On the Cliffs of Insanity.

If I thought that the day before was early, then I was really in for a wake up call. This bus left at 7:10am - thankfully I knew where I was going this time! I made sure I had time for my Starbucks run, of course. The tour guide for this trip was an interesting one, that's for sure. She was obsessed with Lord of the Rings... and herself. If people were talking while she was talking, she would very obnoxiously say "sssshhhhh" into the microphone. That's just not enjoyable for anyone. 

I was fully prepared for this trip. Maybe that's why so many horrible things happened to me the day before - so that I would be 100% prepared for an even more spectacular adventure. We enjoyed a 3 hour drive to the Cliffs of Moher. This group was a bit of a different mix than the day before. There was many other girls traveling alone (and when I say girls I also mean the two 50 year old women who took an extensive amount of selfies).

When we arrived at the cliffs, the guide told us about all the movies that shot scenes at the cliffs, like Harry Potter and THE PRINCESS BRIDE - hence the title. As soon as I got out of the bus, I walked over to the edge and looked down, imagining Inigo Montoya helping Westley up over the edge so that they could engage in their epic sword fight. 

What great childhood memories were brought to mind!

I then put in my headphones, pulled out my camera and began walking along the cliffs. When you're walking along the cliffs, they don't seem real. Around every turn, the view gets better and better. As one couple said to me, "We are getting SO many Facebook cover photos." Not exactly where my mind jumps when I'm standing on the edge of a cliff... but it is true.

I actually wish that I could get this picture to this guy (he's the one that was taking all of the cover photos!) I was absolutely terrified for him. Then his girlfriend said, "You are pretty brave for a guy who is 'afraid of heights.'" I was so impressed - I would never get that close to the edge and no part of me is afraid of heights.

I was feeling pretty adventurous as I climbed over the wall to walk closer to the edge of the cliff, but then I came across a photographer even more dedicated than I.

Liiike I don't even know what she's standing on!

Seeing that she was clearly an experienced photographer - or something - I got her to take some pictures of me!

My other friend that was leaning over the edge of the cliff also took some pictures for me and told me to make sure I made it my cover photo... I ended up using a different one, but I do love this picture!

You can already see that I must have been beyond grateful that my camera had been dead the day before and not on this day. I can't even imagine not being able to show people the beauty of the Cliffs of Moher! It's amazing how many people you meet when you're just walking along the edge of cliffs!

We piled back into the bus and headed to some more cliffs - only for a fifteen minute stop this time so that we could take pictures, but we sure all made the most of those fifteen minutes! This is where I bonded with my Croatian friend over our love of nature and cliffs! Not too hard to love either of those things.

I was actually TERRIFIED for this shot. I made the mistake of looking down and realizing that I was standing a foot away from the edge on a wet rock. But hey, I love this picture!

These cliffs were actually where none other then J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis came for inspiration for their mythological lands. So in other words, where Narnia and Middle Earth were born. 

Makes sense right?!

We then journeyed onward towards Galway... driving along the sea the whole way.

The drive wasn't so bad.

We arrived in Galway and after a short walking tour with some fun stories, were sent on our way to explore the town. Off I went again with Julia's amazing camera to see what beauty I could attempt to capture. 

Incredible the things you stumble across when wandering along rivers in Ireland.

We were strongly encouraged to find a bathroom before going back to the bus because apparently the highway in Ireland does not have rest stops. So, I decided to grab a beer before taking my pee break at the pub called "The King's Head." It was opened by the Irishman, "Stubbers," who executed Charles I because no one else would. With the money he was given for completing this task, he bought himself a pub - what a stand-up guy.

I then met up with my Croatian friend and chatted with her all about how people back home thought that we were crazy for just heading off to Ireland alone... don't you feel better about it now? Look at all the fun that can be had when you travel alone?!

After 2 and a half hour ride home, the bus dropped me off right in front of my hostel! I grabbed a few things and then headed off for one more night of Irish stew, Guinness and Smithwicks (Irish red ale from Kilkenny). Oh! and live Irish music. The singer ended his show and then walked over to me at the bar and said, "Don't drink too much Guinness, girlie." Close to how the love story goes in P.S. I Love You right? Except in that movie the singer wasn't 50 and they actually had a conversation and fell in love, but hey, same difference!

This was just another one of those days where I took to heart that pictures are worth a thousand words - hope you enjoy them all!