To Cliffs of Kilkee and Back

First things first. Through the magic of the Internet, I have a photo of our beloved Liam out in his field at home in the Selle Valley of Idaho.

Thank you, Elisabeth for all the TLC you are giving our Lovestead beloveds, and thank you for sending this photo of Liam's last day as a 2-year-old. 

Liam got over the "terrible 2's" quite some time ago and grew into a well-behaved, loyal sidekick for both Bill and me.  

So, we send our love to him today on his birthday, and Elisabeth will give him those extra birthday biscuits.

Happy Birthday, Liam, from far away Ireland.

Now, back to the business of recounting our very special and fulfilling trip in this beautiful land. 

As noted in yesterday's post, we were blessed with a day beyond our wildest imagination.  In Ireland, folks pretty much expect wet weather and appreciate the days when the sun comes out AND stays!

Well, yesterday was one of those:  brilliant sunshine, so brilliant that I should have brought a sun filter for my camera. 

We drove from Spiddal through Gort and on to Kilkee, home of the Kilkee Cliffs.  

A lot of people who've lived or visited Ireland will tell you that the Cliffs of Mohr are nice, but if you really want to enjoy yourself, go to the Cliffs of Kilkee, which are not overflowing with tour buses loaded with people. 

Plus, it does not cost a penny to park the car and set off up the hillside where the wild and beautiful blue Atlantic ocean continuously slaps the shoreline and the rock formations along the shore.

A paved trail extends to the cliffs, and if you walk beyond the trail, you'll see two small islands which have separated from the coastline.  

On one sits the ruins of two rock buildings, which could certainly tell a story of the centuries. 

The path is surrounded by farm fields with dairy and beef cows, sheep and horses---in one case Connemara ponies which are the prominent breed in this area. In this case, "pony" seems to be a misnomer, as they are good-sized horses. 

Bill and I took our time walking the pathway, stopping for photos and even rolling around in the abundant and cushioned deep green grass.  I did most of the rolling as I set up the camera on Bill's backpack for selfies. 

At this age, rolling when down is usually the only way you're gonna get up. BTW:  Helen, you and Skip were mentioned on one of my rolls.  

I told Bill that I wasn't quite ready to call him on my cell phone blurting out the message,"Help, I've fallen, and I can't get up."

Rolling those old bodies to get up was actually a pleasure yesterday because of that soft surface of the earth. 

We managed a few selfies and then headed back.  

On our way down, we met Jacqueline and her family. Jacqueline from Toullouse, France, is 83.5 years old, and she wasn't gonna let any walk up a steep hillside stop her from seeing the gorgeous views at the top.

Jacqueline, we learned, was born in Nantes in France where our daughter Annie visited a couple of weeks ago for the Geocoinfest 2018 AND Jacqueline has been to Sandpoint, Idaho.

She told us she stayed there one night in 1956 while on her way to visit family in Seattle. 

I told Jacqueline that she was an inspiration and that when I'm 83.5, I hope to still be climbing steep hills in beautiful places of the world. 

Once again, a few moments of enjoying one of the truly meaningful and enriching aspects of travel.  Jacqueline, it was a pleasure to meet you and your family.  

Keep up your contagious and inspiring spirit! You are truly a role model for us relative newbies of the "golden girls."

After our walk, we enjoyed a Guinness and pizza at the restaurant near the trail head.  We also stopped to learn about the bronze near the restaurant----a man who truly loved Kilkee.

I'd say he's not alone.  It's one of the more remarkable spots that both Bill and I have ever visited.  

There were actually moments along the trail when I secretly mused that I could easily go sit down in that cushiony grass and stay there forever, gazing at the sea, the Irish farm fields and the magnificent blue sky.

All good things must end, but here in Ireland, another good thing usually lies ahead. 

I have a feeling we are in for a very different day that yesterday.  I can hear the wind blowing and have checked the weather forecast.  

It could be wet, windy and cold as we take our overnight adventure to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands. We'll be taking our luggage for a 40-minute ferry ride to the island. 

We'll probably catch a ride to the ecopods where we'll stay the night and we hope to spend some time in the main store on the island where world famous Aran woolens are sold, among other Irish novelties. 

Should be a fun day, and here's a disclaimer for the blog.  Wi-fi will be sparse, so I may not be able to post tomorrow. If you don't see anything, be assured:  there's more to share, and once we're back to reliable wi-fi, I'll be thrilled to keep sharing this monumental experience. 

Happy Sunday to all. Enjoy the photos.  

Our hotel in Spiddel

I've purchased my share of this, along with delicious scones to graze on while we're driving. 

We saw several of these along our way yesterday. 

Success for Bill, but the thing wouldn't open when I put my coins in the slot.

Yay, Jacqueline!