The Burren - Cliffs
Our travels through the Burren were also with the Galway Tour Company, which dropped us at Sleepzone, the Burren, where we stayed two nights. This particular hostel is conveniently located on the outskirts of Lisdoonvarna, home of a salmon smokehouse, and the usual mix of pubs. HH and I went to the Roadside Tavern, which has the distinction of being the home of the Tolkien Society of Ireland, for some trad music and pints. The tavern also boasts a sample of the gravestone font, carved in stone and displayed on the outside of the building, which I meant to photograph, but somehow didn't.
Sunday we walked 10 km to Doolin, a center of traditional music at night, but during the day a great place to catch your first view of the cliffs that mark the edge of the West.
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I loved this image:
Blackbird: "The sign said not to bath beyond here, so I'm going to use this convenient trough."
The next day, we hopped back on the tour bus and were off to spend two hours at The Cliffs of Moher, known to fans of The Princess Bride as "The Cliffs of Inthanity." They are as impressive as they're made out to be
and I was very grateful for the sunken walkways that provide you with a terrific view while keeping you from feeling that you could be blown over the edge. It's a loooonnnggg way down.
But even on a less than sunny day, we could see the Aran Isles. Inisheer is visible here at the top left. The structure on the cliffs is O'Brien's Tower. We were already high enough above the sea so that I didn't feel the need to climb it.
Going back up the coast road, we caught a last glimpse of the Cliffs of Moher in the distant mist.
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