"A great wind is blowing...

...and that gives you either an imagination or a headache."  -Catherine the Great


It was Monday. Now it's Tuesday. School, classes, busy schedules...it's all back in action. It has arrived in full force!


Only, I'm in Ireland. Awesome!
But taking a step back to a more relaxing, entertaining, and adventurous weekend, here are some snapshots on a bus tour around the Burren and to the Cliffs of Moher:

A simple but lovely farm landscape near a photo-stop near Doolin.

The small waterfall in the Aillwee Caves. Boy could it get dark in there! Mind your head.
The caves were discovered in 1940, so not long ago.  The story is that a man was followed his dog  who chased a rabbit down a hole, and he discovered these narrow passages through the Burren hillside.  Another version, get this, is that a the dog was chasing a Rabbi into a hole. Hah! (Sorry, that's the only part of the story I caught from the guide...just thought it was funny!)

And back onto the bus.  Passing miles and acres of beautiful green landscape, stone walls, and (yes finally!) some sheeps!  If only the window of the bus didn't have to be between me and those many wonderful landscapes. But I couldn't have possibly seen all that the tour had to show if the driver had limited the photo stops. In fact, he was brilliant, however daring, at maneuvering the huge tour bus through the rutted, narrow, and winding roads around County Clare (or in Irish Gaelic, Contae an Chláir).  From my previous trip to Ireland, I can say I've been on many tour buses and down many twisting roads in the Irish countrysides, and yet I'm still startled and amazed at his fantastic driving abilities.  We avoided colliding with small cars, other buses, tractors, bicyclers, and countless pedestrians who--had our driver made the slightest swerve--would have been smeared across the side of the stone wall on the side of the road.  Although it looks rather normal, this curve in the road was a super sharp hairpin turn, and it was taken at a speedy pace. Uphill!

Standing at the top of the valley after such a ride was pretty spectacular though. It looks as if every little white spec in the distance could be a sheep and every dark grey line is a stone wall, each different and uniquely constructed.  The guide mentioned that the farmers and land owners many many years ago piled chunks of stone and rock as they tended to their new land.  They then used these stones to create short walls to separate their land from their neighbor's land, as well as to keep their livestock in a certain field.  I know it may sound rather like common sense, this blabber about stone wall, but hang in there with me and you'll see the reason for my fascination. I hope to take many more shots of all the interesting and intricate walls around Ireland.  It takes some skill you know.
Making the walls...not my photography. ;)

Note the crazy curvy road.................................................

After some stops in Kinvarra, Ballyvaughan, and Lisdoonvarna, we were on to the Cliffs of Moher! Still just as breath-taking as the first time. Well...maybe that was the wind taking, not only the words out of my mouth, but the air from my breaths.  Not much sun besides the few rays peeking out of the clouds in the distance!

It's difficult to photograph the sheer size of these cliffs.  And to think, as the tour guide informed us, there are cliffs THREE TIMES this size somewhere in Northern Ireland!

I could upload 500 more pictures and have stories for all of them! But time does not permit a college student to do so, so I must rap this jig up. One more photo and fun fact.

On our ascent up the Burren (more about the Burren here: http://www.theburrencentre.ie/) towards the Alliwee Caves I took a shot of this cute little Farm Shop.  I've always wanted to stop for signs like these and try the homemade foods.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to this time, but I hope to try all sorts of Irish cheese, honeys, jams, and fudge. Speaking of honey, the fun fact I remember the guide mentioning is the origin of the word honeymoon.  Supposedly, newlyweds here (and possibly all over Europe) were given enough mead, a honey based wine, to last them for a month--or one cycle of the moon--for fertility and happiness.  Interesting.

That's all for now, but I have a few new goals in mind, many food related! (And possibly sweets-related, too!) Check back again soon. Thanks a million!

Oh! Almost forgot the sheeps! And some alpaca, too.