1st July - and off to the Cliffs of Moher

Today it is Friday 1^st July and time to leave Dublin and head south.  It is two months to the day until we leave Marseille for our trip home - crazy how fast time is going!  

Karl and I headed off to pick up our rental car and drive back to pick up the others.  We found our way there and back and mum had tidied up so we were heading off straight away.  Great car with lots of space but no navigation system - never mind, how hard can it be in Ireland! 

I was navigating and after about 15 minutes of taking wrong terms and heading in the opposite direction to where we were wanting to do, Karl decided to get the navigation system going on his phone to get us out of Dublin!  We then were on the right track and heading west toward Galway, the home of seafood and most particularly oysters.  We were keen on oysters as Karl, mum, Lachlan and I are all fans of battered oysters!  

Arrived in Galway, and yup, it was still raining on and off, found a parking building and we hopped out to explore.  Found the information centre and then headed off to find a lunch spot that I had seen recommended by lots online and was also the recommendation of the information centre staff -

 McDonaghs……..unfortunately when they say Galway is the home of the oyster they only mean oyster au natural and they do not do battered ones at all - so it was fish and chips for most of us at the restaurant known for seafood and Karl opted for chicked and chips - go figure! Chips were amazing - they have won the best chip in Ireland many times…….we agreed! After this and some exploring of the old city, a pint of Guinness - we were off heading toward the Cliffs of Moher  -  a must see Ireland sight. 

 Beautiful city................

 The river running alongside the old city of Galway

Galway to the Cliff of Moher - What a great trip, the scenery is amazing, very wild and rugged and a lot like New Zealand.  We stopped off at a few points to take some shots - beautiful (and cold). We drove through an area called the burren.  The Burren is a region of County Clare in the southwest of Ireland. It’s a karst landscape that incorporates a vast cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone, cliffs and caves, fossils, rock formations and archaeological sites.

Given we were by the Atlantic Ocean the kids were very keen to dip their toes in another body of water.  They initially thought they should swim, but given the weather was about 10 degrees and the water much colder - toes it was! And yes, it was as cold as it looks! 

 Super windy - and this is the Irish summer - we cannot believe the weather!

 Fun and games with dads socks......................

 Could have ended in tears - although I am not sure who's........

We then arrived in the wee tourist town of Doolan for ice-creams and then to the Cliffs of Moher about 10 minutes away.

The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland’s most visited natural attraction with a magical vista that captures the hearts of up to one million visitors every year.

Checking out the cliffs on our drives to the actual tourist site

Standing 214m (702 feet) at their highest point they stretch for 8 kilometres (5 miles) along the Atlantic coast of County Clare in the west of Ireland. From the Cliffs of Moher on a clear day one can see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, as well as the Twelve Pins and the Maum Turk mountains in Connemara, Loop Head to the south and the Dingle Peninsula and Blasket Islands in Kerry. O’Brien’s Tower stands near the highest point and has served as a viewing point for visitors for hundreds of years.  We had great views and it was really clear considering the rubbish weather around.  It was really windy while is good as it keeps any fog away.

We enjoyed our time both viewing the cliffs and walking around outside and inside the visitors centre which provides information, pictures, a movie and interactive activities.  Perfect.  By the time we finished here it was after 7pm and time to head off to find our accommodation in a wee village close by called Lisdoonvarna.  We easily and quickly came to our very cute B&B and then headed off to the recommended pub for a light dinner and a drink.  Dinner was again fabulous and then it was home to bed - a great day had by all and tomorrow - Lachlan’s birthday.