Whoa, sorry for the long break! This past week brought VBS and tai kwon do sign-ups for the kids, delivery of our storage stuff (a.k.a. the great junk delivery), and a last push to finish the painting upstairs. As we don’t have an internet connection at the house yet, blogging really fell to the back burner. But I’ll try my hardest to get the last few days of this trip done shortly!
Before I move on from Dingle, I’ll attempt to answer a question about why the Great Blasket Islands were evacuated. As near as I can tell, the population had dwindled to about 20 residents. The church and school had both closed, young people were taking the first boat away, and one man died because the weather prohibited medical help from getting to him. I think that the remaining islanders were just weary of the hard, deprived life they were living. The Irish government offered them state housing in a village on the mainland, and they agreed to leave. Thus, a way of life ended. Very sad, but also very likely necessary.
On Wednesday morning, 15 July, I woke up early and went for a quick run. Dingle is a wonderful place to run…the cool air, the water, the sea birds, the quaint beauty of the town…perfect! This was the second of two times I managed to run on this vacation; not great, but better than normal! I usually don’t run at all on vacation.
After two great days and nights in Dingle, we ate one more hearty Irish breakfast, loaded up the car, and headed north for the Cliffs of Moher, a good three-hour drive. We had a reservation at a Travelodge in Limerick for that evening, and, since we passed it on the way to the Cliffs, we decided to stop and see if we could check in early. We could, but only if we paid 10 euros. We opted to keep on driving!
We arrived at the Cliffs of Moher around 2:00 in the afternoon, parked the car, and bought tickets for the Atlantic Edge exhibit in the Visitors’ Center. Then we headed inside.
The Visitors’ Center was a mix of eateries, cheesy photo places, and souvenir shops, which we quickly bypassed to enter the Atlantic Edge exhibit, a state-of-the-art, interactive introduction to the flora and fauna at the Cliffs.
This was much more interesting than it might sound! The kids and Jeff played this computer game in which they picked a sea animal and had to get it to a safety zone, eating the correct food and avoiding predators along the way. At one point, Elijah’s white shark ate Charlotte’s tuna…not a great moment for family relations! There was also this really neat IMAX-style theater where we stood and watched a sea gull swoop in and out of the cliffs, as well as dive into the sea. During his flight, we saw puffins, seals, fish, and even a whale! If one could avoid vertigo during this experience, it was pretty cool!
Afterwards, we headed out to the cliffs themselves. The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s most dramatic seaside sights, with soaring cliffs, crashing waves, and incredible views. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of this beautiful place.
The Cliffs of Moher very windy and quite dangerous, especially if you walk anywhere outside of the fenced off areas. Evidently, people die every year because they get too close to the edge and literally blow off. Needless to say, we kept a tight grip on the kids’ hands and tried to avoid the crazy tourists who were shoving around people to get photos of themselves right at the edge.
This is the closest we got!
One cool thing that we could see from the Cliffs of Moher is the rock island where the local puffins nest. This time of year, the white-chested birds dot this tall, rocky island, protecting the burrows that hold their eggs. The photo below is of the puffin island; I think that, if you look closely, you can see the white dots!
While the Cliffs of Moher are absolutely stunning, this ended up being the only place we visited in Ireland where the tourist hordes made the visit less-than-enjoyable. We just really don’t enjoy listening to noisy Americans’ conversations or being shoved out of the way by people trying to get a photo. So, we stayed about 45 minutes and then headed back to Limerick and Bunratty Castle, where our evening supper and entertainment would take place.
We had 5:30 Medieval Banquet reservations, and, as far as pure, over-the-top, touristy things to do, this definitely took the cake. But as far as rollicking good fun, especially for Charlotte and Elijah, this could not be beaten.
So, around 5:30, we entered Bunratty Castle and were greeted by the butler, Tom, and the head lady-in-waiting. “Princess” Charlotte and “Prince” Elijah were made much of, and we climbed the narrow staircase to the great hall. Upon our entry here, Jeff and I were handed tumblers of mead, a spiced honey wine, and the kids were given juice. A harpist and violinist provided the background music.
Finally, the room had completely filled, mostly with American tour bus groups, and Tom and the lady-in-waiting started the festivities. First, they welcomed all of us to the castle, and the ensemble who would be serving our meal and performing later in the evening sang a song of greeting and well wishes. Then, an earl and lady of the banquet were crowned from among the guests. (Charlotte asked if Jeff and I could have that honor next time. I love how Charlotte automatically assumes that there will be a next time!)
Then, the crowd of us moved from the Great Hall to the smaller banquet room, where we were seated. The tables were long and wooden with benches, and the room was candle-lit. Because we were not with a tour group, we were seated at a table toward the middle that actually wasn’t jammed full. On one end sat two tour bus guides, one of whom read a book all the way through the evening. We were seated next to a couple from Dublin and their baby daughter, which was lovely. We think they were probably the only non-American guests in the place!
Our first course was bread and spiced parsnip soup, much tastier than it may sound! As this was a medieval banquet, we had no spoons at any point in the evening. Bottoms up on the soup!
Our next course was spare ribs with honey and whiskey sauce, out of this world! Of course, in addition to no spoons at the medieval banquet, we also had no forks. Fingers were the way to go! Charlotte, who tends to be a bit picky with what she eats, loved this course. Check her out!
Between this course and the next, a “villain” was discovered in our midst and thrown in the dungeon. In order to redeem himself, he was supposed to sing a traditional Irish number or be executed. What did he sing? “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” of course, loudly accompanied by the entire crowd, once again proving that we were mostly Americans! This series of events absolutely delighted the children, especially Elijah.
Our next course was chicken breast in mead and apple sauce, accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. And for dessert, we had a raspberry mousse on a cookie base called “rastin.” There were also red and white wines to complement each course and pitchers of water and juice for those who preferred such. All in all, the meal was surprisingly quite good. When combined with the entertainment value, this was definitely worth it!
After the meal, those who served our meal changed roles and became the evening entertainment. We listened to traditional Irish folk songs, including the ever-popular “Danny Boy,” as well as a couple of good drinking songs. The singers and musicians were quite talented and took to their roles with great gusto. Even Jeff and I, by the end of the evening, had to admit we’d had a great time!
When the banquet ended, we exited through the gift shop, giving us a chance to buy stuff that would help us always remember our evening. (I’m saying this very tongue-in-cheek.) Because we had enjoyed the music, we bought a CD recorded live at a banquet and then headed back to our hotel, five minutes up the road.
What a great evening!
Next time…Dublin and our final days in Europe.
