Cliffs of Moher

Sunday was our last full day in Ireland. We loved the city, but we really wanted to see the countryside often portrayed in movies, like in PS I Love You. Plus we had heard about the Cliffs of Moher, so we booked a tour bus for the day.

We had to wake up super early, as in 5:30am. Plus, the night before, our lovely French roommates had come into the room at 3am totally wasted and laughing and screaming and making weird noises. I think one girl had the hiccups. Thankfully, one of the German girls told them to be quiet. I figured I would get revenge knowing my alarm clock was set for 5:30am.

It took us two and a half hours to get to Galway. It actually surprised me that we could cross the country in less than 3 hours. Our tour guide got on the bus and drove us south. We stopped along the way to look at castles, Wedge Tombs, Fairy Fort (where leprechauns are from!!), and more. We even met this group of students from New Hampshire who were studying in Granada!! We stopped at this town called Doolin at 1pm at a pub for lunch. Angie and I had brought sandwiches, muffins, and mandarin oranges to save money and we had a picnic. This was another way to avoid the Irish food that I really did not want to eat. We did go inside the pub to see what it looked like, and it was really cool. There were groups of people sitting around tables playing instruments and making music. Apparently this was only because it was music week or something.

castle

me and melissa at the tombs

the irish pub

me at fairy fort (where the leprechauns live!!)

We had some time before the tour took us to the Cliffs of Moher, so we walked down this street and saw the Atlantic Ocean. Now obviously, I have seen the Atlantic Ocean numerous times, but I have never seen this side of it. It was so cool to know that on the other side of that ocean was home. Being in Ireland really does remind me of home, mostly because I have been in Spain for the past 2 months, but at the same time it really does feel European. There were cliffs on the side and I saw the ocean hit the sides of the cliffs. The waves were huge. It was so pretty.

me!!

atlatic ocean

We arrived at the Cliffs of Moher at 2:20pm and were told we had until 4pm to get back on the bus. There were a bunch of us and we all walked around the Cliffs. We saw this tower that was really pretty. Then we went to the other side and walked along this path past the “Do Not Cross: Private Property” sign. We took tons of pictures. Melissa and I were both walking close to the side away from the cliffs, holding onto the rock wall. Everyone else was sitting on the side, dangling their feet of the edge. Then Angie and Anna started running, and I saw them slide themselves down the side! I totally screamed and freaked out and thought my 2 sorority sisters were going to fall off the Cliffs of Moher. I really did not want to have to explain that to our exec board… Turns out they just wanted a picture.

the picture i totally freaked out for

pretty tower

i felt like rapunzel!!

the cliffs of moher!!

sorority sisters

It was super windy, but it was also sunny. And it was not as windy as I thought it would be. The wind did make for some real interesting pictures though…

We got back on the bus and rode 3 hours back to Galway. On the way we passed cowsheep, saw Leprechaun Mountain (you can only see the face if you believe…), and the Bay. Our tour guide, Ray, said sometimes you can see dolphins in the bay. Naturally, I literally stared at the water for the remainder of the coastal drive. I ended up falling asleep, but woke up to everyone on the bus singing Irish songs. We were in Galway again, and had half an hour until the bus ride home at 6:30. Of course, we went to Subway. Best decision ever. Then we got on the bus and rode home. I fell asleep for a little bit, watched Meet the Fockers, and thought about our amazing day.

We got home, showered, slept, and woke up the next day at 4:15am to get on a bus to the airport. I got to sit in the front!! On the left side. I felt like I should have been driving. Then we sat in the airport for a few hours and then left for Madrid and took another 5 hour bus back to Granada!!

Ireland was the one country that I could not leave Europe without seeing. I am one fourth Irish, I have been Irish Dancing since I was 10, my saint is St. Brigid, I’ve seen it in movies, and I love the culture. The luck, the leprechauns, the superstitions… I love it all! Plus it reminded me of a mix between Chicago and what I think London would look like, but Anna said she liked Dublin more than London. Ireland totally exceeded my expectations, which was surprising. I felt so at home there. It was like the US, but it was very clear we were in Europe. I loved it all so much! I really want to come back someday. This weekend was, without a doubt, one of the best weekends of my life. I can’t even describe how incredibly happy I was just to be in Ireland and how blessed and thankful I am that I had this amazing opportunity. This has been my dream for so long, so, in the words of Flynn Rider, now I guess I get to go find a new dream.