Today we traveled to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway and had ourselves a DAY. I was looking forward to this day all week for several reasons: I have family heritage in County Clare, I love nature/hiking, and last but not least, the Obama museum. The Cliffs and Galway (and Obama museum honestly) exceeded my expectations, and I hope to return and spend more time in both places someday.
We left early this morning for a relaxing bus ride to the Cliffs. Our bus driver acted as a tour guide and talked about the significance of each area we passed. The first highlight of the day was, as mentioned, the Barack Obama Plaza; I knew about this rest stop dedicated to the former U.S. president from some friends who traveled to the Cliffs last year. I was so excited when I entered this place. I am not a huge politics nerd, but I just really like the Obamas (don’t tell my dad). Compared to the boring rest stops in Western PA/Ohio that I typically use when traveling, this was an exquisite feature that everyone got pretty excited about.
Before arriving at the Cliffs of Moher, we drove through a stunning residential area in County Clare. This area was totally different from what we have seen in urban Dublin; this had a countryside feel that could not be recreated. We saw beautiful real estate which I imagine costs loads of money, a space to play 18 holes of golf, and lots of cows.
We arrived at the Cliffs and it was truly breathtaking. We were lucky to visit on a day with sunny, warm weather; the views were stunning and the land was well-preserved. It was terrifying to stand or sit close to the edge of the cliff, especially with the wind, because it honestly felt like I was going to blow over. However, there were no casualties today at the Cliffs of Moher for Plus3 so I’d say it was a success!
Before going to the Cliffs, I expected it to have more of a commercialized, touristy feel. To my surprise, all the gift shops were built in a way that integrated the standing nature so it was super unique impressive design.
After the Cliffs, we ventured to Galway for lunch. I loved Galway; Dublin, like London, sometimes has an Americanizes-tourist feel to it. Galway was unique in that it had its own culture and charm.
We just traveled back to Dublin. Overall, today was my favorite day so far, and I look forward to Wednesday for our day trip to Kilkenny and the Wicklow Mountains and hope to have a similar experience!