Look Up...Waaaay Up

Did I mention we've relocated to Dublin?  Day before yesterday.  Smooth as silk journey of trains and ferry to arrive here on the Emerald Isle.  Yesterday we went on a 12 hour bus tour, followed up with a couple of pints...so yep, I'm writing this the morning after.  Now if you're thinking, "12 hours on a bus -- shoot me now!" then you obviously haven't been on a Paddywagon bus tour with a driver named Val.  Think Robin Williams doing one of his manic dialogues and that pretty much sums up Val.  And any tour bus driver who can also recommend an above decent local craft beer, gets top marks from me.

The sights weren't bad either.  There were a few stops along the way but the purpose and highlight of the tour was the Cliffs of Moher.  The surprise of the day was that we also had the chance to go out in a ferry to see them from the water before the walk along the top. The three highest cliffs in Europe are all in Ireland and the Cliffs of Moher are the 2nd highest, at over 700 feet.

The bonus of seeing them from the water is getting up close to the sea stack where 29 different species of birds nest.

 

The other bonus of seeing them from the water is there is no chance of falling off.  Apparently a few do...

And there's even a Harry Potter moment at the cliffs -- this was the cave in the Half Blood Prince where Dumbledore and Harry went to find the locket containing a horcrux.  It was the only part of the HP movies filmed outside of the U.K.  Did I mention it was raining and blowing and getting foggy up there?

The cliffs are Ireland's second most popular tourist attraction.  

A pint of Guinness if you can guess the first.