Being Enchanted By The Cliffs of Moher and Ireland

My sister and I had to endure another early start to our day in order to have a full day of traveling.

Today we went on a tour that included the Cliffs of Moher and some other interesting sites.

Since I have landed in Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher has been a destination that has been highly talked about. I really wanted to go before I left and this was my last chance to go.

My sister and I yesterday went on a Ring of Kerry tour with Paddy Wagon and we wanted to go with Paddy Wagon to the Cliffs of Moher, but because we decided to go at the last minute Paddy Wagon was booked. We took a tour with the Dublin Tour Company.

We got the bus at Suffolk Street, outside the tourism office. It was so weird picking up the bus from there and not from O'Connell Street, like I did for all the Paddy Wagon tours.

This company seemed to be bigger than the Paddy Wagon company. The bus was bigger and more people were joining us for this tour. I was not surprised since the Cliffs of Moher are a popular destination.

Like usual, I dosed off on the bus. I was pretty impress with myself that I was able to get up early both days. I guess traveling is a good motivating factor!

We made a stop in a gas station and my sister and I got a snack and went to the bathroom. I got a chocolate muffin. Nothing is better than chocolate muffins!

We continued our journey until we reached Galway. I was happy to go to Galway because my co-worker, Paul, said that it was a fun town.

Unfortunately, I was not able to see a lot of Galway. We stopped at the bus stop to get everyone situated and to use the bathrooms. Some of us from Dublin were doing a different tour. Luckily, my sister and I got to stay on our current bus, so it was not stressful for us trying to find a different bus.

Soon we were on our way to the start of the tour. We got a mini tour of Galway. And by tour I mean we just saw the outskirts of the town as we drove past. We saw the Galway school in which MLI had a center open. I really wish I was able to see more of Galway.

Our first major stop on the tour was to Corcomroe Abby. This is a beautiful, 13^th century abby. When we went, we also saw the Paddy Wagon group and we saw the mom from our tour yesterday! The crazy lady!

Even though there were many people around us, it did not take away from the scenery. My sister and I walked around the abbey and was able to see all the beautiful architecture. The surrounding area of the abbey was beautiful as well.

Our group got back into the bus and continued the journey. Of course we were able to see the gorgeous scenery of Ireland! That is the best part of any tour: just looking at all the scenery!

Corcomroe Abbey

One of the features that I have seen a lot in the countryside of Ireland are stone walls. On this trip I finally learned what they were for! Our guide said that these walls were built during the Great Potato Famine and they were built by people working to get food. I always thought that the walls were much older and it was sad to know that these walls were built out of desperation for food.

Luckily, we were not desperate for food, so we were able to get some lunch. By this time I was hungry! It seems that whenever I travel, I am always hungry! We stopped at this restaurant near the small town of Lisdoonvarna. This small town is known for their match making festivals, which we saw banners for!

We walked into what looked like a bar. Majority of our group got tables here. My sister and I continued to walk towards the back. This was a more intimate setting. There was a bar on the back wall and it had a rustic vibe to it. My sister and I sat at a small, wooden table and decided what to eat.

I decided to go with a seafood chowder. I love my seafood and I can never say no to it! My sister went with the veggie soup.

There was special instructions in ordering your food here in which our guide told us about. You had to go up to the bar to order and along with placing your order, you had to give them the table number. The food came out fast and it was good!

After eating, my sister and I walked around a little bit. Too be honest, there is not much to see in the town. There was a candy shop, but my sister and I didn't get anything.

Cliffs of Moher

After lunch, we all piled onto the bus and continued the adventure. The next stop was the Cliffs of Moher, the whole reason why we had taken the tour in the first place.

The Cliffs of Moher is arguably the most popular tourist destination in Ireland. The main draw of the cliffs is the scenery. On a clear day, one can see the Aran Island and the Twelve Pins Mountain range. Sadly of us, we would not be able to experience these joys.

When we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher our guide told us that we would have around 2 hours at the cliffs. One girl on our tour, who was from France and a tomboy, was not pleased with this news. She complained and demanded the 3 hours that was advertised on the website. The guide said that she could stay for three hours and go back on a different bus. No one understood why she wanted to stay for longer. The weather was horrible!

And the weather was truly horrible! It was drizzling the whole time and was extremely windy, since we were on the coast. My sister and I wanted to get the most out of the experience, but it was hard to do so. We stay around an hour outside trying to appreciate the beauty and fighting against the cold and wind.

Catherine and I took as many pictures as we could manage. The sad thing is that my camera battery was extremely low, so I had to use my iPhone, which was not that great. The phone photos made it seem like it was extremely dark there, but it wasn't!

Even though the weather was bad, you could still tell that this was a beautiful place! It seems that everything by the sea is beautiful.

