Day 3: Cliffs, Parades, and BEER

When I was in 7th grade, my English teacher taught us the components of a Limerick - this poem with five lines and has to rhyme. Growing up in a town heavily influenced by Irish culture, it was somewhat of a dream or fantasy that there was a place called Limerick or that there were leprechauns and pots of gold.. I marched the St. Patrick's Day parade every year from age 14 - 18 and this culture was a part of my growing up.

I woke up this morning in the center of Limerick... in a hotel on the Shannon River... that was pretty cool.

After drinking a few gallons of beer and eating a house for the past ten days, a long run was in order... we ventured over the bridge on a running path, through some green marsh and around a lake. Everyone told us that Limerick was kind of sketchy - and I could see this industrial-rustic look and feel.. with factories nearby and a working class vibe. It was a Sunday and hard to see people at work - but it was evident.

After our 5.4 mile run and check out, we had a quick bite (Goat cheese in Ireland is delicious by the way) - we headed off to County Claire to see what is a must-do for anyone traveling in Ireland - the Cliffs of Moher.

About an hour or so through the drive - we again were surrounded by fantastic scenery. Hills and mountains of green.. green everywhere - with dramatic landscapes and beautiful blue water.



It was a bit chilly - with misty rains that were coming off the coast. The Atlantic wind howled as it scooped up moisture and dumped it on us. But when we arrived in Moher, it was not raining thankfully. We parked the car and walked up to these majestic cliffs.. 200 meters in height that divided the mighty Atlantic with the shoreline. The cliffs were mossy, but breathtaking. I could look at them for hours. The distance down from the top of the cliffs were a bit unsettling. I could not stop thinking of how many people may have ended their lives on those rocks - how easy it was for one to jump... alas - we walked down and drove away.

Another hour in the car and I felt a bit more comfortable with Nelson's driving (he's getting the hang of it) although on this one in particular we had some close calls with a bus, pedestrians, curbs, shrubbery, etc. We passed some dramatic views of the hillside and really quaint Irish towns. It was neat.



We arrived in Galway at 5:30 PM. I had booked the 'Four Seasons' B&B to feel like we were actually going to a Four Seasons.  It wasn't anything like a Four Seasons. It was a tiny, quaint, nice place that gave us decent accommodations. Good news was that the ADE ladies were in town as well, so we quickly met up with them.

A quick dinner at a local restaurants, we all made our way to the street to watch a really incredible parade. This week is the Galway arts festival, so we had a nice treat.


The floats were incredibly artistic and the route was filled with artists, music, great costumes, etc. We were really pleased. The rest of the night was going to another Irish pub and lamenting in the good beer and great people. Irish music is great.. and the vibe in this city is really cool. 





Although I haven't sunk my teeth yet into Galway, it seems like a really cool town. It's a college town, so there are a lot of pubs and the people seem great. The city is clean, there are tons of things to do (it seems), so it will be a few great days ahead.