Oh boy. The day was finally here. Since, January, John, Ethan, Rebecca and I had been planning (and dreaming of) our trip to Ireland and Germany. This was our graduation gift to the new graduates, but isn't it nice that John and I got to tag along? :-) I had this baby planned down to the minute practically, and I was hoping that nothing would go wrong.
The cheapest tickets ended up out of Newark, so we left with plenty of time to make the four hour drive. Of course, when we were within sight of the airport, John pulled his usual stunt and made us pull over while he found cheaper parking. Not my favorite thing, but we still made the flight.
The airlines, of course, plan these flights so that when traveling east, everyone sleeps on the flight and arrives early in the morning, well-rested. That might be the plan in first class, but not in M, P, or CITN class. (That would be Misery class, Poop class, and Crick-in-the-Neck class.) Those times are bad enough....but little did we know it could only get worse. The flight attendant came over the speaker, asking, "Is there a doctor on board?" Oh boy. John got no sleep, but instead managed a fainting woman the entire flight.
No worries. No joke. Once the sun came up, and I looked out the window, I knew we were about to start what was going to be a really, REALLY great trip.
We went through customs (hardly hiding our excitement), picked up our luggage, rented our rental car, and we were off. On the left side of the road. In a stick-shift. Once again, I thought of Bilbo:
We headed straight to the hotel (the Oakwood Arms) which ended up being only a five minute drive from the airport. Thankfully, I had arranged for an early check-in, so after our first bites of a proper Irish breakfast, we headed to our rooms and slept for a couple of hours.
Groan. There's nothing like trying to wake up after an overseas flight, but wake up, we did! We got dressed and headed to the Cliffs of Moher. This was all part of the plan to reset our circadian rhythms. Outside, in the sunshine, walking.
What a perfect day for the cliffs. In fact, as I write this, I breathe another deep sigh as I remember what the wind felt like on my face, and what the view was, and just what a beautiful moment it was to be there. Too, it's always fun to take someone you love to a new place and see their excitement. Sure enough, Rebecca loved it, and Ethan did too (he hadn't been there for years).
John ended up doing his run for the day there, running along the Cliffs Coastal Trail to Hags Head. I think it ended up being around ten miles roundtrip (but don't quote me on that). He took some of his own pictures of that run.
Ethan, Rebecca and I walked along the same trail, just not so far, and we spent quite a good deal of time, taking pictures. It feels like every step in Ireland is a photo op.
We popped into the gift shop at the end. Ugh, I could seriously buy EVERYTHING from Ireland, but I settled for some chocolate for the drive home. I did manage to snap a pic of this funny description of my Irish-blood honey:
It started raining as soon as we started back to the car which was fine too. Rain is just part of Ireland, and we love it as much as the sunshine. We also love the rainbows that are a product of both :-)
We headed back to Bunratty for dinner. John knew that he didn't want to go to Dirty Nelly's, a fine restaurant that we've visited before, because of the astronomical prices, so we found another joint, Fibber Magee's. It's a new place that didn't have much business, but that had mouth-watering fare also. It makes me wonder if there is any restaurant in Ireland that doesn't serve pure deliciousness on a plate...
And I was reminded once again how very much I love the Emerald Isle. Really. It brings peace to my soul every time I am there. I can't understand how anyone who lives there could ever be unhappy. Our heads were relieved to hit the pillows that night.
The cheapest tickets ended up out of Newark, so we left with plenty of time to make the four hour drive. Of course, when we were within sight of the airport, John pulled his usual stunt and made us pull over while he found cheaper parking. Not my favorite thing, but we still made the flight.
The airlines, of course, plan these flights so that when traveling east, everyone sleeps on the flight and arrives early in the morning, well-rested. That might be the plan in first class, but not in M, P, or CITN class. (That would be Misery class, Poop class, and Crick-in-the-Neck class.) Those times are bad enough....but little did we know it could only get worse. The flight attendant came over the speaker, asking, "Is there a doctor on board?" Oh boy. John got no sleep, but instead managed a fainting woman the entire flight.
No worries. No joke. Once the sun came up, and I looked out the window, I knew we were about to start what was going to be a really, REALLY great trip.
 |
| I mean, c'MON. Just look at that view. Absolutely incredible. |
We went through customs (hardly hiding our excitement), picked up our luggage, rented our rental car, and we were off. On the left side of the road. In a stick-shift. Once again, I thought of Bilbo:
Groan. There's nothing like trying to wake up after an overseas flight, but wake up, we did! We got dressed and headed to the Cliffs of Moher. This was all part of the plan to reset our circadian rhythms. Outside, in the sunshine, walking.
What a perfect day for the cliffs. In fact, as I write this, I breathe another deep sigh as I remember what the wind felt like on my face, and what the view was, and just what a beautiful moment it was to be there. Too, it's always fun to take someone you love to a new place and see their excitement. Sure enough, Rebecca loved it, and Ethan did too (he hadn't been there for years).
John ended up doing his run for the day there, running along the Cliffs Coastal Trail to Hags Head. I think it ended up being around ten miles roundtrip (but don't quote me on that). He took some of his own pictures of that run.
 |
| Good old, John. Always keeping us on our toes! |
 |
| I usually hate dandelions, but who can hate these? |
We popped into the gift shop at the end. Ugh, I could seriously buy EVERYTHING from Ireland, but I settled for some chocolate for the drive home. I did manage to snap a pic of this funny description of my Irish-blood honey:
 |
| Wow. I couldn't have said it better! |
 |
| I don't even remember what this was called, but it was one of the best desserts I've ever eaten. |
We headed back to Bunratty for dinner. John knew that he didn't want to go to Dirty Nelly's, a fine restaurant that we've visited before, because of the astronomical prices, so we found another joint, Fibber Magee's. It's a new place that didn't have much business, but that had mouth-watering fare also. It makes me wonder if there is any restaurant in Ireland that doesn't serve pure deliciousness on a plate...
And I was reminded once again how very much I love the Emerald Isle. Really. It brings peace to my soul every time I am there. I can't understand how anyone who lives there could ever be unhappy. Our heads were relieved to hit the pillows that night.
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