The Cliffs of Moher

Last night after blogging, I went with Travalon to a nearby pub to hear some live music in Killarney. We struck up a conversation with a very bitter man from West Cork who doesn’t believe in God because of all his suffering. It made me realize how precious to me my faith is, because without it, you would wonder what the point of it all is. Pray for this man, who was polishing off his second pint of Guinness. It was too hard in a loud bar to have a deep theological conversation with an inebriated man, but maybe I made the slightest of impressions on him.

Today we got on the bus and drove to Adare, a village that seems to mostly consist of tourist shops, but the good news is I found the perfect gift for Richard Bonomo there, to thank him for watching Cashmere for me. Then we stopped at Bunraddy Castle and a very old pub called Durty Nellie’s, where the bartender gave me a shot and wouldn’t tell me what it was. “Guess,” he said. I guessed ouzo, but it was actually sambuca. The inside of Durty Nellie’s was dark and ancient-looking, just what you’d expect in a real Irish pub. We stopped for lunch at a pub called Dillon’s in a village called Einagh and then drove to the Cliffs of Moher. They drop 700 feet to the sea below, and I took lots of photos but am afraid they will not do them justice. You had to be there and see the seagulls wheeling around in front of the cliffs, and the water foaming at their base.

Past the Cliffs we drove through an area called the Burren, which is hard to describe; Travalon said it was like the Badlands of Ireland. Lots of craggy rocks, but there were plants peeking out between them, including 44 species of orchids that all seemed to be in bloom. Our tour guide/busdriver told us 22 of the species are unique to the Burren, and the plants in the east/west cracks are Mediterranean while the plants in the north/south cracks are alpine. When we arrived in Galway, Travalon and I were stunned to see our hotel room – our tour guide had told them it was our honeymoon, so we have a suite, with a sitting room overlooking Galway Bay. They even left two cupcakes for us. At dinner we got complementary drinks for our honeymoon. I am not going to be able to adjust to regular life after being spoiled like this! We took a walk by the beach and found lots of seashells and stranded jellyfish, and we ended the evening by going to Ireland’s first Slovakian pub, or so they claim. Tune in tomorrow when we voyage to Connemara.

Today is Pa Hat's birthday. Happy birthday, Pa Hat!

Famous Hat