Ireland, Day 4
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| Cliffs of Moher |
I love Irish Bed & Breakfasts. So far, we’ve lucked out the past couple of days, getting super nice owners. Last night, we stayed at Westbrook House in Ennis, were Drew and I were toasty warm in a four-poster bed and the kids shared a room with a bed each. For breakfast, our hostess Sheila served us a traditional Irish breakfast of sausage, ham, black pudding, tomato and mushroom, in addition to a self-serve continental breakfast. Drew got a platter of various cheeses. Happy day!
As we were checking out, Sheila asked her husband to suggest some must-sees. The husband happily chatted about it, doling out lots of ideas. That’s what I love about the Irish. Ask them a question and they will gladly share their opinion in an earnest way like they have been asked for the meaning of life.
Sheila and I talked about her family, and somehow she mentioned about a bird preserve by the Cliffs of Moher. Sabrina perked right up, listening intently. I asked Sheila’s husband if he had mentioned about it. He hadn’t, so he launched once again into a generous friendly dose of advice. With a barrage of thanks and farewells, we got on our way.
I understood then what they meant by the “wet” Irish weather. It was raining when we left Ennis, a steady drizzle, and I worried how we would enjoy going to the Cliffs of Moher. Still, we drove up, on little narrow roads with broken yellow lines tidily marking either side of the road that was free of debris, very clean. The car was so close to the growth of tall grasses on the side, I could hear whispers of grass blades stroking the side of the car. We passed rock-hedge outlined fields, black and white cows at pasture and expanses of green farmland. Beyond, I could see the sea, muddy gray from the rainstorm.
We got to the Cliffs of Moher and the rain was still falling. Dressed in our rain jackets, we went into the Exhibit Center where I laughed my head off doing this souvenir video postcard — we had a green screen behind us and the image of us standing on the cliffs. I had watched a man and his elderly parents stand there to pose, and as the video recorded, a fan blew their hair around. They had solemn faces and were awkward being filmed; coupled with the cheesiness of the set-up, I kind of snickered to the side. Until I tried it, and I decided it was the funnest cheesy thing I’ve ever done in my life. We bought souvenirs, stowed them away, and went up to the overlook for the Cliffs of Moher.
Oh. Wow.
I don’t know what I expected. A long hike? Smallish formations, perhaps? But not what I saw. Just a few yards from the visitor’s center, the cliffs say hello to you and seize you by the throat by their sheer size and magnificence. I took lots of pics from the bottom of the walkway, and yet every step, there was another breathtaking pic, and another. Meanwhile, it drizzled, but it didn’r matter as we were dressed properly. We had four cameras among us and I’m sure we have about 50 photos each between us. A mist rolled in, obscuring the view, and then it cleared up again.
I got a text from Joy then and we had kind of a funny back and forth:
Me: Be sure to dress for rain.
Her: Okay, so what’s new?
Yes, it’s really funny advice to tell the Irish.
After the cliffs, we went on to the Bird Preserve below Allwee Caves.The bird show was to start in an hour, so in that time, Drew took Sabrina around the preserve, the two older kids hiked up a trail by the cave, and I drove the car up to buy us lunch we could eat after the show. The food was wrapped in the same care and earnestness that I’ve come to appreciate in the Irish. By the end of it all, my takeaway lunch was wrapped in foil, with cream set aside in cups, in a sturdy box cover.
We then watched the bird show. Sabrina volunteered to be the first person to have a bird perch on her gloved hand. Which is saying a lot for this cute but shy girl. She looked so happy the entire time, if I hadn’t been busy trying to capture bird-in-flight pics, I’d have taken lots of her happy mug. The bird she held was Batty, an eagle from Africa. They also brought out a great horned owl and a Lanner Falcon.
Picnicking in the car afterwards, we went on to Dartfield, about 20 km outside Galway, this time for dressage and cross country riding lessons. It was Drew’s idea, one that I was admittedly lukewarm about, considering we have six horses at home we could ride. But that’s okay. It was a lot more fun than I expected. If nothing else, I was done kvetching about it and just let myself enjoy riding Ginger, a smaller draft horse. When the guys got back, a guide named Charles took us on a trail ride across fields of bounding sheep and grazing horses. The grass was surprisingly dry, so we didn’t have to worry about the ground being wet and slippery.
Finally, tonight, we went to the harbor city of Galway upon Joy and Tom’s suggestion. They met up with us at Dartfield. We picnicked in the back of a lot which I thought was pretty charming and resourceful, and made me realize Ireland doesn’t have rest areas like the US.
We took in Galway, which has a ped-only area like Dublin. The crowd was a little rougher at the edges, but the vibe was similarly lively. The kids bought hoodies and souvenirs while I bought something I’ve been wanting to replace for a long time: a new ring to replace my original wedding ring whose diamond solitaire got gouged. This time, I bought a silver ring from a Celtic jewelry store. It had some amethyst accents and a simple but feminine design.
It’s near midnight and finally almost to Joy’s place. The kids are asleep in the back and I’m glad. Tomorrow, Wesley and Sabrina are running in the Clontarf 8k race. Till then!
PS I just remembered what day it is. The skies are dark here, we don’t have our usual July 4th festivities, but it’s okay. I hope you had a fun Fourth of July because we sure did!
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