Trip Index
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We got up Friday morning and went downstairs for breakfast. The tour description online didn't mention it was included, but perhaps it was assumed, as most fancy European hotels offer some kind of complimentary breakfast. It was a buffet set up in one of the hotel's banquet rooms, offering a selection of hot and cold items.
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| breakfast buffet |
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| my choices |
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After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and met up with the day tour at the Bunratty Castle entrance. The tour director asked if we had any luggage and was surprised that we only had backpacks!
An official guide showed us around
Bunratty Castle. We saw many richly decorated rooms and even went up to the very top to get a panoramic view of the countryside.
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| castle in the daytime |
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| an illustration of what the area looked like way back when |
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| lots of stained glass |
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| one of the many tapestries |
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| bedroom |
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| Earl's meeting room |
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| chapel |
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| another bedroom |
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| impressive |
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| more stained glass |
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| on the roof |
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| surroundings |
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After the castle tour, we had free time to explore Bunratty Village. A few buildings had actors re-enacting daily activities, such as baking pies using a wood stove. The finished products were sold in a small cafe in the village.
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| many thatched roof buildings |
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| so quaint |
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| country lane |
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| "downtown" |
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| village chapel |
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| inside the chapel |
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| Bunratty Garden |
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| "nice" part of town |
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| beautiful lane |
After some time in the village and souvenir shopping, we boarded the bus and headed towards the Cliffs of Moher. Bottled water was complimentary on board. The tour director gave us some narration on the road, including a story about fairies that lived in certain trees and bushes, and how this superstition rerouted the highway we were traveling on!
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| bottled water |
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| the fairy's lair |
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There was a lunch-time stop at
O'Connor's pub in Doolin.
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| hot seafood chowder on a cold day |
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| fish and chips |
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| bangers and mash, very good |
After lunch, there was a little bit of time for souvenir shopping. We got back on the bus and drove a short distance to Doolin Point to see Crab Island before getting back on the main road.
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| a peek of the cliffs past Doolin Point |
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| Crab Island |
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Shortly, we arrived at the
Cliffs of Moher! Outside of the strong winds, the weather was clear and the skies were a perfect blue to provide contrast. No fog...what a blessing! The Cliffs of Moher was used as a location for several films (such as Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, The Princess Bride's Cliffs of Insanity), so if you feel like you've seen them before, you probably have.
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| the Cliffs of Moher |
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| no duh! |
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| the far end |
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| trace fossils |
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| other end of the cliffs, lots of bird nests in the nooks |
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| walking trail |
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| lots of steps, fighting the wind |
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| Aran Islands in the distance |
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We peeked inside the visitor's center; it was filled with exhibits that would be interesting for school fieldtrips. There was a cafe for refreshments and an official souvenir store. Outside the visitor center, there were independent shops built into the surrounding hill.
Back on the bus, we drove around
The Burren, filled with lunar-like landscape. We also passed by a town called
Lisdoonvarna, with a claim to fame of holding a month-long matchmaking festival every September, visited by tens of thousands of people looking for love.
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| cool to see medieval towers just pop out of the landscape |
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| looking for love? |
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| if you lived here, you'd tell your friends "my house is right next to an ancient castle" |
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| Burren landscape |
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| more desolation |
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| wildflowers still manage to grow here |
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We returned to Galway City train station, where we bought some sandwiches for dinner on the train back to Dublin. The overnight tour to Bunratty Castle, the banquet, and visiting Cliffs of Moher was great for the limited time we had, as we got to experience a lot in two days.
Arriving in Dublin, it was starting to get dark. We took the LUAS back to the Celtic Lodge Guesthouse with no problem at all. Our bags were still at the hotel. :) That night, we dropped by the Celt pub again for a few beers (this time I joined as well). It was pretty crowded with no open tables.
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| nice train station |
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| light rail |
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| ticket vending machine |
Tomorrow, we hop on the HOHO bus to see the city and also visit the Guinness Storehouse - aka the "mothership"!
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If you missed any of the segments of this trip so far, refer to the links in the Trip Index at the top of this page. Thanks for reading!
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