Lahinch and dropped off our bags, Matthew took us (LTD and me) to a great seaside inn called Vaughn Anchor Inn. We had incredibly fresh seafood chowder, a crab martini, and a giant BLT. Way too much food. Still, we needed to be full in case our adventure led us well into the evening. Next stop: The Cliffs of Moher!

I know I am going to keep saying this throughout the Ireland series that pictures will not do this country justice. This is especially true of the Cliffs of Moher. Located in the Burren region of County Clare, the cliffs tower 214km over the Atlantic Ocean and span 8 kilometers - anchored by O'Brian's tower. During our visit, we made our way through the entire experience, beginning with a lesson in the geology of rock formations and how changing weather patters (climate change) is affecting the region. Pretty interesting stuff. While in the visitor centre (built into the hilly landscape) LTD and I watched a video from the viewpoint of the cliff nesting birds -- apparently one of the largest colonies of its type in Ireland. Matthew also made sure we knew that people sometimes took their life at the cliffs. LTD and I laughed (in a non-humorous way) at the complete lack of safety precautions. I think since she is a mom she was a bit more worried about a disastrous misstep than I. 

I probably should have been more careful. At one point, we walked on a path that was no more than 3 feet wide, balancing a barbed wire fence (and cows) on one side and the cliffs on the other. Plus the scores of other people walking in the other direction. My mom is the best mom. We finished the day off with an excellent meal at the Atlantic Bar and (naturally) a post-dinner pint at The Nineteenth. CMD and I are starting to understand the whole 8, 9, or 10 pint a night thing.

Day Three was a longer travel day that involved the motor-coach being right-on-time for a ferry across the River Shannon (aptly named the Shannon Breeze). We bought some pretty sweet coasters with the Dalton coat-of-arms but hustled back onto the motor-coach pretty quickly. Stories of a member of our party being left at the dock did not sit well with us. After dropping the golfers off to play Ballybunion, LTD and I continued into Killarney where we were treated to one of the best views I have ever seen in my life. From the hilltop we could see middle, upper, and lower lakes, and into the Killarney National Park. 

From here we checked into the Killarney Park Hotel; this might be the greatest hotel I have ever stayed in my entire life. Most definitely in recent memory - very deserving of its "leading hotels of the world" listing. And we needed it desperately. The beds were so comfortable and inviting. The housekeeping staff actually put a fresh bottle of water next to the bed every night. I lost my sunglasses and the front desk staff not only found them, but arranged to put them in my room! Killarney was beginning to look a lot like heaven. Thank goodness, because it was also home to our most adventurous adventures. Until next time. . .