Castles and Cliffs and Boats...oh my - Part Three

The third and last day of our trip we spent exploring the Aran Island of Inish Oirr.  The island sits off the coast of Doolin and is the smallest of the three Aran Islands. To get there we had to take a small ferry : ) If you know Chad at all, he gets really sea sick/car sick and basically nauseous on anything that moves so it really surprised me when he suggested taking the ferry over to explore. Thank you Daddy for sending us with a large supply of scopolamine patches!! Chad still got a little green but no barfing!!!

Anyways, the boarded the ferry and took a 40 minute boat ride across the Atlantic Ocean to Inish Oirr.  Only about 300 people live on the island. Many are farmers and the rest provide tourism.

Our boat was called the Rose of Aran

Once we got to the island they had horse drawn carts and bikes to ride to explore the island.  We opted to walk though. We started up a big hill to the castle on the island....also originally an O'Brien castle!  I'm telling you, I think this family owned every castle in Ireland at some point.

Pulling into the bay to park the ferry boat

Fishing gear left on the pier

After the castle we walked back down the hill and stopped in a little cafe for lunch. All the cafes were in small homes and the food was homemade and delicious.  Chad enjoyed a glass of his new favorite drink, Club Orange, and we sat outside to enjoy the weather.  The owners dog snoozed outside the entire time despite all the people coming and going.

Club Orange....very popular drink in Ireland

Our other lunch on looker

After our bellies were full we walked along the shore in search of the island's ship wreck and lighthouse. The cargo vessel, the Plassey, wrecked there in the 1960's and was never hauled away. The boat has been moved above the tide over the years and now sits up on a rocky shore. It's like a huge rusty playground : ) Lets just say I hope everyone climbing it was up to date on their tetanus shots. I stayed on the rocks while Chad went aboard...he said he really wanted to climb the the top but some dad was telling his kids it was too dangerous. Chad decided to be a good guy and not make his task that much harder.

We kept walking along the shore with the lighthouse in sight.  The best part of the walk (to me anyways) was all the shells. Because most people take the horse carts or bikes they stay on the paths above the rocky shore line. Since we were on foot we walked along the rocks and tide pools where there were TONS OF SHELLS!! ALL FOR ME!  I stuffed my pockets with as many shells as I could carry as we walked.

me picking up shells...Chad was in charge of the camera

Cute dog walking along the rocks with his famiy....Lola would not have made it!

After the lighthouse we headed back to the paved path to walk back into town.  The entire island is divided into small plots by stone walls. No mortor or brick, just huge stacked stones. Some plots had homes in them and others cows or just empty fields. It was amazing to me to think how long it would take to make those miles and miles of walls.  It looked like a huge maze.

Taking a nap on the wall

When we made it back to town we had about an hour before the ferry would be back to get us so we stopped for afternoon tea.  The Irish take their afternoon tea seriously. All the cafes serve tea with cream and sugar and a delicious assortment of baked goodies!

This sign said everything is homemade from their own eggs and veggies from the garden

My ginormous cinnamon roll and Chad's coffee cake

 After another trip on the ferry (without any puking, yay!!) we got in the car to head back to Dublin.  To end our trip we saw the most fabulous rainbow.  The neatest part, we could see both ends! I couldn't capture the entire thing on camera but I did get a picture of both sides.

Can you see the double rainbow?

That pretty much sums up my first weekend in Ireland! We had such a fabulous weekend and a great start to my 6 months here.  More to come on my Dublin adventures soon!

Castles and Cliffs and Boats...oh my - Part Two

Day 2 of our trip started with breakfast at Dromoland followed by a couples massage in their spa.  It was the perfect way to relax after my long flight and adjusting to the time change. May I say I have the best husband : ) After our massage, the spa packed up a lunch to go and we hopped in the car to move on to our second destination.

We drove for an hour or so to the west coast of Ireland and arrived in Doolin at Ballinalacken Country House and Castle.  This place was incredible!!! The house/B&B we stayed in was built in 1840 and sits next to the remains of the castle.  The plot of land is about 100 acres and overlooks the Cliffs of Moher and the Atlantic Ocean...Chad was jealous!!. The foundation of the castle was built in the 10th century then added on to in the 14th and 15th centuries.

We dropped our bags in the room and ate our fancy packed lunch before heading out to explore the Cliffs of Moher.  The Cliffs rise over 700 feet above the ocean at their tallest point and were named for the Moher tower that was built at the end of the cliffs as a look out point for ships.

Factoid...the Cliffs appear in the movies Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Princess Bride.

Another tower we spotted from the road on the way to the Cliffs

 The beginning of our walk (which turned into a loooong hike) started on a paved trail with railing... with about 500 other people out to see the same sights.  Then we came to the signs below : )

Apparently many people have either accidentally or purposefully lost their lives on the Cliffs.  At the end of the paved trail there was a memorial to those who died as well as signs of who to call if you were feeling suicidal.  Very sad to think about : ( Chad and I both agreed we were feeling pretty chipper and it was probably ok to continue! We passed the EXTREME DANGER sign and kept on walking.

