Today is my birthday. What a great locale for a celebration!
We started our day with a trip to Moriarty's, a lovely little shop outside of Killarney with the most beautiful Irish goods we have seen so far. We shopped, which is unusual for us, but we just couldn't resist buying a shirt (the hubs) and a sweater (me). Both are lightweight (we are still Tallahasseans) but just lovely and soft. We were so tempted by the blankets and hand-woven sweaters, but had to be practical. They would be of no use in our Florida winters. Plus, there's the small matter of having absolutely no room left in our luggage!
Like most of the places we have been, both commercial and public, Moriarty's features a lovely garden next to a little fast-moving stream. In fact, this locale could have been the setting for The Quiet Man. I keep expecting John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara to come trotting along in a jaunting cart any minute.
After shopping, we journeyed to the Cliffs of Moher, with a brief lunch stop in the coastal village of Lahinch. This village reminded us of the coastal towns of England, with their crowds of holiday families (it's a Sunday), children in swimsuits and clinging to towels, the wind whipping, the sun moving in and out of the clouds, and everyone pretending it was a fine day at the beach. At least the surfers were wearing wet suits! To this group of Floridians, this behavior was madness. It was cold and windy and NOT swimsuit weather.
The Cliffs of Moher were only a few minutes away from our lunch village, and it's tough for me to do justice to this part of our day. This very popular tourist spot is beautifully managed, with a visitors' center built right into the side of the hill leading up to the cliffs and well-tended paths and strong walls to keep people away from the edge. The wind can be quite high, with gale force gusts, so there is some hazard involved. Of course we heard everyone's grisly stories (a woman camping nearby in a tent swept over the side, tent and all, by the force of the wind), but today was almost moderate. Having said that, I don't mean to minimize the wind; it made for a challenging climb. But what a reward! Looking north and south along the cliffs, out to the three Aran Islands, and down into the crashing surf was just spectacular. This was one of those times when I truly regretted not having a fine camera and a well-trained eye. My photos don't even begin to reflect what we saw.
A delightful bonus of this stop is that OLLI friends Frank Alarcon and Kate Kearney got engaged! Frank, the romantic, had been hiding the ring for the whole trip and enlisted another couple to casually hang around him, making sure to take a photo of the moment that Frank went down on one knee. Needless to say, this was a wonderful experience for all of us on the trip, including the folks who aren't with our group but who have become like family. All 43 of us, plus our tour manager Kim and our bus driver Nick, have moved with an extra bounce in our steps for the rest of this wonderful day.
And a footnote: Bob and Kathryn Callan celebrated their 46th anniversary today. What a great place for all of these celebrations!
Tonight we dined at the hotel, and are back in our room, getting ready for an early start in the morning. Tomorrow - Galway and Enniskillen!
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