Ireland 2016: County Clare Part 2 (Cliffs of Moher, Inis Oirr)

Hello! It's been a while.

I'm pretty sad that we finally got to the final post of my Europe 2016 series. I've said it multiple times that it was the best holiday I've been on ever, beating my Korea trips by miles. I never thought I'd be able to go to Europe in my wildest dreams, but I was able to do that and experience it with the family I've been missing for years. It only makes me more excited for the trips to come!

I end this with the last two sites I visited during my last full week. This was done in between long days of bonding sessions with my cousins, with activities that ranged from badminton (with wind, a challenge indeed), cooking lessons, eating, jump rope, exploring forests, eating, watching movies, learning dances, going through 13 year old videos of ourselves, and yup, more eating. It was a chill week but when we had to walk or bike, it was intense. More below!

If you missed it (or if you're feeling a little nostalgic and want a recap like me), here are the other posts in the series:

• Bray, Ireland
• London, England (Part 1 and 2)
• County Clare (Part 1: Lahinch and Bunratty Castle)
• Dublin, Ireland
• Northern Ireland

This is the view from the room I stayed in in my aunt's house. Isn't it beautiful? I always took a minute or two to look out the window because where else am I ever going to get a view like this? It was one of the things that grounded me, making me realize I was in a completely different place but at the same time, so at home with the family I've missed for years. I have this as my laptop background now, because it does give me a bit of peace.

If there is one place to visit in Ireland, it would be the Cliffs of Moher. You'd have to time it on a perfectly sunny day (no Irish weather!) to get the full experience, because it was beautiful. Honestly it looks like something out of How to Train Your Dragon, which was one of the movies we watched during one of our movie nights. We walked the trail from start to finish, and it was well worth it. 

Cow! Not that there aren't any cows in the Philippines, but there aren't any of these black and white ones that I used to always draw as a kid.

My non-creative pose at this spot. I definitely need to start thinking of poses for future trips!

The trail was such a sight for sore eyes. It was just my cousins and I this time around (my aunt was waiting at the end with lunch, yay!) so we spent some time taking pictures and racing at certain points. This only reminded me how I really need to get into shape again!

The cliffs! Honestly, this picture does it no justice. It was just one of those sites that you have to see for yourself. I sent this picture along with several others to some of my friends overseas (Hi Ena, Kate, and Peb!). I hope the pictures didn't get lost in the mail. -_-

We even saw a whale coming up for air below!

Props to my cousin Francis for this picture! There is hope for photography in my family yet.

Some pictures of me are just unfortunate (darn the wind!), but that is all part of travelling, I suppose!

This is O'Brien's Tower, which marks the highest point of the Cliffs. We skipped that bit because it was the most crowded part, and we were too hungry!

Our last Ireland adventure was a visit to the Aran Islands. We were originally going to the largest island however, we missed our boat. Fortunately, we got a chance to go to one of the smaller islands and ride bikes from there. Unlike other days, the weather wasn't too great, but that definitely didn't stop us!

We ended up in Inis Oirr or Inisheer, which was beautiful! We biked most of the island within a span of two and a half hours (including breaks) which is something I highly recommend doing! It also reminded me (again) how I need to get back into shape for the next biking adventure. I will bike up those inclines, wait and see!

These are the beautiful stone wall fences which can be found all around the island. I saw this in one of the paintings my aunt bought and was so excited to see it with my own eyes! A tip though - don't run into one of these walls with your bike like I did. Be careful!

This is The Plassey, which is a shipwreck from the 1960s. The adults were snickering as we went around it, saying, "Did the captain miss the shore?". 

The lighthouse at one end of the island. I wanted to go up but it was closed from the public, much to my dismay. Its so beautiful though - looks like it came straight out of a movie, as most of the scenery in Europe does. 

I'm honestly quite chuffed with this shot, though I wish the sun was out on this day. It would have made a lovely picture to send!

And that's it for my Europe 2016 series! I hope you enjoyed these posts as I did experiencing and creating them. Easy to say - I need to visit more of Europe soon! Any recommendations?