At this point the road became dirt, grass and rock but the view was still awe inspiring. Far off in the distance we could see the tower at the end of the Cliffs and we decided we would walk to the very end.  How often do you get to experience something like this right?

Chad throwing rocks to watch the splash

 We saw tons of sea gulls and other birds nesting in the rocks on the side of the cliffs. I was hoping to see a puffin but no such luck...maybe its not the right season for them?  Anyways the gulls were all over as well as evidence of their new babies

Can you see the gulls nesting?

Egg shell in the grass

 Needless to say, after a 3 hour hike we made it to the end of the Cliffs to the watch tower.  The scenery was beautiful and green.  Then we turned around and headed back : ) The hike back took alot less time because yours truly wasn't stopping every 5 seconds to take a picture.

We were pretty exhausted after the long trek and went back to the room to take a nap before dinner.  At dinner we met a lovely couple from Chicago, Margaret and Josh.  She had just completed her residency in pediatric neurology and he is a hospital administrator.

The following morning the 4 of us went on a tour of the Ballinalacken Castle ruins given by the owner.  This castle and land, like Dromoland, were originally owned by the O'Briens but bought by the family that currently owns it in 1938.  Were able to go up the original staircase to the top of the tower.  Surprisingly, the castle tower is very sturdy though I'm sure this would never be allowed in the US.  Someone would rope it off and say it was dangerous or a landmark or something.

Margaret, Josh, Chad and the owner

View out one of the windows

One of the original fire places and chimney

Up on top

You can see the cliffs out the window : )

Floor joists in the corners where the wood floor would have been and another fire place.

Next up, day 3 in the Aran Islands!!

Castles and Cliffs and Boats...oh my - Part One

I landed in Dublin this past Thursday and morning and my Irish adventure was off to a running start. First off, Chad had forgotten to inform me that if you tell the customs agent you are staying in Ireland for 6 months (honesty is the best policy right) they expect you produce paperwork/visa/etc that gives you permission.  I of course had none of these! The agent looked at me like I was a terrorist while I tried to explain the situation.   Luckily she could look Chad up in their system and gave me a 1 month pass until Chad and I can go to the immigration office together. Whew...I thought for a little she was gonna make me get back on the plane. 

After a long nap and a good nights sleep we left Friday afternoon for a weekend outside of the city. Our first stop took up about 2 hours outside of Dublin to Dromoland Castle in County Clare where we stayed the night.

Our room was up in the tower on the right

Part of the castle was originally built in the 1543 but was updated and added on to in 1835.  It was originally owned by the O'Brien Family who apparently owned a lot of castles/land in Ireland. Little factoid...George W. Bush stayed there in 2004 for the EU-US summit 

When we arrived we walked the beautiful grounds and gardens for a few hours. The castle sits on 350 acres with a golf course and trails. The walled garden and lily pond were my absolute favorites. You can see from the pictures why its called the Emerald Isle...everything is so lush and green from all the rain. 

Entrance to the garden

Chad did not believe the water was as deep as they stated

Standing on the bridge in the lily pond.

That night we had an amazing dinner in their Earl of Thomond Restaurant.  Our waiter was from Poland and probably one of the nicest people I've ever met.  The food and the service was impeccable and we left thoroughly stuffed! 

Our "palatial" room for the night

More to come on day two of adventures soon! 

We're going to Jackson...

Just like the title of this post and the song by Johnny Cash, Lola and I headed for Jackson this past Tuesday.  I am leaving for Ireland in less than 1 week (Ahhhhh) and had to get Lola to the grandparents for safe keeping.  We loaded up the car with all of Lola's beds (yes she has more than one), toys, food and other necessities and headed south.  I can hear Chad now making fun of my "bug eye" sunglasses. He hates them, I can't understand why : )

I drove while this spoiled rotten bulldog snoozed in the back seat.  She would occasionally wake up and drool on the center console before going back to sleep. Must be the life!!

We made an overnight pit stop in Chad's home town of Pontotoc, MS. It's about a 6 hour drive from St. Louis.  It was great to get to see Chad's family once more before I left. We went into town to have dinner at Kirk's then watched Mattie at softball practice.

This is a picture of her last game...I forgot to get one at practice : (

The next morning Cathy made bacon biscuits for breakfast and I got to spend a litte more time with the family before getting back on the road. You know you are in the country when you wake up to wild turkeys and their off spring in the back yard and your mother-in-law pours you a to go cup thats pink camo : )

Lola and I made it Jackson just in time to celebrate the 4th of July with my family. She settled in to the brand new bed my mom got for her right away! That makes 3 beds for that spoiled dog.

We grilled burgers and hot dogs and had a festive dessert of pineapple cake with whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries.  

The next morning everyone had to go to work so I enjoyed some pooltime all to myself. Hopefully I can get a little color before I leave for Ireland. From what Chad tells me they don't see much sun : (

Sunday I fly back to St. Louis and 3 days later I leave for Ireland!!! I can't wait to see Chad and get to know my home for the next six months!