Irish Rainbow
From October 29th-31st we were in Galway, Ireland. The 29th we spent taking a train from Dublin to Galway. It didn’t start out so well because we bought some breakfast at the train station but when we got on the train and got it out to eat we realized Kyle’s got left behind (still feel bad about that). We ended up seeing a full rainbow on the way and we started everyone on the train taking photos of it. Once we got to Galway we made our way to the hotel which was very nice. Looking out the window of our hotel room we had a nice view of a bridge and river leading out to Galway Bay.
Galway
Galway was a nice town. There were “people only” streets lined with centuries old buildings that are now shops and pubs. Street musicians and local artists are all over and we listened to a few and tipped them. The city has a nice path that walks along the bay and when we were walking a fishing boat had just come in and there were two seals that we saw feeding off the scraps. They had a small street train that took you around the city pointing out interesting places. The guy that drove the train has an aunt that lives and Michigan and he and Kyle chatted about American football.
On the 30th we went on a trip to Aillwee Cave and the Cliffs of Moher which is Ireland’s prideand joy. The Aillwee cave was neat as they have preserved a bear den from when brown bears inhabited the island. The cave is one of Irelands oldest and there is a small river and a waterfall inside. Next we went to the cliffs. The cliffs at their tallest point are
Cliffs of Moher
702ft high which is actually quite small compared to Ireland’s Slieve Cliffs which are 1972ft high. We did not see those ones and I think the Cliffs of Moher are prettier. Being there in person makes everything seem so small. Everywhere in Ireland was windy but here it was especially. There were paths that you can walk on and then paths that are not maintained which you could walk on at your own risk. Kyle kept yelling at me to stay away from the edge. Puffins come to the cliffs one month in the spring every year so we did not see them. I didn’t know that until we got there.
Cliffs of Moher
The 31st we took a private small plane ride over the cliffs and the three Aran Islands. It was well worth it to see the cliffs from up high and to fly over the islands. We could see old forts, lighthouses and ship wrecks. The pilot actually took his training in Battle Creek, MI. He said it’s much cheaper there than in Ireland. Halloween seemed to be very big in Ireland. All the shops and pubs were decorated and walking the streets there were lots of people dressed up. There were two big Halloween themed statues we saw in Galway.
In the evening we took a flight from Ireland to London. The plane ride was unique because there was a big football (soccer) game going on and every so often the pilot would announce the score to the cabin.
