Today ... the Cliffs of Moher

Well, we decided that we'd purchased enough wool from the Arran Isles to last us for several years ... so we opted for the boat trip that took us to the FOOT of the Cliffs of Moher. Whoa ... what a day. Whoa ... what a ride. You leave (mark this down should you be tempted once you see the pictures of us having survived the boat ride!) from a town called Doolin. It was, as we laughingly say about every new venture, a "stone's throw" from Ballyvaughan. It was a 45 minute drive on something called the "corkscrew" that reminded us all of a Disney ride with a similar name. Meeting buses on roads that are "N" or below is just craziness ... with a lot of "whoa's" from all of us. And we were on roads that were labeled L ... with four numbers after the L. (We have not yet ventured onto the L road's with four numbers, then a hyphen, then two more numbers. We are not one whit curious. It kills the cat!) 

We arrived in Doolin about 11:30, in time to buy tickets for the 12:00 boat ride to the foot of the Cliffs. It looked a little choppy as we approached the pier ... but we had NO idea what our tickets had purchased!! Let's just say ... that while all four of us remained relatively dry and sea-sick FREE ... over 2/3 of the 60 passengers were not as lucky. The waves washed over the side of our little boat ... and the water ran down the aisles for those who were inside. The four of us were at the back ... er, the aft ... and we were clearly more fortunate. Lots of fresh air ... although we did get soaked!! It was a 20 minute boat ride out through the Atlantic waves until the boat turned toward the Cliffs. Oh my ... I hope Jean's pictures turn out to describe the Cliffs. I had tears in my eyes. Some of the tears may have been from the smells emanating from the rookeries .... but seriously, it was an amazing sight and one that I would do again and again ... braving all inclement weather.

The crew were so grateful that some of the passengers were actually enjoying the Cliffs that they invited us to the front ... er ... the bow ... for the journey home. (Many fewer waves ...) I felt a tad bit like I was in the "Titanic" but, once you see the pictures of me and my gigantic hair (sea water, humidity ... likely 3 times the normal volume!), you won't mistake me for Kate Winslett! 

Titanic footage