In Galway
celtic cross, Cliffs of Moher, Irish Set Dancing, Jaclyn, Katie, rain, Sarah, sheep-cows lauraherring88
7:43 am
Amazingly enough Tuesday morning, all 4 of us girls woke up and showered and got ready with plenty of time to spare before we had to meet the bus for our tour. We found a great deal where we could book two day tours for under 40 euro and see most of the country around Galway.
Our first tour was to the Cliffs of Moher and the surrounding countryside. Most of you may know the Cliffs of Moher as the “Cliffs of Insanity” from The Princess Bride because the movie was filmed here. The tour took us through the countryside towards the cliffs and the entire morning was just spent seeing the beauty of Ireland. We stopped at a few fairy dales but didn’t see any fairies and we saw a few old cemeteries with ancient celtic crosses. Again-just beautiful!
Fishermen in the river on the edge of Galway. I don't know what they were fishing for, there were no fish in that water.
The city of Galway as seen from across the bay on our way to the Cliffs of Moher.The Irish countryside, complete with wandering horses.
It's no wonder the ancient Celts thought the land here held magic, just looking at it can put in you a trance with its beauty.
The actual cliffs were after lunch and they were just breathtaking. I really wish I could put up my pictures to show you people but that’ll come soon enough. Just imagine black, slick cliff faces more than 700 feet high with the stormy, tempest-ridden Irish sky above and the deep blue and green Atlantic Ocean below. I never really thought of Ireland having beaches or mountains but that certainly is the case. It’s the most amazing juxtaposition of the two geographies I’ve ever seen. This part of the country is also still really rural so we could see all the little field full of horses and sheep and cattle, the other girls were very amused by the cattle and had to stop to take pictures. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in the city and never see livestock up close.
Storms were rolling in all afternoon over the Ciffs of Moher.
The rolling hills around the Cliffs. You would never imagine that the Atlantic Ocean is less than 30 yards away.
The rolling barley along the Cliffs' edge.
The harsh weather made it all too obvious why so many deaths are reported each year at the Cliffs, strong winds and stormy seas claims the lives of those on dry land and on the water.
This is not a beach for sunbathing.
Our tour guide was the most adorable little old Irishman named Desmond. He’s been guiding tours for 13 years now so he really knows his stuff and makes the trip fun. He was constantly joking with us, telling everyone to watchout for Ireland’s newest and most dangerous breed of cattle: the sheep-cow. These sheep-cows were mentioned a few times during the day but it wasn’t until we were halfway home that we saw one–it was a llama. Granted they are funny looking animals but a sheep-cow? Desmond also serenaded me on the bus. There was Irish music playing all day, including “Galway Girl” and I guess I just fit the description pretty well. The “Galway Girl” has black hair and bright blue eyes and that’s what gets the singer into trouble. I’m learning here that I apparently look quite a bit Irish.
When we came back from the tour we grabbed a quick, hot dinner of soup and then went back to the hostel to try to dry off before going out. It rained off and on all day and sometimes we just couldn’t escape it so we got soaked. Now we know why Ireland is so green. Desmond had told the whole tour about a tavern in Galway that had good prices and live Irish Set Dancing on Tuesday nights so we decided to give it a try.
Sarah wasn’t feeling well so Jaclyn, Katie and I went. We ordered our drinks and were just chatting until the music and the dancing started. None of us were quite sure what Set Dancing was but we soon found out. Its kind of like square-dancing meets swing meets two-stepping all to Irish folk music. We were watching for a while and having fun when an older man (most of the dancers were older) came up and asked if I’d like to dance. I figured why not so I went out on the floor with him. That was the best decision I’ve made this entire trip! It was soo much fun! I was worried my clumsiness would make me a horrible dancer and I’d crash into everyone but I didn’t, my partner was named John Walsh and he was a great teacher/leader. I danced 5 dances with him and loved every second of it. In our little chats along the way he asked me if I had any Irish blood in me and I said yes and he said he could tell walking up to me that I did and he just knew I’d be a good Irish dancer. I don’t know if all that’s true but it was fun and I hope to do it again sometime!!
After the dancing I was exhausted and we needed to come back to check on Sarah so we headed home. Our next day in Galway should be fun because we have another tour and we’re seeing the new Harry Potter movie! Get excited people!
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Un poisson de l'eau 