Ireland Day 4 (18 June 2018)

This morning we started in the foggy rain of Dingle. We drove up the Dingle Peninsula towards the Cliffs of Moher. It was beautiful to see these rolling green hills with either hedges or rock walls dividing out the fields. Some of the fields had cows, other sheep, others had grasses and trees. I don’t recall seeing any fields of
vegetables or produce. Though I’m sure they have them, as all of the food is fresh and delicious. 

Somehow the GPS didn’t lead us to the car ferry, since we overshot the turn by over 20 kilometers. However, we got straightened out and pulled up to the ferry about a minute and a half before they loaded on the cars. The ferry only comes once an hour, so we were pretty fortunate!  

We took the car ferry to save us a few hours of driving. Tami had never been on one before, so it’s always an adventure! 






 After getting off the ferry, we drove on a lot of single track roads before we found a different, wider road. We made it to the Cliffs of Moher around 11:30 a.m.  as we drove closer to the Cliffs, I started to watch the fog rolling in from the ocean. By the time we parked in the car park, it felt like we were cocooned in white cotton. 

We walked into the visitor center to go to the bathroom, and then bought hot chocolate before heading out to the Cliffs. There was a small break in the fog right when we got there, which was awesome!  They were impressive with the fog, and am sure they are majestic without it. 







We went inside to eat lunch, which was of course, delicious. The stew was warm and hearty!  



We were hoping for a break in the fog, but the weather  perpetually got worse. We finally decided it was time to call it a day, when we saw tourists coming in soaked from the rain that had started. I’m glad we were able to see them!



We began the trek to Athlone, and were able to see a few cool sights along the way!  If you know me, you know I love cemeteries. 💕



There are a lot of former castles that are perched along the countryside too. So, you can wander around them, or just admire them from the road. Since I’m the driver, I mostly was able to admire them as we drove past. However, we were able to stop for a few minutes too. 



We did see a sign that said, ‘Save our rock walls, not fences!’  The rock walls are impressive!  They look different in every part of the country, but they’re all beautiful. 



We made it to Athlone, and I was so tired. My knee was pretty sore from driving all day without cruise control, so I took a nap for about an hour.

We then headed in to town to see some sites and have some dinner too. There’s an impressive medieval castle in town, right on the water!







We decided to have some Italian food tonight, which was also quite delightful. 







Ireland has felt like a favorite pair of jeans. You think you’re going to like them, but they surprise you by just how much you really do like them. They’re comfortable, the perfect fit, and can imagine living in them for a long time. It has been a joy to discover this amazing country!  I can definitely see myself coming back to enjoy Ireland again. 

Tomorrow, we are off to Iceland!

Comments

  1. KerryJune 20, 2018 at 9:16 AM

    I’m glad you saw castles along the way, just sitting there like they’ve been there for a thousand years, which they have😍

    ReplyDelete

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