Okay day 2 in Ireland!! Definitely way less action packed as the first day we got there, but there is also the fact that we didn't have to stay awake for 30+ hours for it. This day we went to visit the Cliffs of Moher via a bus tour (which we argued about whether that would be fun or not). The tour was surprisingly really good. Our tour guide Gerry was excellent and was able to fill the silence of the ride with meaningful facts and tidbits about Ireland and the local area we were in. On the way up to the cliffs we got to see some old grave sites, traditionally thatched roofs, and even a couple of castles (technically tower houses, but who's ever seen an old stone structure that looks like a castle and gone "Oh look at that tower house over there!")
The cliffs themselves were amazing. These pictures really didn't do them justice and actually sucked to edit because I couldn't quite get them to show what I saw over there. The scale of those rocks, the sound of the waves, and the absolute force of wind that was present was actually so surreal. I tried to document and photograph what I could while I was there, but even as I was trying I knew there was no way I could get it all. I'm glad I got to go and see that; I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it. I'm also glad we got to go when we did. Gerry told us that because temperature differences and wild weather in Ireland that the fog gets really bad in the summer and visibility is really low. Many people go to visit the cliffs are greeted with a fog so dense that they can't see anything, so we were super fortunate to be able to see them on our first try.
After the cliffs we were hurried by Gerry to get back onto the bus to make it to the shoreline by sunset. There we got to see up close the beauty of the Burren (which is a famous region in Ireland known for its distinct geology). Not only was the sunset amazing but the landscape breath taking. It was a beach composed of black rock and soft green moss. It's easy to forget that Ireland is an island, and not only that but it was completely underwater at one point in time. There on that beach you are faced with both of those facts. The black volcanic rock (I'm not sure if it was volcanic but it sounds cooler if I call it that, so I won't google it that way I can claim ignorance) made it look like we were on a different planet, and the waves that came eating away at the rock plus a bright red/pink sunset made for some of my favorite pictures I took on this trip.
Once the sun set we got back on the bus and drove the 2 hours back to Galway and went to the nearest pub, grabbed a Guinness and some stew, and ended our amazing last day in the Irish countryside.
