Searching my camera roll for blog content, I realize I missed discussing some aspects of my Ireland vacation in April.

Probably one of Ireland’s biggest tourist attractions, The Cliffs of Moher, was one of the destinations we knew we had to visit while staying in Galway. We lucked out and had the perfect weather for enduring the winds at the top of the cliffs. It was a sunny and clear day, only a bit chilly, with the typical Irish cloud cover and rain nowhere to be found.

These famous cliffs are breathtaking to see in real life, green fields ending abruptly in jagged, rocky cliff faces that plummet straight into the Atlantic Ocean. We explored the visitor center; meandered along the paths next to the cliffs; climbed the many stairs; and posed for photos in front of the barricades, the cliffs and ocean behind us. Unfortunately, because this is such a commercialized tourist attraction, the paths beside the cliffs were crawling with people. On this particular day there was a huge group of French teenagers somewhat interrupting any communing with nature we might have attempted. But that’s how it goes at a tourist trap.

One of the most exciting things about the cliffs was not the cliffs themselves — although they were certainly a sight of natural beauty — it was the drive there. As I wrote in my last Ireland-related blog, the roads in the countryside can be quite harrowing. Combining extreme narrowness and winding-ness with driving on the opposite side of the road makes just going for a drive an adrenaline-pumping experience. In the case of driving to the cliffs, the route was not only narrow and winding, it was also at an incline as we wound our way essentially up a mountain.

My sister and I took some videos of the views out the window on the drive, and they’re peppered with our screams as a bus comes barreling downhill towards us, jutting out over the road’s center line. I cannot even imagine how scared I would be as a passenger on one of those tourist buses. Being under the stewardship of our dad in a compact European rental vehicle was frightening enough. But the difficult route added to the experience, and at the end of the day we were safely shepherded up and down the mountain, so shout out to my father for that!

Another highlight of The Cliffs of Moher was the gift shop because I am an American consumerist at heart. I got souvenirs and gifts for a few friends and a very cute magnet for my fridge featuring the iconic puffins that nest there (which I unfortunately was not in the right season to see).

You always have to do at least a few extremely touristy activities when visiting a new destination, so I’m glad that I checked this one off the list and had a pretty good time doing it.

— Hannah Gruen, advertising & events coordinator