Ireland: The Cliffs of Moher

Our final day in Ireland was the main reason I booked my flight in the first place - and that was to see the Cliffs of Moher. All of the cold, rainy, and windy weather (not to mention having to sleep in the airport) were all worth it to see this. 

This day tour was another we did through Paddywagon Tours, and I really enjoyed that we saw more than just the cliffs themselves (well, not just - but you know what I mean). First stop after departing Dublin was the colourful and picturesque village of Kinvara. This was mainly a bathroom pitstop, but we had enough time to pop in to the day's small market and enjoy the most delicious scones with jam and butter (how very 'Little House on the Prairie'). 

Lobster claw or hand? 

I liked it so much that I wanted a picture with it. 

After leaving cute little Kinvara we arrived at the ruins of Corcomroe Abbey, which was constructed in the 1200's out of Limestone. The Abbey's location offered beautiful secluded views of County Clare's valleys.

Driving in a behemoth down tiny country roads.  

One of the day's highlights was definitely our bus driver/tour guide. He never failed to have some funny commentary paired with interesting information. Better yet, he'd either sing to us or sing to himself (with the mic still on - not sure if he knew). I got the below clip of him singing "Galway Girl" to us on my snapchat; you may recognize it from P.S. I Love You. 

Next, we made our way through the Burren, one of Ireland's famous landscapes, with Limestone stretching across the land and reaching down to the seashore. We stopped here for photos of what were referred to as the "Mini Cliffs". 

Our very final detour before reaching the cliffs was for a traditional carvery lunch in Doolin. I opted for the soup of the day with a side of - possibly some of the best ever - mashed potatoes and gravy (of course). Also, shout out to Fitzpatrick's Bar for serving two kinds of bread with their soup. 

At last, here we go, The Cliffs of Moher. I don't have much to write about this experience, except for beginning with saying that pictures don't do this landscape justice. Also, just to set the scene, it was extremely windy and wet at the time - very windy and wet. The "paths" along the cliffs eventually became mud pools and I nearly fell into them multiple times. Luckily, and surprisingly, I made it out alive and without too much mud on me.

Look, mom, I have friends. 

Very proud of myself for not being this guy. 

The closest I'd let myself get to the edge.

On our way back to Dublin we stopped off in the village of Bunratty. This was mainly meant to be a photo stop for Bunratty Castle, but I didn't even include a picture of it, because the castle was more like a concrete slab and pales in comparison to the cliffs. Our driver did, however, recommend the apple pie at Durty Nelly's, so of course we ran there once the bus came to a full stop.

Apple pie and sticky toffee pudding - downed in about 3 minutes.

Our bus rolled back into Dublin at around 8pm, which gave use just enough time to enjoy the city at a night along with a Guinness, because when in Dublin, right?

Props to the bartender for giving us Guinness in Smithwick's glasses...the one time we care about what our drinks are in.

To wrap it up, Ireland was an amazing experience. It was nice to get out of mainland Europe and see some different architecture and landscapes. Belgium is great, but it lacks the amount of nature and space that I'm used to back home, so this trip was much needed to sort of refresh. If I'm ever lucky enough to visit Ireland again, I'd love to do some more tours and hikes around the countryside and visit Cork - a bit of an underdog city that's been rivalling Dublin lately. I would definitely recommend all of the tours I did during this trip to everyone, both the day tours and free walking tour. 

I hope you enjoyed reading :) Be sure to stick around for posts about Barcelona and Budapest coming soon(-ish?). 

- Alexandra

Ireland: Glendalough, Wicklow & Kilkenny

Day 2 in Ireland was spent touring the Irish countryside in County Wicklow and stopping in at the medieval town of Kilkenny. If you haven't already, you can read all about day 1 in Dublin City, here. Now that you've caught up, I hope you enjoy this post!

Wicklow Mountains

In Dublin, we stayed at Paddy's Palace hostel (it was far from being a palace, but not bad); the main reason we chose to stay there was because it's owned by Paddywagon Tours and if you stay 2 nights or more they throw in a free day tour - the one I'm sharing today. Additionally, pickup for Paddywagon tours happens right at the front door, so you don't have to wake up much earlier than departure time. Our bus took off at 9am on Thursday April 7th and our first stop was Glendalough - not only known for being one of the most beautiful visitor sights in all of Ireland, but for the wedding scenes in 'Braveheart'.

