Cliffs of Moher and Goodbye Limerick

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland. 

Somehow I convinced Paul it was worth the gas and 3 hours driving to get to the Cliffs of Moher.  This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland because the views and the magnitude of these cliffs are like no other.  The roads however are windy and it was quite a drive to get there from Limerick.  We had to drive inland and around the coast to finally get to the visitor center.  When we got there, it was one of the first time we ran into some other real tourists.  We had been flying solo most of the trip.  The reason being is that there is a day trip bus tour from Dublin (and a few other cities) that will take you to the Cliffs for the afternoon.  It's quite a long drive from Dublin - I was just happy we were able to drive in the comfort of our rental car.  We also had the luxury of numerous latte stops along the way - one of our new favorite tourist attractions!

Look out tour and another small castle at the Cliffs of Moher

There's really nothing I can say about the Cliffs that the pictures can't tell.  The pictures do not do it justice, but they are much closer than my verbal descriptions. If it would have been nice outside, I think I would have voted to take the walking trail that runs from the Visitor Center to Doolin or Liscannor.  The walking trail is generously supported by local farmers allowing tourists to walk on their land at the edge of the cliffs. There are signs all over saying that they are not liable for any out-of-there mind tourists that try taking photos as close to the edge as possible.  I bet that would be an amazing way to experience the Cliffs, much like when they were discovered ages ago. 

Perspective: this is the castle from the above photo; it looks like a dollhouse here!

When we were there, it was absolutely freezing.  My hands could barely stay out of my mittens long enough to take photos, and believe it or not, the staff said that it was much warmer than the previous weekend.  The weather kept us from venturing too far from the visitor center, but at least we were able to see our Ireland cliffs!

Paul walking the farmers coast line for just a few moments!

We took the ride home to warm up and have a picnic with our gas station sandwiches (talk about a penny saver!). All it all, it was a great trip, and one of my more memorable moments in Ireland.  The views were absolutely stunning.  I needed to remind myself to put down the camera for two seconds and take it all in!

Paul outside of King John's Castle

Paul took the camera for a few moments...

When we got back to our fancy-pants modern hotel in Limerick, we decided to take a walk around the city and try to catch the tail end of the castle tours - unfortunately they were closed, but we still walked around and got a few shots.  We then stopped at a small pub to listen to some live traditional Irish music.  Limerick is a college town, so there were some young people playing a gig.  They were sure good for being a two man band!  We then went home to rest up because tomorrow we were heading to Dublin. 

You can take the stairs right into the water.

King John's Castle from the other side of the river!

The Treaty Stone, Limerick, Ireland