Ireland Day 5

So, basically the highlight of our touring day of Ireland was the Cliffs of Moher.  This is the most photographed site in all of Ireland, and the second we got there I understood why.  Why I don't understand is how someone could look at such a miracle and not know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is alive and well!  Praise!!  Before we got to the Clifs, though, we ran across this adorable  little beach town!  I never would have imagined being in Ireland and seeing this site!

Anyway, here are the Clifs of Moher!

 I need to give a little background information before I show any more pictures so that there isn't anyone out there that believes that I am this fashion-challenged.  In general, I stink at regulating my body temperature.  Basically I am just always cold.  No, really.  I sit on the deck at my parents' house on summer evenings with a blanket.  So, obviously in Ireland (and London for that matter) I was constantly putting my jacket on, taking my jacket off.  Putting my jacket on, taking my jacket off.  I wore jeans every day of our trip because I'd be cold otherwise.  On our Clifs of Moher day, I wore skinny jeans and sandals.  I did not realize, however, that would be doing a little bit of climbing to get to the clifs and that I might want tennis shoes.  Now remember I'm wearing skinny  jeans.  Skinny jeans + tennis shoes does not a cute outfit make.  So, understand before you see anymore pictures that I realize I'm not making the fashion statement of the year and try not to judge.  :-) 

Again....not the fashion statement of the year.  But sandals are too hard to climb in!!  And just as another random thought for anyone traveling to Ireland, despite your logical thinking, it is NOT cold at the Clifs!  It was the warmest I had been the entire trip (notice I'm carrying both my wool cardigan and trench coat in my arms)!

We climbed up one side of the cliffs and enjoyed a gorgeous view, but we could see that the other clif had people on it much higher up.  And while I was just happy as a clam being where we were (there were signs saying "Extreme Danger" and drawings of people falling off the cliff!!), we walked down our side and hiked up the other only to find this sign.

Did we care that beyond this point was private property?!  Heck, no!  Notice us standing on the private property in the picture below the one with the sign.  But can I also tell you that I was as far from the edge as humanly possible!  I am NOT NOT NOT a fan of heights, so this was big for me!!  The funny thing was that when we looked to our right, we saw this amazing God-created scene and when we turned to our left we saw, well, another God-created scene...but one you could get in Kansas City....

It  was a little bizarre!!  But despite the cows and the private property violation and our "Extreme Danger" situation, we made it out alive!!  What an amazing experience!! 

After the Clifs of Moher, we headed to the Buren.  Now, the Buren is not something I know how to explain.  Basically, it's this area of countryside that is nothing but rocks.  And in a simple, minimalistic way, it was beautiful, too.  And that house-lookin thing was a burial site.  I am still trying to figure out how they got that thing to stand up!!!

That pretty much completed our touring time in Europe.  That night we stayed in Ennis at a hotel that used to be a monastery.  It was pretty amazing, but I think we were all so exhausted from 12 BUSY days that we didn't even think to take pictures of it.

And because I don't know where all of these pictures are actually from except to say that they're from somewhere in Ireland....here are a few more shots of the scenery.

The next morning we drove all the way across the country (which really isn't all that far....just a 3ish hour drive) to catch a flight in Dublin to go back to London.  And what's a sister for if it isn't to help you get your suitcase closed?!  Can you tell this isn't our first rodeo?

We got to the Dublin airport early and had to wait around for a few hours before our flight back to London.  Fortunately we had the World Cup on to keep us entertained.  Then it was time to board our flight!

Another explanation:  My mom was taking a picture of me getting on the airplane, so I thought I'd get to the top, jump/turn around and have a funny pose for the picture.  Well....my extra large flip flop for my extra large feet might have gotten stuck on the step as I tried to jump and I might have almost fallen and this picture might have been taken at the moment I caught myself before I fell.  (This is what happens when you have long feet.  You trip a lot.  Like I did this week in my workout class when I fell head first over my step when I supposed to jumping up to the top of it.)

So we flew back to London, crashed for the night in London and flew back to KC (via Toronto).  The flight home was MUCH MUCH easier than the flight there, but we were still up for over 24 hours by the time we got home.  I was anxious to see my kitties (and a little worried they had forgotten who I was) and went directly to pick them up.  Happy to know they still remembered and loved me, I promptly went to bed and slept.  Ahh....I love being home!

I am so grateful and so blessed to have been able to experience this trip!!  Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!