My sister and I first explored near O'Brien's Tower. This is a round, stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs. It was built in 1835. Even though it was really nice view near the tower, it was extremely windy. I lost my ticket to the visitor's center because of the wind. I was upset because I was worried that I was not going to be let into the center to escape from the wind.

Behind the tower looked like green pastures, but my sister and I didn't explore because it was muddy.

Next, we made our way to the other side of the cliffs. This side is mostly known as the Hag's Head. There use to be a fort on the Hag's Head. The fort was called Moher and that is how the cliffs got their name. The fort was demolished in 1808 to provide material for a new telegraph tower.

There was a walk way that lead you around the cliffs. This included many steps, which worried me because they were wet and I didn't want to trip.

Eventually the path ended, but this seemed not to deter others from continuing to explore the cliffs. My sister and I decided not to get closer to the cliffs because, again, it was muddy. Maybe on a beautiful day we would have gone a little further.

By this time we had explored the majority of the cliffs and we were ready to get out of the wet and cold. We headed towards the visitor's center and I was worried I was not going to be let in because I had lost my ticket.

Luckily it was not an issue to get in. It was really crowded, but this was not surprising since it was horrible outside.

Catherine and I went to the exhibit portion of the visitor's center. Again, no one checked for my ticket. This exhibit was basically just pictures of the cliffs. I didn't stay long in the exhibit and my sister was not impressed. If you don't explore this, you are not missing out.

There was a small cafe in the center and my sister and I got a snack to kill time. There was also a large gift shop that we explored.

By this time it was time to get on the bus and head out. There was a different guide watching our bus when we got back on. He was a character and was telling jokes. I love the Irish attitude of loving life and always having a laugh. I am really going to miss this when I go.

And what did you know? The French girl came back! She probably finally realized that it was not worth to stay longer because of the weather!

Kilfenora High Cross

After the cliffs we arrived at Kilfenora. In English the name means "church of the fertile hillside". We went to the Kilfenora Cathedral, which is from the 12th century. It is mostly known for three high crosses. The cathedral was partially in ruins and one of the main crosses, seen above, was under a roof that was made out of tarp.

We didn't stay too long. Our guide basically showed us the crosses and we walked through the cemetery. I love cemeteries so I am always happy to get some time to explore, even if it is only for a couple of minutes.

Poulnabrone Dolmen Tomb

Poulnabrone Dolmen was one of my favorite sites on the trip. In English it means "hole of the sorrows". It is a tomb that dates back between 4200 to 2900 B.C. Excavations discovered that 16- 22 adults and 6 children are buried under the monument. Along with the bodies, personal items were also buried, which included stone axe, a bone pendant, quartz crystals, weapons and pottery. Like I know I have said before, I love ancient burials! What is better?

What might be better is the fact that my sister and I led the group to the site! The bus stopped and we had to figure our way there. Everyone just followed my sister and I. It was funny.

The landscape was beautiful! It was in a nice and open field. The ground was very uneven. It was covered in these large stones that were all different sizes and heights. There was a path that we followed to get somewhat near the tomb. To get even closer to the tomb, you had to jump from rock to rock. I enjoyed the fact that you could get close to the tomb. I didn't get too close, because I wanted to be respectful of the tomb and the people buried there. I didn't see any other people being disrespectful. This relieved me because I remember that at the Hill of Tara people were climbing all over the mounds.

Fairy Fort

Our final stop made me beyond excited. We stopped at a fairy fort! I love and appreciate how folklore still remains an important part of the Irish tradition.

Fairy forts are believed to be the homes of fairies. These dwellings are circular and are mostly earthen mounds or other circular dwellings. It is believed if one ruins a fairy fort, death will follow the person. This is how the fairy forts have helped preserve Irish history and historical buildings.

I have read and heard a lot about fairy forts and I was so happy that I was actually going to see it!

The fairy fort that we visited was a space that was enclosed by a short, earth wall. We had to climb a little to get inside. And I swear the inside was magical. It was very peaceful and beautiful. It was truly a treat.

The fairy fort was our last stop and then we made the journey back to Dublin. First we had to go back to the Galway bus stop. We had some time to get something to eat, so my sister and I just stopped by a near by Spar to get a sandwich. We ate at the bus station. Again, no time to explore Galway.

For some time my sister and I were worried that we missed our bus because it was a while until the bus finally showed. Thank goodness it did!

By the time we got back to Dublin, it was late and wet. Catherine and I just went to bed.

Tomorrow all the pictures from the trip will be posted!

Travel Tips Learned:

- Cliffs of Moher is a must see

-Book tours in advance

-Don't let bad weather ruin an experience

-There are many travel companies to choose from in order to see the Cliffs of Moher