Galway & Cliffs of Moher Day Trip
Galway is about a 3 hour drive from Dublin. Though it’s a bit far, the journey is full of surprises. We joined a tour that we had booked before, since we had to get up very early, All my Italian friends quickly fell asleep once we got on the bus, but when more tour members got on, the bus soon filled up, and we all had to move to the back seats and continue our nap💤
Eating, drinking, and sleeping; that’s how we killed the time when on the tour bus. During our trip to Galway, we had a layover somewhere. There was a convenience store, coffee shop, a gas station selling sandwiches and drinks, etc. Although the food was not my favourite, the prices were affordable.
Cliffs of Moher
After about 3 hours, we finally arrived at the highlight of our trip – Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs are the highest in Europe and have been featured in several films such as “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. Besides, layered cliff scenery is famous for photos.
The Cliffs of Moher are also one of Ireland’s most important seabird nesting sites, with over 30,000 seabirds breeding there each year. Along the cliff edges, many rare plants grow, making it worth the visit for bird and plant lovers.
I walked along the path slowly and lost track of my friends, but fortunately, we all met up again at the end of the path. It was around 12, so we had our sandwiches for lunch. Eating cold sandwiches in this weather is not my thing, I really wanna have hot soup🥣
After lunch, we started to take photos. Even though my legs were shaking a bit from standing so close to the cliff edge, the view was so stunning that I had to capture the memories! As the gathering time was coming soon, we had to put away our cameras and make our way back to the meeting point.
Finally arrived
Getting closer to the cliffs
Walking along the path slowly
A crow posing for photos
A small castle standing there
Lots of seabirds along the cliffs
Walking along the path by the cliffs
The weather was terrible
Having lunch with my friends
Taking photos by the cliffs
Getting ready to walk back
Baby Cliffs of Ballyreen
After getting back on the tour bus, the guide started explaining the attractions, but my English was too poor to understand, so I just stared blankly out the window. Along Ireland’s roads, I only can see vast grasslands and many sheep. Interestingly, it’s said that there are more sheep than people in Ireland.
On the way back to Galway, the bus took us to a spot near Burren National Park called the Baby Cliffs of Ballyreen. The scenery here was nice, but compared to the Cliffs of Moher, it was just decent, so we only stayed briefly before leaving.
English too poor, couldn’t understand
Taking photos on the road
Galway Downtown
The last stop of the tour was Galway downtown. Since it was December when we arrived, the streets were full of Christmas vibes. People are taking Christmas decorations very seriously, creating a festive atmosphere.
This was my first time visiting a Christmas market, there are selling Christmas decorations, clothing, and some food. One stall selling grilled sausages caught my eye, so I bought one. The sausage was grilled on a big circle grill, placed in the middle of a bun, and topped with ketchup, mustard, and raw onions, to become a super delicious BBQ hot dog.
Full of Christmas vibes
The white-haired old man blended in perfectly
Entrance to the Christmas market
Christmas Market
A big circle grill full of sausages
Cute Christmas tree decorations
Back to Dublin
After finishing up exploring the Christmas market and downtown, we headed back to the tour bus, but we got lost! Thankfully, with the help of some locals and police, we found the bus and back to Dublin.
This trip to Galway was my first time to travel to another city in Ireland, and also my first time joining a western style tour group. Although the weather wasn’t great throughout the trip and I couldn’t understand the English guide, having friends along made it easy to adapt to this way of traveling and opened up a unique experience for me.
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