When travelling alone, you always seem to find another traveler to team up with. I met a Canadian named Andrea - she is as camera mad as I am - perfect match!
Everybody speaks about the beauty of the Ring of Kerry, and they are not exaggerating! A true delight to take photos.
After stopping off in a little coastal town called Waterville for some scones, we took some photos of the Charlie Chaplin murals (Waterville was 1 of his holiday towns) and capturing the pebbled beach on camera, we continued on to another little town where we were afforded another photo opportunity.
(the name of the town escapes me because all I wanted was medication - I ended up being very sick with bronchitis & most of the names of towns & places became a bit jumbled thanks to their potent cough medicines)
After spending most of our free time snapping some photos, we walked across the bridge and discovered a colourful little village with perfect scenery and that was the beginning of our joke; "things are always prettier on the other side of the bridge"
Thereafter, at every stop, we immediately walked across a bridge just in case we were missing out!
We took a Ferry across the Shannon Estuary and entered County Clare, on our way to the place I had been waiting for: The Cliffs of Moher (pronounced "more")
These cliffs are too beautiful for words.
There is an exhibition centre, but we knew that we would be taking a whole lot of photos, so we set off along the walkway to get started.
We passed through a little crack in the fence and continued along a walkway without fencing.
I was feeling extremely daring (I blame the medicine) and proceeded to dangle my feet over the edge. I was so scared of being blown off that I never sat up straight, I kept my top body at a 45 degree angle back so that I couldn't topple off. I took my obligatory foot photo and proceeded to almost roll on my belly back up to a safer part of the path.
Andrea was almost thrown off the cliff thanks to an extremely rude German woman who ploughed along using her elbows to move anybody who was unfortunate enough to be in her way.
With great reluctance we moved on from the Cliffs to Bunratty Castle, a folk park offering a peak into what life was like in the 18th & 19th century.
The Castle was built in 1425. In 1954 it was restored to its former medieval grandeur.
When exploring inside, you will discover furniture, tapestries and other bits and pieces from the 15th and 16th century. It is sad to note that because the public are allowed to touch some of the furniture, it is not in pristine condition anymore.
I found the castle to be too chaotic and the tour guide was not engaging enough to hold my attention for very long.
A horrid little plaque on the wall is thought to bring fertility to anyone who touches it (for themselves, or for someone close to them)
The plaque depicts a woman in the throes of childbirth. I made sure to steer clear of that!
The grounds are simply gorgeous, Tree lined roads make it a wonderful walk, the green lushness of the trees and flowing river water made me feel instantly calm. Worth a visit, even if you don't venture into the castle at all.
That night we moved onto
Limerick and were treated to a traditional medieval castle banquet - in an actual castle!
Wine was served by the jugful and the food was very tasty. Steer clear of the tea and coffee after dinner though, very weak and not enjoyable at all!
While eating, we were treated to Irish dancers and folk songs interspersed with the court jester's entertainment.
Our last day was spent visiting the beautiful
Galway Cathedral. Stained glass windows and a peaceful interior - I was especially taken with the gorgeous pews. There is something about the Celtic Cross, so pretty!
Andrea and I spent some time walking through the town doing some last minute shopping. I saw some beautiful celtic wall adornments, but never found the one that felt right to bring home. Looking back I wish I had bought any of the others anyway as it would have made a really nice souvenir on the wall.
I did manage to buy a gorgeous pocket watch to add to my collection, so all in all I at least managed to buy a quality souvenir.
We ate lunch in a little pub - I had a yummy seafood chowder and an Irish coffee to help sooth my chest and throat -they were not shy with the whiskey!
Exclusive to Trafalgar Tours is a feature called
Be My Guest Farewell Dinner. The theory behind it all is that you visit a local countryman/woman and experience their hospitality with a home-cooked meal. They share stories of their country and other interesting information.
We were treated to dinner at the
Catherine Fulvio (Irish celebrity chef) cooking school at
Ballyknocken House.
The food was divine, and a final opportunity to chat to fellow travelers before heading home.
Incidentally, our tour guide's name was Ann Hickey, a local Irish singer (had her own CD which she played for us) lovely lady who had a wealth of knowledge.
Regardless of the fast that I was ill, I will always look back on Ireland with very fond memories & highly recommend that you go if ever given the chance.
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