Ireland, Part 2

For a recap of Ireland days 1-4, check it out here! Then read parts 3 (Belfast) and 4 (Dublin) next!

Day 5: We got up early from Killarney and headed to The Cliffs of Moher, the number one thing on my list to see in Ireland. Thanks to some trusty research and our handy GPS, we took a chance and headed north to take a ferry across the Shannon Estuary. This shaved about an hour and half off our travel time plus we bypassed Limerick, which according to our travel book, Ireland was voted one of the friendliest countries in the world in 2008 but Limerick was voted one of the homicide capitals in the world. Suffice it to say, we didn’t mind bypassing the city.

We finally arrived at The Cliffs of Moher and it was the coldest I have ever been. It was freezing!! The wind was so intense it was hard to talk. Once we got to the cliffs though, I could have stood in t-shirt and shorts and not minded the cold because it was amazing! Pictures of the cliffs do not do it justice; it was incredible! We spent close to two hours at the cliffs before we headed off to Galway a day early. The drive from the cliffs to Galway was the most beautiful drive of the trip. We drove up the coast through an area called The Burren, an area made of limestone rock. It was truly beautiful! Also, Ireland is home to some of the prettiest cows. I know that sounds weird, but we saw cows grazing on the roadside during this drive and they looked so peaceful and happy. Yes, I could tell the cows were happy.

Day 6: We were originally only going to stay in Galway for New Year’s but drove in a night earlier from the cliffs and were able to stay in same hotel both nights. I highly recommend the Park House Hotel if you are ever in Galway- it’s wonderful! It was great because were able to get up early on Day 6 and drop off our laundry at the front desk and get an early start on the day. We went to the Galway Museum and learned about the history of Galway and walked around the streets to do some shopping. We stopped at the Thomas Dillons, the maker of the original claddagh ring. I splurged and bought a rose gold claddagh ring… I love it!

We stopped at this wine bar for lunch and oh my gosh. Best. Sandwich. Ever! I had a braised pork sandwich that was truly to die for. For New Year’s dinner, we went to the same Italian restaurant we went to the night before because it was soooo good and this place had the most amazing white wine. I need to search where I can buy it near me! After dinner we went to a traditional Irish bar and listened to live Irish music and rang in the new year. We met some Irish friends, sang some Irish songs, I was proposed to… It was very memorable and so much fun 🙂

Galway was amazing; a truly wonderful place to spend New Year’s. This marks the halfway of our trip and on Friday, we’ll take a look at Belfast!

Sláinte!

-Kelly