Accomplishment of the day: Mastering a hot shower. Electricity is horribly expensive in Ireland (all of the world?), so there is a switch on EVERYTHING! There is a hot water switch outside the bathroom which turns on the hot water for the bath or sink (but apparently not both at once). There are also switches on every outlet, which help to prevent that slow drain of electricity. Amazing! Why don’t we have that in the U.S.?!?!
So, other than a hot shower, the first thing on the agenda my first weekend in Ireland was to hit the tourist office of Limerick to figure out what I needed to see (in Limerick and in the rest of Ireland). After snagging a couple dozen brochures, I headed into the city center and walked around, popping in and out of the shops. Mostly, I was looking for a place to get a good cup of coffee. Ok, for those of you who know me, I really just wanted a latte. After little searching, I found one on a street lined with cafes.
On Saturday night, a work colleague and his wife offered to cook me dinner and show me around Ennis. Ennis was this very quaint little town (or at least what I saw of it), and it was THE place to be for the younger crowd since it’s one of the larger towns in the area. We stopped in a couple of pubs, both with live music. And… they introduced me to my first Guinness! Definitely like it, but it’s not something I’ll drink regularly – I’m more of a cider girl! The second pub we stopped at was my favorite (despite the riduculously drunk man, who’s Irish accent was so thick we couldn’t understand him and his overwhelming smell of piss). A group of people were gathered around a table in front, playing violins, a flute, and singing. Throughout the rest of the evening, they switched off playing and a few people from the crowd tagged in and played an instrument or sang. It was all traditional Irish music and definitely a great start to my stay in Ireland!
The next day, we drove up the coast to the Cliffs of Moher. On the way in, we stopped for lunch at Kenny’s Bar in Lahinch. Great fresh cod! Afterwards, continued on to stop at the Cliffs of Moher, but the clouds were too thick to see more than 300 feet (I probably should convert that to meters) in front of you. Continued the drive into The Burren – an area is scattered with grey rock and rich, colorful plants which grows right out the sides of some of the rock.
Even on the trek back, the cloud over the Cliffs hadn’t lifted. Hopefully, I’ll find another clear day in the next three months to experience what everyone tells me is an awesome view. If not, I guess I’ll just have to stay longer.