Cliffs of Moher

 (Katherine) This morning we had a chance to hang out with Kristi and see her daily routine with baby Evan and their dog Jack. Evan is so adorable; a very happy baby! I finally had a chance to hold him, and marveled at how my hips inadvertently started swaying from side to side to rock him. I won’t say my biological clock has gone off yet, but being around babies like Evan at least help me get ready to set the dials!

We finally took off towards the western edge of Ireland through gorgeous countryside, and finally landed at the Cliffs of Moher. We had read about the renovation to the visitor’s center that took place in 2007 from Kristi’s guidebook - it is literally built into a hillside so that it blends in with the view. But in their efforts to make the overall area safer for tourists, they constructed a stone wall which actually blocks most of the views. Luckily, the guidebook also told us that if we wandered down past the “Do Not Trespass” sign and hopped the fence, we could walk much further right along the edge with an unobstructed view.

In case you’ve never heard of them, the cliffs are sheer vertical walls that shoot straight down into the ocean. They were carved out about 320 million years ago, and are an incredibly impressive view. They are also the home to several bird species who build their nests along the walls. We hiked for about a mile or so, and stopped along the way to take many photos and admire the view. We also learned a fun trick while sitting along the edge - if you take a small, cattail-like weed and throw it over the edge, the wind will pick it back up and make it land behind you. We entertained ourselves for about a half an hour doing this, and even created a points system. It was the kind of game you would invent when you were a kid - the kind of game you forget how to invent when you’re an adult.

We finally tore ourselves away from the cliffs to head back home to Kristi and Barry’s house where Kristi had prepared a scrumptious meal of enchiladas. After dinner we all sat around the table and talked about what was going on in all of our lives. It’s always reassuring to see that no matter how much time passes between seeing good friends, you can always pick back up on where you left off without skipping a beat!