September 3, Cliffs of Moher and back to Dublin

Hello People, and Happy Birthday Mom!!

Got up bright and early for the last day of our 3-day tour.  Went by van to Limerick (about 90 minutes) and joined up with another group (down from Dublin on a day trip) and our first day's tour guide (Billy).  For the rest of the day we were in a large coach--first on the bus so we got the best seats.  :-)  Two other people were on the same 3-day tour with us Ken (the dad) and Sean (the son) from New Jersey.  Sean is doing a semester at the university in Glasgow and they took a quick trip to Ireland before his semester starts.  In any case, the dad was very funny and we enjoyed having them both around. FYI, Kelsey, Sean is a very personable young man and it is too bad you weren't with us on this trip.  :-)  

Once again, throughout the day we saw some fantastic scenery.  Stopped at Bunratty Castle just outside of Limerick. The castle was completed in 1425 and was recently renovated.  Could actually live in it, if it had heat, plumbing, etc!  Just a few creature comforts.  haha

Visited the Cliffs of Moher which are among the highest sea cliffs in Western Europe.  The highlight of my day, I might add, and I may not need to see the White Cliffs of Dover now that I've seen Moher.  They were spectacular and the weather was incredibly cooperative. Unseasonably sunny and slightly breezy, the sea air felt and smelt wonderful.

We continued on the coast road on our way to Galway and passed by an area called The Burren.  "Burren" is an Irish word that means 'rocky place' and that is exactly what it was.  It literally looks like a lunar landscape.  In 1649 one of Oliver Cromwell's men described this area as, "No tree to hang a man, no water deep enough to drown him and no soil deep enough to bury him."  Pretty much sums it up!

Oh, we actually saw the house they use in the British show, "Father Ted."  Brian and I are very familiar with the TV program, much to the delight of Billy!!  We also saw Galway Bay and as usual, the scenery was beautiful, etc, etc.  ^__^

Finally got to Galway and caught the train back to Dublin (about 3 hours).  Found a cab that could carry all six of us.  The seating was somewhat like a limo.  Bill sat in front with the driver, Joan, Janette and I sat in three seats facing the front, Jim and Brian were on pull down bumper-type seats with their backs to the driver.   The driver showed Jim where his lap belt was and Brian said, "Oh, I have a shoulder strap!"  Jim was feeling quite left out with his lack of safety restraints.  In the meantime, Brian was struggling to hook his shoulder strap and we were laughing at him saying he had eaten too much/drank too many beers on our mini tour, when the driver yanked on the belt and Brian yanked back wondering what the heck was going on.  The driver yanked again and said, "You've got me belt!"  We were in hysterics all the way to the hotel!!!

Everyone went to bed except for Brian and I and we went over to the Temple Bar area for a nightcap.  Ended up getting to bed about 1:30 AM!!  Had a very good time!