wild melody

We wanted to make it to the ruins...alas it got too late. Maybe next time. Reminds me of a movie. :) We came to a bend and there were lovely horses! ^This is how our evenings looked, Sarah and Luke planning the next day & the rest of us goofing off.

After the castle, we decided to take advantage of the sunlight and do the Cliffs of Moher. (also known as Cliffs of Insanity from Princess Bride). This was definitely one of my favorite highlights. I'll do 2 posts of pictures. Because it's my blog and nobody reads it besides Amber so hey, I can do whatever, right? =) (Photocred for 1st photo goes to Beks. The Cliffs of Moher. sigh. Once you follow everybody else and disregard this sign, the best part begins... tourist shot of the group cliffs on one side, this on the other. wow.

On our second day in Ireland we toured Ballinackan Castle and the Cliffs of Moher. The castle isn't open to the public but happens to belong to our landlady's in-laws. It was pretty sweet because it hadn't been restored. The narrow spiral staircase was intact but a few floors were missing...adding to the coolness in my opinion. We climbed to the tip-top. That's our cottage in the distance. ^ Aran islands, view from on top of the castle. (we could see the islands from our driveway) the whole crew^ Steph, JJ, Luke, me, Sarah, Beks and John.

Since Amber isn't on fb, I'll be doing a few posts from the Ireland trip so she can travel vicariously. =) Ireland. We left Friday am (nov 6) and flew all day/night... Saturday morning we landed in Dublin & met up with JJ at the airport. We did a whirlwind visit in Dublin-Trinity College & Guinness Brewery. On the 3 1/2- turned-5 hour drive to Doolin in County Clare (where our cottage was) we stopped in Athelone to see Sean's Bar, the oldest bar in Europe. (dating from 600AD) Unfortuantly it didn't serve food. We stuck around a few minutes to hear an amazing trad band and then off to Doolin for food. We got there at what felt akin to 3am but was more like 9 (?). my irish fam, doing what we did all week. laughing at ourselves. Trinity College View from the top of the Guinness Brewery, where some of us poured our own "perfect pint". F armhouse stop...John and Sarah used a bathroom in somebody's farmhouse because we couldn't find a store or anythi...

I found this on a friend's blog: "Autumn is my absolute favorite season. The eye-feast of warm colors contrasting the crispness in the air; the elusive dry smell of dying greenery and burning leaves; the associations of harvest and homecoming. Which is, naturally, why I live in a state that is utterly bereft of all of these things. God doesn't want to overload me with more ecstasy than I can handle, apparently." So true. I can't think of a single thing I dislike about fall. The air is a little more crisp (if 90s can be crisp) and the sky is a deeper blue. This is enough to keep me from bemoaning the unchangingness of sub-tropic climate.

thirty eight days. till Eire . round trip tickets: $580. a week in ireland with some of my dearest pals? priceless. {{photocredit some irish guy from flickr)

"If you're not going to use this blog anymore, you really should at least put up a new photo." here mum. a wales photo.