Ireland Day 2

We began our day with an incredible breakfast--good thing it was of substance, since we didn't eat lunch and dinner was at 9. It's not like we didn't eat stuff, but we had nuts and candy all afternoon. But we did walk (and walk and walk) and drive.

Kelly (Arlene's hubby) and his coworker Darrell and wife Amy joined us today. Since Amy hadn't seen the Dolmen tomb we went out there again. It was still windy as heck, but there much more blue sky. The only time it tried to rain on us was when we were at the Dolmen.

This is in a cute little area Arlene and thought looked like a good fairy habitat near the Dolmen.

On Day 1 we had noticed some ruins on the way home but couldn't find any way to get to them, so we specifically looked on Day 2 and managed to find the road. Turns out it was the Cormonroe Abbey. Something that I've already realized when communicating with mods who live in the UK on Skype is there's such a difference between "old" for Americans versus Europeans. We think something's ancient when it's 150-160 years old. That's barely old at all here.

Arlene and Kelly

This is what's left of a window in the Abbot's house next to the Abbey.

What was the interior has now been overgrown with plants and almost a little forest.

Next we went to a ruin where a glass roof has been installed help protect the interior. It's at Kilfenora.

 You can see the glass roof to the right above.

Kelly and Darrell. Arlene and Amy were busy reading tombstones in the graveyard outside. It was so full it was hard to get around to the other side of the building. It feels so disrespectful to walk on people's graves.

We also stopped by the Aillwee Caves for a picture of the view, but we didn't go into the caves.

Our next visit was to the Cliff's of Moher. What an amazing place! They have a visitor's center that talks not just of the beautiful place but the geography and some of the history and culture. It was windy. All right, it's been windy the whole time we've been here. Is it always windy in Ireland?

One of the things that amazes me about this place is how many random ruins there are. You're just driving around and there one is. Something they're off somewhere by themselves and other times they're right next to a new home or in the middle of a small community.

As we were driving home, we can around a corner and low and behold ...

 It appeared they'd gotten out. Just before we came across this scene we'd passed an elderly man with a cane. On the other side of the cows above was a car coming toward us with a young man in it who got out of his car and started chewing them out. Busted! They came past us duly chastised and went home toward the elderly man. What a fun way to end the day.