Leaving the city 

Views of the beautiful Irish countryside from the bus. 

We drove for just over an hour before parking at the Glendalough visitor centre. The first thing we did was quickly stop in at the 'The Glendalough' hotel's cafe for a scone and much needed hot mocha.

There's no shortage of picturesque streams and bridges in Glendalough.

I picked out all of the raisins, naturally, because ain't nobody got time for fruit.

 Welcome to my kingdom

Glendalough valley in the Wicklow Mountains National Park is renowned for its 6th ce. Medieval monastic settlement, scenic lakes, and stunning natural trails. This area of Wicklow County is truly not to be missed. I would've loved more time to visit both the upper and lower lakes and to walk along every single trail - but even the limited view I got was well worth it. You can't go wrong with this stunning combination of monastic ruins and natural beauty.

The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul is largest of seven churches in Glendalough and was built in several phases from the 10th through the early 13th ce. 

 Here, nestled among leaning headstones, you can see the ruins of a small building known as the Priest’s house.

St. Kevin’s Church, better known as St. Kevin’s Kitchen, is a 12th ce. church. 

The most famous of all the landmarks in Glendalough is the Round Tower, which is 33 meters tall. It was built nearly 1000 years ago by the monks of St. Kevin’s monastery. 

Another fun fact about Wicklow County: scenes from 'P.S. I Love You' were filmed here. You know, that tear-jerker romcom starring Gerard Butler and Hillary Swank. Not one of my absolute favourites, but being in Wicklow definitely gave me the itch to watch it again. 

There are sheep EVERYWHERE in Ireland's countryside and I was living for every moment of it. 

After about an hour and half in Glendalough we hopped on the bus for a short drive and equally as short photo stop in the Wicklow Mountains. Though it was brief, it was breathtaking.

You can see all the way down the rocky mountain landscape into the distant river and valley. 

Our final stop of the tour was in the former medieval capital of Ireland (we're talking back in the 11th ce.). Kilkenny is located on the banks of the river Nore and offers picturesque buildings and cobblestone side streets. 

Kilkenny Castle, built in 1195.

Our tour guide/driver recommended we stop for lunch at Nostalgia Cafe while here, and it's always a good idea to listen to the locals when it comes to food.

The cafe's interior was very retro and warm with fun decor and knick-knacks. 

I opted for a toasted sandwich with sweet chilli chicken, cheese, and grilled onions. Unbelievably delicious. The ginger beer (a.k.a. ginger ale) was unlike any other I've tried - I really hope I can get my hands on it somewhere outside of Ireland. It tasted like real ginger with just the right amount of sweetness.  

Streets of Kilkenny

Kyteler's Inn, below, has an interesting place in the history of Kilkenny dating back to 1263. Alice de Kyteler, who owned the place originally, married four times and accumulated a fair fortune in the process. The envy of locals continued to grow until she was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to be burned. Her death was considered to be the beginning of witch trials in this area. 

The black cat and crescent moon actually carry some symbolic meaning when you know a bit about the history. 

Dominican Black Abbey in Kilkenny was founded when the Dominicans settled in 1225 and derived its name from the Black Friars, as the Dominicans were called. 

The Abbey's glory comes from its windows, especially the above five-light window, which is the largest of its kind in Ireland and practically fills the gable wall.

A brief walk past St. Canice's Church.

Like the Wicklow Mountains, our stop in Kilkenny was brief compared to how much there is to see. I would definitely have loved to explore some more of the town's shops and bakeries, but I do feel like our time was well-concentrated and I'm happy with everything I did get to see. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by this complementary tour and would definitely recommend taking it. This day tour normally costs about 25-30 euros and a night at Paddy's Palace ranges around 15-20 euros, so staying there for this promotion alone is definitely worth it, in my opinion. I've read some horrible reviews about the hostel online, but had a pretty great experience myself - so don't believe every review you read. Maybe it was just luck of the draw with our timing and roommates, but either way, I have nothing bad to report. 

I hope you enjoyed some of the beautiful Irish countryside even half as much as I did - along with a look at cute little Kilkenny. Keep your eyes peeled for my final Ireland post coming soon featuring one of the country's most popular attractions: the Cliffs of Moher. 

Thanks for reading!

- Alexandra