To the Cliffs and Cocktails

It looked like the weather gods were smiling on us for our trip to the Cliffs of Moher. Three of us grabbed breakfast at the hotel while one of us grabbed a bit more sleep, and we were ready when the bus stopped right out front. We were the second group on the bus, which gave us full choice of seats for a quick spin around Galway back to Eyre Square. Our next groups filled up the bus completely and included a very large, extended American family several members of which were clearly hungover and others of which seemed to have just been to Galway just months earlier (weird) and a late arriving, non-English speaking group who got loudly scolded by the driver--who was very concerned about getting back by dark. Turned out that the couple who sat behind us were very much not in the happy-go-lucky Irish spirit and seemed about ready to break up--he was overheated and motion sick; she was over him. I thought about offering the guy behind us some of the "kwells" motion sickness medicine I had bought in Dublin in anticipation of this trip, but he was so disagreeable and verbally abusive to his partner, I didn't. It was shaping up to be a fun ride!

Our drive out of Galway reinforced that it is the big city in a sparsely populated part of a small island. We saw lots of green fields, occasional cows and sheep, and very rarely, a tiny house.

Our driver told us that the fields in Galway flooded from the bottom up from underground rivers, which leave the region prone to flooding, like this ...

We also learned that a thatched roof will last for decades (up to half a century) but need regular maintenance and that the Irish started to use peat for fuel because the British stole their trees to build the British fleet and their homes. (I looked it up--it's true!) Apparently, Ireland used to be dense with forests; now it's all fields and walls. So many facts! He also pointed out the factory of a local "bean to bar" chocolatier, Hazel Mountain Chocolate, whose shop was in the Latin Quarter. How did we miss it?!

In typical tourist season, the bus would stop at Dunguaire Castle for a visit inside, but it was closed for the season, so we got a quick walk-about. It's been restored and is kind of a real-life Medieval Times in spring and summer, hosting banquets nightly. For us, it was a welcome respite to stretch our legs and grab some photos--and the low tide let the craggy rocks below the castle make themselves known.

The shifting sun and changing sky let me get Dunguaire as spooky and sparkly:

The castle sits on the Southern edge of Galway Bay, and across the water, we could see small fishing boats known as "Galway Hookers," which our driver pronounced with a long "ew" as in "hewkers." He advised us these weren't ladies of the night but fishing boats, just so we weren't confused. Hilarious!

The car park was next to a few vacation rentals, which led several of us on the bus (including me) to wonder aloud what one would do here on vacation. We had seen the Banshees of Inisherin just before this trip; it was shot on Inishmore, just off the Western coast. If you've seen the movie, you know that what initially seems a verdant, idyllic, bucolic setting becomes increasingly claustrophobic, dark, and menacing. I thought of that movie looking at these tiny windowed cottages.

Our next stop was Poulnabrone Dolmen. A dolmen is a portal tomb. This one dates to between 4,200 and 2,900 BC. Descriptions of it often note it is located on "one of the most desolate and highest points" in County Clare. It rests on limestone karst, which looks sculptural. Apparently, it was excavated in the late 1980s, and the remains of about three dozen men, women, and children were found. Today, you'll find some very furry cows, and a security guard who quickly warms to telling stories of the increasingly odd things visitors do when capturing Instagram photos and Tik Tok videos--everything from nudity to dances. Take that, pagan ceremonies!

Then it was back on the bus. As we got closer to the Cliffs, our decision to pick this day for our trip seemed to be the right one. It was getting sunnier and less windy. Our driver said that the past two days were horrible--it was difficult to even stand up right in the wind and rain.

We also passed through Lisdoonvarna, which holds an annual Matchmaking Festival each September, about which our driver was quite keen, especially if you're looking for a bit of "craic"--Irish for fun or luck.

And, then we were at the Cliffs!

They were simply extraordinary in their beauty, scope, and sensation. We were so high above the raging ocean yet the wind and the fury of the waves brought the water right to us, creating little rainbows over the pathways as the sunlight hit just right. Definitely worth the trip!

There was a golf cart up to the top for those not able to walk, and with my boot on, I thought about it, but didn't want to waste any of the time (and light and weather) we had, so we made the trek. (I did get applause from one woman, clearly over-impressed with my achievement.) A bit more of the Cliffs became visible each time we stopped for a sip of water or to snap a photo:

And turning around, we got a great view of the valley below:

At the top of one of the Cliffs is a O'Brien's Tower, built in the 1800s by a British MP for tourists--like us. The pictures from inside (taken by Harper) are especially striking.

Ned and I hopped a golf cart for the trip down to save our energy, rather than taking the stairs again

pausing at the bottom for a seagull photo. All along the walk and the wall are numbered spaces: they're for buskers who come at high season and have to reserve their spot. The weather is so harsh and the air so salty that it can ruin an instrument in days.

We then turned around and walked back up to the other side, where the views were equally as striking. Note how tiny O'Brien's Tower looks in the distance.

Sometimes, a photo will do. Sometimes, it will not. This is a case of the latter. Forget the metaverse; this is the real-verse, filled with wind and water, colors and shapes that change with the light and the clouds, and rough, seductive, dangerous beauty. Well done, Cliffs of Moher.

With the light falling, we bundled back on the bus for a lunch stop. It was entirely serviceable with the benefit of being in an actual local pub next to a welcome and roaring fire. One guy from the family group was so impressed with the wing sauce, he tried to get the recipe. I'm guessing they weren't from Buffalo.

We made one last stop at a limestone karst field that was decidedly not-boot friendly, so I stayed on the bus,waved at a cow, snapped some pics, and listened to an old guy tell the driver about how he paid for his whole family's vacation because his son got his master's degree. (I also heard him ask his kids to pay him back, but that was when the driver wasn't listening.)

Night was falling pretty quickly--it was almost 4!

And, we were back in Galway, with a warning from our driver to get dinner reservations because places fill up quickly. Ack!! I knew I had forgotten something. It was Friday in the big city. We called a Sushi place (Harper's choice) but couldn't get in till nine. I remembered another Italian place on the way back to the hotel that had gf options, Venice. We decided to give it a go--yes! One last table was available, and the food and service were both fantastic!

Venice was right around the corner from a local distillery that we had passed a few times, and since it was our last night in Galway, we dropped in. Galway City Distillery takes its inspiration from the local landscape and astrological signs--no joke--and has the warmest, most welcoming vibe. Everything is made and distilled in house, and there's a wonderful sense of place there. The servers recommended supercool cocktails (I had a pretty decent lemon verbena soda), and we relaxed into the evening.