Fall Break - Day 2 - Cliffs of Moher

Our first full day in Ireland we took a 12 hour day trip to the west coast. Our day started extremely early, since we had to walk about a mile to the bus pick-up location a few blocks south of the River Liffey. It was still dark when the bus picked us up and took us to our first stop in Limerick.

I usually delete all of the pictures I attempt to take on busses and trains. However, this one turned out kinda cool. As the sun was rising, we could see the cloud cover still hovering in the hills. 

In Limerick we walked around outside King John's Castle, built at the end of the 12th century, and across the Shannon river to stretch our legs, then on to the coast we went. 

Our bus let off at the Cliffs of Moher and allowed us a couple hours to explore. The entire way to the coast our driver had been setting us up for the typical overcast, unpredictable Irish weather. But while we stood on the Cliffs, all the clouds disappeared. We had perfect weather. 

Braeden, Kelsey, and I 

I loved the cloud reflection 

After seeing the cliffs and eating lunch, we made another stop at Burren national park. 

Only on our way back did we see some rain. 

And of course it was followed by a beautiful Irish rainbow! 

Fall Break - Day 1 - Travel

For our week of Fall break, Kelsey, Braeden and I went to Ireland and Berlin. We began our journey Friday morning. About 9:30 we got on a train from Euston to Holyhead Wales, then took a ferry across the Irish sea to Dublin.

About to board the ferry. Let me tell you, we definitely picked the best way to travel. It took the better part of a day, but I loved every minute of our journey. The ferry was more like a cruise ship, and who doesn't love trains? 

We happened to sit down next to a folk band on the way to a festival. We had free entertainment the whole ride. 

Rain clouds. Pulling into Dublin. 

It was bitterly cold on the deck because of the wind, but it sure was pretty. 

We arrived at Dublin port around 5pm and took a taxi to our hostel. It was a tiny little place, but it was clean, and very centralized - 2 blocks away from the Spire. 

A Day in Dover

6 October

About 6:30 Saturday morning, Jimmy, Jacie, Caitrin, Lia, Braeden, Kelsey and I trouped out of the house to catch a train to Dover to spend the day. 

Dover is a city on the south eastern cost, the closest point to France. It's been an important stronghold and port since ancient times. During WWII, Dover was the "front line" of England, if there was to be an maritime attack and it orchestrated the miraculous evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk in 1940. It's also known for its stunning white cliffs, which are said to have given England its ancient name of "Albion," meaning white. 

We arrived in Dover about 9:40 and took a taxi to the Castle and war tunnels, which are included in the same ticket. 

We went straight to the tunnels, since you could only see them on guided tours every 45 minutes. The network of tunnels dates back to the Napoleonic wars and was used until the cold war. There are three levels of tunnels that are miles long, but only two levels are open to the public and only on guided tours. The first level was military headquarters and it's exhibit is mainly devoted to Dunkirk or Operation Dynamo. I thought it was excellent. 

The second tunnel tour was of the WWII underground hospital that took care of men who'd just returned from Europe. I liked it, but in my opinion it wasn't as interesting as the first. 

After the tunnels and the WWII monuments, we found some lunch and headed inland to the castle. 

On the way we visited the 13th century chapel, and the adjacent Roman lighthouse. They are unsure of the dating, but the Romans invaded in 43AD. So dating is estimated around that time.  

We then proceeded to take copious amounts of pictures, because the day was so gorgeous. 

zoomed in - the shores of Calais, France

I've apologized to Caitrin for eclipsing her face. 

Pointing to France! Caitrin and I met the first day of Freshman year in French 301. 

The port

Jimmy, Braeden, and Kelsey

And on we went to the castle...

Outside the walls, there was a demonstration of birds of prey (a favorite pet of medieval aristocracy). 

The castle itself had many foundations, destructions, and rebuilds.  The best estimate of the castle's beginnings is around 1160AD, built by Henry II, though William the Conquerer had set up a rudimentary Norman castle there after the 1066 Battle of Hastings.  

Some of the rooms of the castle were furnished, and there were staff available for questions. Some thought it was cheesy, but I thought it was pretty neat. 

They had real fires burning in most of the halls, so it felt much cozier than castles usually do. 

There were costumes to try on... 

passages to explore...

and towers to climb. 

A little after 1:00 we had our taxi driver from the morning pick us up at the castle and take us to the famous white cliffs. We requested to be dropped a couple miles down from the end of the cliffs near a lighthouse with a tearoom inside. 

We took our tea out to a picnic table on the cliffs. 

My teapot had poppies. My favorite. 

Sun in the eyes. 

Such a cute little tearoom. 

Lia needed a nap. 

Then we spent the afternoon walking along the White Cliffs of Dover.

The group's shadow on the cliffs. 

After the sun set, we found our way back to the city center, ate a delicious dinner at a pub, and returned to London on an evening train. 

Dover had it all: history, adventure, and stunning scenery. We couldn't have had a more beautiful day or better luck getting around. All in all, it was a rather perfect day.