Today started out not so great. We had asked for a 7:00 wake up call, but it didn’t happen. That put us two hours behind schedule. We got up and going and left as soon as we could. The breakfast room was much busier and noisier at 9:45 that at 8:00.
we got on the road with Brenda driving. We didn’t drive at all yesterday so it took a little adjusting. No problems though. We headed south to the Cliffs of Moher. We stopped at Dunguaire Castle for a photo shot. It was very brisk outside and we didn’t stop long.
Continuing on to the cliffs, we arrived about two hours later than originally planned. (See notation above) and paid our entry fee. It was incredibly windy there! So much so that they closed O’Brien’s Tower for viewing. It was so windy that you could lean forward into the wind and not fall over. It was still quite foggy so the views were not as spectacular as they could have been. It was more than made up for in the excitement generated by the wind and the spray. Yes, spray. The wind was so strong that the surf was up over the cliff walls to where we were. One visitor we saw said it was like an upside saltwater waterfall. Accurate description. We saw all we could there, stopped in the gift shop and then grabbed a cup of tea to take away. We had places to be.
We drove south and decided to skip the auto ferry crossing of the Shannon and go around Limerick instead. This resulted in us driving under the Shannon River. That was fun. The toll was 1.90 euro.
We were so behind our time that we headed straight to the Randles Hotel for our overnight. What a beautiful hotel. It is so quaint. There are original oil paintings all over the place. Fireplaces all over the place. It reminds me of a very upscale Faulty Towers. After checking into our room I had just enough time to meet Michelle’s request for interior photos of St. Mary’s Church of Ireland. This is a very cute little church. I drove up there by myself to get it done before they closed. (Funny to think of a church closing)
Brenda and I went down to the hotel bar for a pint and sat by one of the fireplaces. We relaxed and chatted. Afterward we walked into the city center. I showed her Quills Woolen Shop and since it was open we went in. We each made some purchases. The ladies on staff recommended The Poterhouse for our dinner. It was a great suggestion. There was a single guitar player singing Irish tunes. The food was very good. Brenda greatly enjoyed her Irish Lamb Stew and my Fish and Chips with a side of mushy peas was just the thing to go with a pint of Guinness.
We then wandered over to Sheehan’s Pub for a pint and to hear some more local music. There was a group of five musicians playing. The atmosphere was grand. We shared a table with some locals, and then we shared that same table with a nice young couple from Boston. Tom and Rebecca were here in Killarney with friends, one of whom was born in Dublin. The friends were back at the hotel with the wee ones.
We are now back at the hotel for the night. Up bright and early for breakfast at 8:00 and then to try and see part of the Dingle Peninsular that we missed today.
Three days down, three to go.