June 27: Doolin/The Cliffs of Moher

A lot of our trip is planned down to 30 minute increments, with tickets already purchased and restaurants already booked. Some events sell out months in advance, and I hate the feeling of showing up somewhere and being shut out of something we would have loved (and traveled across the earth to see!). But I think/hope that my accumulating experience planning trips for my family has given me a good sense of pacing, and I am SO glad I didn't book anything for today. Last night I knew we just needed to let the kids rest; while on one hand it's sad to miss out on something you want to see, we've also pushed through things when we're too tired, and we don't even enjoy them. So I told the kids they could sleep in this morning, and we would skip the 9:00-5:00 all-day trip to the Aran Islands. We had been excited to see them, but we have now already seen many of the features that people go there to see, and even if we hadn't, I knew we would need a rest before the schedule picks back up in England.

So we slept, and when I woke up I took my laptop out to the sunny family room and worked on the blog; soon Erik joined me and took a work call outside. The kids roused at 10:00 am and we all donned our workout gear for CrossFit with Coach Erik. We moved all the tables and chairs out of the way and burpeed our guts out!! It was more fun for some than others (Stone CRUSHED it) but everyone stuck with it. 

Then to the Doolin pier to catch a ferry to the bottom of the Cliffs of Moher - filming site of the scary cave in Harry Potter 6 and the Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride! This is what we came to Doolin for, and they did not disappoint! The boat ride was lovely - the water calm and the sun bright and beautiful. We keep hearing Irish people say this is the best summer in forty years. We can't believe it - it was 60 degrees and rainy the week before we left, and our suitcases are full of unworn sweaters and rain jackets. So lucky!! 

Next, to a lovely lunch at an adorable yellow cafe, where we found fresh salads and the now-familiar, deliciously hearty Irish brown bread. And then, since it was only 2:30 and we were this close, I asked Erik to drop me off with whoever wanted to come at the top of the Cliffs of Moher for a short hike. Everyone else was too scared of heights (they are mind-bendingly high and there is no guardrail. People do die sometimes, though admittedly they are usually drunk or it is very sad circumstances), but Stone came with me! We held hands and promised each other that we would always remember our Mommy-Son day at the Cliffs of Moher.

And now we are all back at the cottage; Erik is still working (it's been a very stressful, very busy few days), and I made all the kids read, write in their journals, and do Math worksheets. There is no tv in the house and I confiscated all their phones so we can really rest and detox. I told them 10 minutes ago that we were going to play Scrabble in 15 minutes, so I'm going to post photos and then sign off. And hooray! I caught up!! Tomorrow we head to more abbey ruins, then Bunratty Folk Park, and then a super special surprise which I hope lives up to our expectations. I have almost blown the surprise for the kids many many times because I am so excited, but I kept it secret!!! I'll post about it later!

P.S. After writing this, we played speed Scrabble for awhile and then Erik and I walked down the street to McDermotts Pub for traditional music. It was so amazing, I texted the kids to put their clothes back on and run down to hear at least a few songs. They had a fiddler, a bagpiper and an instrument that looked like a mandolin and it was the most beautiful heart-exploding music. I will treasure that forever.

Exercising in the cottage

We are hilarious. Plus look what a cute little Irish house!

The Cliffs of Moher from below

Multiple family members are very afraid of heights so the boat was their preferred way to see the cliffs

Amazing rock with 10,000 birds nesting in the crevices

Gorgeous cliffs

My loves

This place has the cutest cafes and restaurants!

Stone was the lone brave one who accompanied me on the top of the cliff. Look at the tiny little human ants on the trail in the background to get a sense of how high the cliffs really are.

Rick Steves says "The Irish don't believe in guardrails, just natural selection."

And of course castles everywhere we go

Lucy has been missing dance so she did some Ballet exercises using a chair as a barre.

We love speed Scrabble!

During Tristan's college days he stayed in this hostel, just a few houses away from ours!

I wanted one more chance to hear traditional music in a pub, so I recruited Erik to walk down the street to McDermott's Pub when the kids were getting ready for bed. The music was so good, I texted them "Get out of bed and throw on a sweatshirt and run down the street right now! You cannot miss this!!" They were tired but they trusted me, and were so glad they did. We only stayed for a little while but we heard that the bagpiper, Blackie O'Connell, was famous in the area. He was amazing.

Sunset on the walk home at 10:45