First night in Galway

We walked around the streets near our hotel (Jurys Inn) and found a great pizza joint called Fat Freddy's. That and a pale ale (local artisan brew called the Galway Hooker, felt weird asking for it :).

After supper, we walked along the bay a little bit - a lovely stroll after a long day. The kids counted 24 different swans - none of us had ever seen that many in one place. 

Tomorrow we are going to take a rest day. No big trips planned, just exploring the city on foot and taking it easy. The kids have been great travelers so far. A rest day will help keep it that way!  =)

Upside down kayak frame used to hang main room lights at Fat Freddy's.  Wine bottle lamps around the edge of the room. 

Rugby players practicing

Sailboats in Galway Bay in the background

The Burren & Aillwee Cave Birds of Prey show

Today we explored the Burren in County Clare. Beautiful!

We saw the Poulnabrone Tomb site, built 6500 years ago. We walked around on the Burren rocks near Galway Bay, and we toured the Caherconnell Stone Fort. Had a delicious ham, cheese, and tomato relish sandwich at the stone fort. 

We also went to Aillwee Cave to see the birds of prey show. Fabulous!  They brought out a Bateleur eagle (African eagle), a barn owl, and a Saker falcon.  The eagle sought out prey using ultraviolet vision, the owl with excellent hearing, and the falcon with speed. The falcon used thermals to climb several hundred feet in the air, then did an impressive stoop back down to the demonstration area - wicked fast!  Each kid (including me) got to be a perch for one of the birds - great fun. 

We saw a pair of swans in Galway Bay on our drive to Galway.  First swans in nature for the kids. 

Galway is the second largest city in Ireland after Dublin, and our hotel is right in the city center. Parking in the garage next to the hotel is typical for large cities - very tight and narrow. With help from Bill and Dad, I was able to wedge the car into a spot - I thought I was going to cry from the stress of it all. I don't like city driving anywhere, but city driving on the left side of the road is doubly stressful. (If I were a better map reader, I'd have let Bill do the driving today.)  Anyway, thankfully that's over and there is a pub nearby.  Momma needs a drink!

Mitch with the eagle, above. 

(Sam's bird shots are video - link to come)

Josie with the barn owl. 

Nobody held the falcon - she was a nervy bird. 

Poulnabrone tomb (4th c. BCE)

Caherconnell stone fort

The kids making friends with a young cow.

The beautiful Burren

 

Samantha's question

Sam and I were walking along the top of the Cliffs of Moher yesterday, and she was wondering where people who live in this area go for relaxation and rejuvenation. She asked, 'What's their Cades Cove?'  Very sweet. 

Cliffs of Moher

Wow!  We walked along the rim very near the edge (but not too close), and got in some amazing views at the Cliffs of Moher. Josie asked a ranger where the puffins liked to hang out, and instead of just answering her question, he took us all to the spot where you could see many kinds of birds. He told us a lot of interesting information about how the birds live in the area, including answering a question the kids asked of me earlier in the trip (what are the birds of prey in Ireland? Answer: peregrine falcons, golden eagles (both recently reintroduced), kestrels).  He was so nice to escort us to the spot and let the kids borrow his binoculars to see all the nesting birds on the cliffs - guillemots and fulmars, mostly, but also an occasional puffin and, in far fewer numbers, the birds of prey.  He told us about his experience rearing a raven a couple of years ago and how much they eat (up to 12 chicks (1-day old chicks) a day until they reach maturity at 6 weeks). And he told us about European starlings - he knew full well what a nuisance they are in North America. He has one as a pet and it talks. The kids will be hitting YouTube for these videos as soon as we get home. 

Josie and I on the ferry back to Doolin

Cliffs of Moher:

(O'Brien Tower on the northern end)

A nice lady took a group photo for us!  Thank you, nice lady from Iowa!

Our new ranger friend taking us to the good spot for birding. 

Stone for the paths here was cut from this region - the patterns are fossil traces of worm trails. Cool!

View of the countryside east of Cliffs of Moher. What a beautiful day we had today!

We capped the day with another delicious meal from a local pub. Tonight's dish came from Fitzpatrick's in New Doolin, which is even tinier than Old Doolin. Bill had seafood chowder and brown bread.  I had something called a boxty potato, stuffed with bacon and cabbage and a parsley sauce. Holy moley, it was so good.  The potatoes were shredded very thin and made into a hash brown pancake, of sorts. The bacon (ham bites) and cabbage mixture was tucked into the boxty like a fat taco or burrito.  I'll be searching online recipes for this as soon as this posts. Yum yum yummy yum yum! =)

Biking and walking on Inisheer, Aran Islands

We had an amazing time biking around the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inisheer. Mimi and Papa opted for a horse-drawn carriage ride, but got a little less than they bargained for, and ended up walking around to see the sites. We saw several ruins, including one from the Bronze Age, a castle ruin, a couple of churches, a lighthouse, and a shipwreck. The shipwreck has been deposited further up on the island as the larger storm surges have picked it up and carried it a little further in each time. 

For lunch, we had some of the best fish and chips I've ever had - not greasy at all, no breading, just some seasoning. Scrumptious. We ate outside on the grassy patio of the pub at a large stone table.  The weather was stunning - not too hot, not too cold. Perfect for biking around to see the island.

Josie made friends with a bull who just wanted his head scratched between his ears. We named him Amie.  We made friends with a horse we later saw pulling a carriage in town. We saw baby sheep, too, always cute. 

Josie's bull, Amie.  Josie got a better picture of me with the bull than I got of her with him. 

At the bottom of the hill, it was back onto the bikes and to town for ice cream. 

On the ferry back to Doolin, another view of the shipwreck.  And then, a view of the Cliffs of Moher from the water: