Cliffs of Moher and Medieval Castles: Ireland, Day 5

Today
My favorite day!

We drove for most of the morning and took a ferry across the Rive Shannon to get to The Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs of Moher were incredible. They are in the running for becoming one of the new 7 Wonders of the World and the whole site is environmentally friendly, supporting the concept of "eco-tourism." I enjoyed walking up and down the cliffs and just embracing their size and color. I ran into a family from Michigan as a U of M alum walked by. Such a small world.

Cows, Cliffs of Moher

The signage around the site was pretty funny.

Danger.

The best view/experience of the cliffs was technically roped off, but that clearly didn't stop me (or anyone else)...

Danger.

Cliffs of Moher

I finally had Bailey's ice cream (nom).

After the Cliffs we went to our hotel in Bunratty. It was a very cute hotel and I got a king-sized bed!!!!

So comfy.

When I opened my window shade, I was a bit taken aback by the view:

Cemetery, Bunratty Castle Hotel

After a swim and some time in the hot tub, we went across the street to the Bunratty Castle for a medieval dinner. It was kind of creepy and I was expecting it to be like one of those band trip dinner shows I went to in high school, but I ended up really enjoying it. We started off with a reception where I had my first taste of mead, and then we went down for dinner.

Harpist, Bunratty Castle Medieval Dinner

There were people dressed up in medieval costumes and calling us "lords" and "ladies" but the food was surprisingly delicious and I had a good time. I sat with a mother-daughter pair from California who were on my tour, but the rest of our table was not from our group. There was a family who lived in Ann Arbor, one of whom was a U of M alum!!! So many Michiganders in one day, it was great :). All the food was local (I can't remember the last time I had ribs) and we were only given a "dagger" to eat with so it we got to slurp our soup and use our fingers for everything else; the red wine was pretty but but after 3 glasses no one could really tell anymore...

King-sized bed + wine = great night sleep.

Lesson of the Day

• 20% of Ireland's electricity is wind generated
• The term "honeymoon" comes from the tradition of newlyweds consuming a daily cup of mead, a brew made from honey.

Photo of the Day

Cow pasture, Cliffs of Moher

The bathroom sinks were really cool:

Waterfall faucet, Cliffs of Moher


Cliff Jumping!

The Count
Ferries traveled by: 7
Glasses of wine drinken: 159
Castles climbed: 2
Miles traveled: ~432 (my phone died so I lost GPS and mile-tracking capabilities)
Photos taken: 5997