So after our little excursion out to the Dingle Peninsula we headed up to Limerick for the night. Mother was
not thrilled about this plan. I think it had something to do with her hearing from friends back home that Limerick is known to be a little "rough". And maybe both my parents' and my guide books contributed to her aversion by saying it was known around Ireland as "Stab City", or, as the locals endearingly dubbed it because there really are so many stabbings, "Slab City." Oh, and I don't think it helped Limerick's cause that even during our first few days in Ireland when the Irish, friendly folks that they are, would ask where we were going, as soon as Limerick was brought up they would gasp, frown, and ask if there wasn't anywhere else we could go instead. I'm pretty certain that the icing on the cake was when we stopped on our way up to Limerick and a local was so vehement about not wanting us to go that she offered to call up a nearby B&B to try and get us a room there instead. But alack! We already had our hotel reservation, so we continued driving north. It was duly noted as we drove over a hill and got our first glimpse of the city that there was a large fire burning somewhere within the city limits.
But we ventured onwards, found our hotel, checked in, and went out for a surprisingly nice dinner (only two blocks away from where we were staying so we wouldn't have to venture too far into the city). Then went immediately back and got to sleep nice and early so we could wake up early and be on our way. But at least the view wasn't too shabby.
We backtracked to the charming picturesque village of Adare on Tuesday morning, then continued further north still towards Galway, sidetracking along the coast to see what all the fuss was about concerning the Cliffs of Moher. There was a really neat tower built right on the edge...
...of the 228 m (760 ft) tall...
...5 mile long stretch of cliffs.
Okay, yes, definitely worth coming out here. It was surprising how abruptly the cliffs jut up, too. Literally just minutes before we had been driving on a road just feet above sea level. However, we did not heed the warning signs...
The plaque says, "In memory of those who have lost their lives at the Cliffs of Moher"
(Yes, about ten people die here every year. Really glad it wasn't windy the day we visited.)
The little sign in front: Please respect the intention of this memorial garden by not crossing the barrier
(Oops. We didn't see that until we were on our way back...)
...and did stroll out quite a ways along the cliffs, but it was certainly worthwhile!
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