Dublin, Ireland Vacation – Day 3
May 11, 2009 | Photography, Travel Photography
Day 3 of our Ireland trip included a day tour of Limerick, Bunratty Castle, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Galway Bay and taking a train back from Galway to Dublin. oh yeah, and lots of rain!
Kristen and I had to get a taxi to get over to the other side of Dublin, because we needed to make our 7am train on time. Yes we had to wake up early on vacation! There, we met up with the rest of the tour group and had to take a 2+ hour train ride to Limerick Junction, and there take a small commuter train to Limerick. Once we got to Limerick, we would get on a bus and see the west coast of Ireland for the day. This was the day we wanted it to be beautiful out and it was the opposite. It probably rained the most this time. Ireland’s weather is so unpredictable, you just never know what you’re going to get.
As we drove through Limerick (meh), we made our way to Bunratty Castle. The outside of the castle looked cool, and the inside was interesting. The steps inside are so steep I felt like I was walking diagonal. How the hell people fight on stairs? I learned I was the only left handed person in the group, and back in those times I was important. I guess right handed people would be hitting the stone walls when fighting on stairs. Anyway, we spent time around the castle, and seeing the views from the top. Then there was a folk park village surrounding the castle, which was okay. It just started to rain again as we left the castle, and it didn’t stop until after we left the Cliffs of Moher.
But before the Cliffs, we ate at a pub in a small small village called Doolin, which was by the Cliffs of Moher. I had bangers and mash since it was the cheapest thing on the menu. It was from the children’s menu. After seeing the 3 shops in that village, it was time to go brave the rain and walk up to the Cliffs of Moher. I brought an umbrella but it wasn’t going to do any good. It turned inside out in a matter of 5 seconds. It was so windy and rainy at this point, that if you didn’t bring one of those rain jackets or ponchos, you were going to damp all day…which ended up being Kristen and I. Our backs, backlegs and shoes were so wet, it felt like we jumped into the Atlantic ocean. I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like this before, but it was a really fun time up on the cliffs. Even though it sucks taking pictures, and we got soaked; I had a blast. I was laughing all the way up. Most of the tour didn’t last long up on the cliffs, but I wanted to try to get some shots. I had a baggie over my camera, and tissues in my pocket. Everytime I took a picture, I’d get rain droplets on the lens. So I had to clean that off every 2 or 3 pictures. As we were walking down the cliffs, the fog and rain started to go away. That’s when I got the best photos from up there. And go figure, the fog and rain was gone completely as we drove away. I guess the Cliffs of Moher will have to be something I experience when I return to Ireland.
Another thing I want to experience more will be the Burren. We drove those this rocky terrain, and it was awesome for photographers. We only had 10 minutes to look around and take pictures. I sprinted out as far away as the group as I can. I hate big tour groups, but its the easiest and cheapest things to do when you’re on a budget and want to see more of the countryside. After taking pictures of The Burren, we ended up driving up along the Galway Bay and it was excellent. Thankfully we had the right hand side (left side) of the bus and got to see a lot of the views. The left hand side of bus had the best views for both day trips we went on. We stopped again for a short time to take some pictures at Galway bay but wish we had a chance to stop 50 times before the time we did. It’s like photography blue balls when traveling on a bus sometimes.
After that, we took a quiet drive up to Galway and I didn’t get a chance to see Galway which was a shame. I’ll have to stay there next time. We had to make our train so we couldn’t see the city at all. It was a long day but it was definitely worth the money and time.
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Tags: bunratty castle, cliffs of moher, county clare, county galway, Dublin, Eire, galway bay, Ireland, ireland vacation, nikon d300, Photography, rain, rainy ireland, the burren
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