Ireland Part Three: Limerick!

And now for the last post of this three part journey, our final destination: Limerick. Early Wednesday morning, Sarah and I traveled to Limerick, Ireland. The bus left us a little outside the city center and it took us a little while to get to the tourist office to ask where our hotel was. Yes, you read that right. In this third and final town, we stayed in a hotel! Honestly, we stayed there because there were no hostels in the area. But it was so nice to be able to have our own room and bathroom.

I'm tiny in comparison to King John's Castle

That morning we started by walking to St. Mary's Cathedral. It was actually a tad disappointing because it is currently under renovations. It was still beautiful but I can only imagine how it'll look when they are done! From there, we headed to King John's Castle. You might be familiar with this guy too. He was the villain in the wonderful Robin Hood stories! However, this castle portrays him in a more favorable light. I loved visiting this castle. The museum was interactive, it told the history of the castle and of the terrible siege that took place there in 1642. If you ever visit Limerick, I highly recommend it! Sarah and I spent around two hours there before making our way across town to a local art gallery. Their exhibit featured pieces of wood and I didn't quite understand it. But the gallery was very lovely all the same.

The next day was a day that Sarah had been looking forward to the whole trip (I was looking forward to it too but it was number one on Sarah's list of things to do). We were taking a tour to Bunratty Castle and the Cliffs of Moher. Our trip was actually booked with a tour guide company and we were apparently supposed to hitch a city bus to our tour bus. This was a surprise to us and the ladies at the tourist office who helped us book the trip. As a result, we missed the bus. Luckily, the ladies in the tourist office were incredible and they took care of us. An hour later, we were on the bus and ready to go!

A medieval bedroom

They used to use turtle
shells as pots!

Bunratty Castle was the first stop on our tour. This castle is "the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland."And it was truly amazing! They had the rooms decorated like they would have been when people lived there. Again, I was impressed by the inhabitants of the castle and all the history that took place right where I was standing.

Part of the castle grounds include a 19th century village. Sarah and I had a blast walking around and seeing the animals. They had ponies, donkeys, and pigs. There were actually some others, but those were my favorites. The village also included some houses that reminded me of Pride and Prejudice. All it needed was Colin Firth and I could have been on the movie set!

Our next stop was the one we'd been waiting for: the Cliffs of Moher, aka the Cliffs of Insanity (Princess Bride, anyone?). Words cannot properly express the cliffs. They were breath-taking, gorgeous, extraordinary, etc. Honestly, it was probably the most beautiful place I've ever been.

We started our third day out with a traditional Irish breakfast. Exceptionally delicious, but I definitely miss pancakes and french toast. Sarah and I decided to divide and conquer that day. Sarah wanted to visit a small, neighboring town and I wanted to visit a couple museums. So we parted ways and I made my way over to the Hunt museum. This museum holds pieces of art by Renoir and Picasso, weapons and tools from the Celtic time period, a cross worn by Mary Queen of Scotts, and a coin that was possibly one of the thirty pieces of silver given Judas to betray Jesus. I also visited the Limerick Museum that day. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a man who was there to figure of the time period of some very old pictures he had. The beginning of the museum consisted entirely of old photographs and he was comparing his photos to the ones on display.

That night Sarah and I left Limerick for Dublin. We had a 6am flight the next morning so we stayed in the airport that night. Thankfully I can sleep practically anywhere. The next morning we said goodbye for now to Ireland and headed back to France and our own beds.