Ireland - Day 7 - June 11, 2013

After what was probably the most restful night we had we are off again.  We spent the night at the Ashville House Guesthouse (B&B).  The couple that owns it was quite charming and gracious hosts.

The agenda for today included a visit to the Killarney National Park, the Muckross House, the Cliffs of Moher, and a ride through Burren National Park on our way to Galway where we are staying at the National University of Ireland (NUIG).

The first point of view for us was the Torc Waterfall in the KNP.  I could not get over how lush and green the forest was.  Moss on the trees and rocks, wild ferns growing everywhere and beautiful flowers.  Just standing for a few moments makes one really appreciate how the great work God has done in nature.

One of the funnest parts of our trip was walking through the working farm of the Muckross House.  The Muckross estate is a living history reenactment of life in 1930s Ireland. Several students on our trip obviously had not been on a farm and seen some of the things that go on on a farm with the animals and such.  They were able to witness a cow being milked, butter being made, the sights and smells of other animals and a small petting farm.  It really was quite interesting to see the different sized farms (small, medium, large) and how they worked without electricity and the modern conveniences and technology of todays farms.  I really do think I could live a enjoyable, simple (but with hard work) life that they lived.  It is visits like this that really make me miss growing up on a farm and the lessons my children did not have the opportunity to learn.

From Killarney we made our way toward the Cliffs of Moher, with a stop in Bunratty for a very good lunch at a former creamery turned restaurant.  By the time we reached the Cliffs of Moher we had encountered more of the typical Irish weather - rain.  However, despite the drizzle, the Cliffs of Moher were breathtaking.  You are so high up that you can see for miles around and the sound and smell of the Atlantic Ocean was unbelievable.  Words just simply cannot do justice to this site.  I just stood for a while and imagined the number of people who had said goodbye to their home in Ireland to journey 3,000+ miles across the Atlantic Ocean in hopes of finding a new, better life than the life they were leaving behind.  How could one muster up that much courage to leave everything that was familiar, that was home and family, behind to go to something that was completely foreign and unknown?