Back to Galway!

On Thursday morning Andrea and I left Limerick and made our way to our last stop, Galway.  We stayed at  Snoozles Hostel.  This hostel was the nicest that I have ever stayed at!  It was very comfortable.  

On Thursday Andrea and I walked around the city, went into shops for souvenirs, and went to a cafe for lunch.  

We made our way down to Galway Bay and walked along the water for an hour or two.  It was a beautiful day!  That night Andrea made our rounds to a few local pubs.

This past weekend was the annual Galway Food Festival!  It looks like we couldn't have picked a better weekend to be there.  On Friday and Saturday they had food demos and lots and lots of booths with delicious local and ethnic food.

We walked through the Galway market where Andrea and I each bought a Galway painting from a local artist and I picked up some souvenirs.

Since it was a festival weekend there were a lot of musicians out on the street performing.  These were some local kids playing traditional Irish music.  They were great and drew quite a crowd!

Friday night was Good Friday.  Good Friday is one of the two days of the year (and Christmas) where the pubs close in Ireland. (Gasp!)  Alcohol can't be purchased in grocery stores or liquor stores either.  Andrea and I decided to make dinner in the hostel and go to the cinema (...as they call it) that night to see a movie instead.  We saw to 21 Jump Street.  If anyone's looking for a good laugh we highly recommend it!

On Saturday morning Andrea and I walked around the Food Festival some more then got on a bus to go back to Cork.  On Easter Sunday Andrea flew back to Minnesota.  We had a great week together!

Limerick & Cliffs of Moher

On Tuesday morning Andrea and I packed our bags and took a bus from Killarney to Limerick City.  In Limerick we stayed at a hotel called Jury's Inn.  It was a really nice hotel and we had a great view of the Shannon River!  Here's our view below.

One of my roommates in Cork, Lorna, lives just 20 minutes away from Limerick.  On Tuesday night Lorna picked up Andrea and I and brought us back to her house for dinner with her parents.  We had salad, lasagna, and apple tart.  It was delicious and great to have a home cooked meal!  After dinner Lorna drove us around a little village called Adare and showed us around Limerick City.

On Wednesday morning Andrea and I woke up bright and early to take a Paddywagon tour to the Cliffs of Moher.  Paddywagon is pretty much the tackiest tour company in Ireland.  They go to a bunch of different places in Ireland for a really good price!  

On the way to the Cliffs of Moher we drove through a region called The Buren.  Our first stop was the Poulnabrone Dolmen.  This is a 5,000 year old portal tomb in the middle of no where.  The mystery of this tomb is how the rocks were lifted and put in place.  The capstone on top weighs 5 tons!

We drove past many cemeteries.  In the picture below you can see those smaller boulders placed throughout the cemetery.  During the potato famine, cemeteries could not keep up with the demand for grave stones and ran out space for the number and rate of deaths in Ireland.  These unmarked boulders are mass graves that had to be made to bury victims.

We stopped in a small town called Doolin for lunch.

Next we made our way to the Cliffs of Moher on the western coast of Irealnd.  The Cliffs of Moher look out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Andrea and I had about two hours to walk around on the cliffs.  After walking around the park with safety walls and barriers we made our way past the "DO NOT CROSS" signs to explore the cliffs some more.  There are well defined paths past this sign and almost everyone crosses it.  Don't worry.

After you cross over this wall, there are absolutely no railings or walls between you and the 800 foot drop to the ocean.  In this picture about 6 feet in front of me is the vertical drop off!

On Wednesday night Andrea and I went out for dinner, listened to some Irish music, and went to a night club.  We had a great time!  I'll be back in Limerick City for my birthday weekend.

Killarney & Gap of Dunloe

On Sunday Andrea and I packed our bags for a six day adventure.  Our first stop was Killarney, a town just west of Cork.  We stayed in Neptunes Town Hostel, a hostel right in the city centre. 

On Monday morning we got up bright and early for our day at the Gap of Dunloe.  The Gap of Dunloe is a narrow mountain pass between the largest mountains in Ireland.  

When Andrea and I were booking this tour we had the option of walking, riding in a "jaunting car", or riding a pony through the Gap of Dunloe.  Andrea and I were seeking adventure and were hoping to ride a pony down the 7 mile road.  When we told the farmer our decision he looked us up and down, made this crazy face, and asked us if we had "pony experience".  We did not know this was requirement.  Unless he thought that riding a horse at summer camp once would cut it, I didn't think I was qualified.  We also learned that there would be no guide leading us.  Just me, Andrea, and two ponies.  We decided to go with the "jaunting car" which is essentially a horse and carriage.

Andrea and I hopped in the cart, got really cozy with a random couple, and started on the trail through the Gap of Dunloe.  Although it was overcast, the scenery was amazing!  

It was our horse's first day back from a long lazy winter so his owner ran next to the horse for the whole 7 miles!  

At the end of the 7 mile trail we entered the Killarney National Park.  

After eating lunch at a little cafe we got on the next leg of our journey, a boat!  This boat would take us through the chain of lakes and rivers back into Killarney.  

About half way back to Killarney it started down pouring rain.  Luckily the driver had some tarps for us.  Being on this small boat on a choppy lake was quite scary though!

That night Meghan, our friend Michael, my roommate Laura, and her boyfriend Johnny came to Killarney to go out.  They all joined Andrea and I in our hostel room.  Next stop...Limerick!

Cobh

Last Saturday Andrea and I went to Cobh (pronounced "cove").  Cobh is about 20 miles south of Cork and lies on the edge of a bay near the ocean.  Instead of taking the train to Cobh like most, Andrea and I found a boat company that cruises down the river from Cork to Cobh.  You're looking at our little tug boat, Spirit of the Isles...

Leaving the Port of Cork:

It was great to be on the water! Here are Andrea and I in the back of the boat.  

We drove past the headquarters of the Irish Navy.  The captain of the tug boat told us this fun fact: Switzerland (land locked) has a larger Navy than Ireland (an island).

Here are pictures pulling into Cobh.  This town was so adorable! Post card material??

Cobh, a town not typically seen by tourists, has seen a lot of business in the past few years due to the fact that April 15th is the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking.  Cobh, Ireland was the last port of call for the Titanic before sinking in the Atlantic just four days later.  Andrea and I went to a Titanic museum in Cobh where we learned about the ship, Irish passengers that boarded in Cobh, and about the sinking.  It was very interesting.  Unfortunately we weren't able to take pictures inside.

After the Titanic museum Andrea and I walked around the town, walked inside St. Colman Cathedral, and had a few drinks at a local pub.

Cobh was one of the major departure ports after the potato famine.  Almost 2.5 million Irish emigrated to America through Cobh to start a new life. Below is a sculpture of Annie Moore and her children.  Annie Moore emigrated from Cobh and was the first immigrant to ever pass through Ellis Island in New York City. 

As we were walking to the boat that morning a local pointed this building out to us in Cork.  Brace yourselves everybody, this is the tallest building in Ireland...

Blarney With Andrea

On Friday Andrea and I went to the Blarney Castle.  It was different from when I went with Hannah and Carley.  There were a lot more flowers and blossomed trees!  It was beautiful.  Here are some pictures!

A cave under the Blarney Castle:

Making her way to the top of Blarney Castle!

Andrea was quite terrified when she got to the top of the castle.  It took her a while to get down to kiss the Blarney Stone but she did it and bought a souvenir photo to prove it!