The next morning came cold, and early.  Although we had fun in the pub the night before (read: lots of Smithwicks), we thankfully didn't have a hangover.  Which was good because we had a long day of driving ahead of us.  We needed to make our way through Galway to the Cliffs of Moher and on to Limerick.  Our stay at the B&B of course included breakfast, which was a Full Irish Breakfast.  A Full Irish Breakfast includes the following: a fried egg, a rasher (thick, large piece of bacon), fried ham, black pudding, white pudding (both are similar a sausage patty), baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, and toast.  And it was delicious.  And filling.  And totally hot this spot for this breakfast loving girl.  

While we ate, we took a look at the map, and noticed that there was a slightly longer, but much more scenic route, to get to Galway.  We ended up driving through the most perfect and picturesque Irish countryside you could imagine.  Seriously, it was beautiful.  There were rolling hills, lots of sheep, and old ruins dotted the landscape.  We drove on roads that were barely wide enough for one vehicle, but were somehow two ways.  At one point, we came around a harbor that let out to the sea and there was this little blue boat just sitting there.  I mean, come on, how perfect is that?!  I feel like this is the stuff that you see on those ''50 Places to See Before You Die'' type of lists, but in reality, turn out to be less than stellar.  Nevertheless, even in the middle of winter, this place is just stunning.

Once we passed through Galway, we followed the coastal route down to the cliffs of Moher.  And again, it was just awesome.  I had been wondering where they get all the rocks from for the rock walls that are everywhere.  Well, now I had my answer.  There were literal fields of rocks.  They looked like they were growing.  At one point, we drove past this overlook with rocks and a cliff down to the sea.  We just had to stop the car, get out, and go look at it. Breathtaking.  

We finally made it to the Cliffs of Moher, just as the sun was giving its last bit of sunlight.  I am convinced this is the best time to see the Cliffs (western side of the island means not really good for sunrises).  In the 1800s, a tower was built as a look out on the Cliffs (not sure why they needed to get higher).  By the time we had gotten there, it was too late and we couldn't climb it, but I doubt we missed anything.  Remember how I said it was cold when we woke up?  Yea, the temperature barely improved, but the wind picked up and it felt like 10 below on top of the Cliffs.  Completely worth it though!  But for now, I'll just put the pictures here and let them do the talking.  But even great pictures can't do this place justice. 

As dark closed in on us, we headed back to the car and on to Limerick.  After checking in to the hotel, we found some place for dinner.  We ended up going to a Thai place and then a pub for a couple of pints.  The Thai was awesome.  And spicy!  It was glorious.  I haven't had good, spicy food in a while and it burned so good!  We even got a glass of water when we sat down, which is rare in Ireland, but completely unheard of in Germany.  We went through two carafs of the stuff we were so thirsty!  Although, I think the spicy food may have had a small effect on our water consumption.  At the pub, I decided to try a pint of the cider, recommended to me by my sorority sister Ashley.  Good choice :)  And also a bad idea.  It tastes like an Apfelschorle (apple juice with sparking water, a popular drink in Germany) and goes down just as easy.  Thankfully I had the presence of mind to limit myself or else it would have been a rough night.

Click through the gallery below to see some more pretty pictures from our drive!  If you click on any of the ones above, they will open to full screen.  I suggest do that for the best effect!

- Meghan -

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