The Cliffs of Moher and Galway

GRATITUDES: I must start this by letting you know how grateful I was to see sunshine ... and... to get the very front seat of the coach for our 13 hour travels to the West coast and along the Wild Atlantic Way today!! 🤗🤗🤗🤗

GASPS OF GORGEOUS GIFTS FOR OUR SENSES: Our first stop was the Cliffs of Moher! These incredible scapes of land are 8 kms long ... 712 feet high at the peak and guess what!?! You dont just LOOK at them from afar with your camera lens! No... you get to experience them fully while you WALK along them ... peering over the sharp ledges while you listen to the waves crashing onto the shores below!

GAHS: I do not have words. No words can aptly describe our felt sense of this adventure! Spectacular is not effusive enough to describe the splendor of these sights!! And ... the sunshine gifted us with its rare presence in these Irish lands ... which only served to enhance the sublime sweetness of this enchanting spectacle!! 

The walking would certainly not be for those who are afraid of heights!! And, we are speculating that if we had such incredible tourist attractions in our parts,in Canada, they would surely have erected safety fences and compromised the untampered beauty for human safety ... but no ... not so here. It is entirely natural ... its breathtakingly beautiful! And ... at the same time treacherous ... because you could easily lose your footing on the rain soaked dirt pathways or slip on the wet green grass ... and end up unexpectedly cliff diving! We were so glad we ventured beyond what we could see from the paved areas because the view got even better the higher we went..

GROANS: Okay ... we can only post 10 photos in total ... and... we have hundreds of them to choose from! We have 2 videos to share so John will pick 4 and I will pick 4 because we still have our photo competition going ... so please be sure to say which picture you most prefer of the ones we posted! I'm betting you'll pick mine!! 😉

GRINS TO MAKE YOUR HEART SMILE: And then we continued down the Wild Atlantic Way towards The Burren. The Burren is 350 square miles of such unique landscape. Apparently, Neil Armstrong was quoted as saying the Burren was the closest composition to the terraine on the moon. It's hard and haunting in its barrenness.

And enroute down this narrow winding oceanside lane, there are oodles of quaint little villages like Inagh (which is the tiniest village in Ireland) filled with picturesque and pristine little cottages that reminded me of Thomas Kinkade paintings! Lisdoonvarna is a wee little village that boasts an annual matchmaking festival that is highly regarded and very famous in these parts! Stone walls are abundant over the countryside! They have no mortar between the rocks. They are built to allow the wind to blow through them so the don't topple over in the harsh territorial gales.

Bogs are quite plentiful! And, apparently there is no oxygen beneath the bog. As such, it mummifies pr petrifies whatever sinks is into it.

There were signs over the River Shannon using pictures to ensure folks knew that no horses or carriages were permitted on the motorway! We also passed a fancy undulating golf course ... costs 300 Euros per round. Apparently the Irish Open is played here! 

We inched our way towards Galway which was the biggest port for importing red and white wines! We learned that it has been inhabited since 4 BC ... and ... that Christopher Colombus was in Galway in 1492. It is known to be Ireland's cultural corner ... its a very vibrant center.

Although we have enjoyed succulent meals ... the best meal we have had so far was in Galway at The Quays Kichen! We didn't even think we were very hungry ... but knew we best eat before our long journey back to Dublin. Because it's a seaside port ... John had the mussels and the chowder. I ordered the grilled cod which came with spicy stir-fried veggies and basmati rice. Again... no words. We both concluded it was the very best fish either of us have had in our lifetimes. No exaggeration!!

FUN FACTS: Dublin has population of over one million! Galway is 77,000 in the city itself but has many rural townships which bring it upwards of 300,000 in total.

We learned that Ireland imposed a window tax many years back ... so ... windows were bricked over to save money! They are still windowless in many of the buildings! But then ... people "couldn't see the light of day"! Hence the origin of that old adage!

A not so fun fact is that the Great Potato Famine of Ireland started in1845 and went for 5 consecutive years. Much starvation and poverty inspired mass emigration from these areas of Ireland.

Oh ...I stand corrected!! ... I saw McDonalds in the countryside as well as a Burger King in Dublin today! 

Irish Language Lessons; 

Yesterday I mentioned that 'cheers' are shared by saying slotcha . However ... it is Sloncha ... not ... Slotcha. And ... it is imperative to look into people's eyes when you say it!

Other Irish sayings:
Me carra = my friend;
Cupon tay = Cup of tea; 
Ta may gummah = I am good!
Colleen = girl
done on doris= close the door
Nee lisicom = I don't know

Gosh ... I could say so much more but... enough for now! This was a day that is wonder-fully etched into our hearts. We are filled with deepest gratitude for the chance to enjoy it today!! I must now attempt the cruelling task of selecting pick my 4 pictures for your consideration. Please dont forget to vote ... for me! 😉Read more