Cliffs of Moher: "That's Inconceivable"

July 30 & 31, 2013

When traveling along the coast of the Republic of Ireland many things become routine like the rain, sheep, and pubs. In each place we visit we look for something that makes it unique. One thing that breaks up the repetition in my writing about Ireland is the dramatic beauty nature offers.

Dingle Harbor

                         

Ross & Fungi

Dingle is a small fishing town with more pubs than there are people we were told. There is even a pub inside the local hardware store and it opens at 9:00am. The towns main attraction lives in Dingle Bay; Fungi the dolphin, who has been the local mascot since 1984. They have boat tours with a money back guarantee if riders do not see him. There also is a statue in his honor in the middle of town. NatGeo Traveler named Dingle the worlds most beautiful place on earth a few years ago. That was no surprise to us after visiting Slea Head; which is the most westerly point in all of Ireland. It is also were we camped for the night over looking the Atlantic Ocean and the Blasket Islands.

Slea Head

The rain has been relentless but I find it to be rather cleansing. Once we arrived in Doolin we searched for a place to bath. After a few failed attempts we got lucky when we asked the receptionist at a B&B if we could pay to shower. It costs us 3 Euros each to bath even though there was no hot water; but cold showers don't bother us anymore.

We then drove to the Cliff of Moher, aka “The Cliffs of Insanity.”Avoiding the pay parking lot at the cliffs we drove past it searching for a free place to park. We winded along the narrow road that eventually brought us to Moher Hill, home to a farming community and a stone mine. This was defiantly the road less traveled but we were successful in avoiding the charge at the tourist parking lot. After about a 5 minute walk through a cow pasture we were standing at the edge of the cliffs in front of the remains of an old lighthouse.

Big cow on Moher Hill

Picking clovers in front of the lighthouse

I had been quiet all day for no apparent reason. I was staring at the iconic view of the Cliffs of Moher and there was no one else around. The wind was blowing and it was sprinkling. As soon as we sat on the bog grass with our legs dangling off the cliffs tears began to stream down my face.

 I guess I am home sick, or a little depressed. How could someone living the dream like I am be upset about anything? I know it sounds silly but I am struggling with how fleeting moments are in life. One second your high on life, living in the moment and then in a flash it is gone. It is not healthy that I only feel happy or content when life is one exciting or worrisome moment after another. Why can't I just be happy doing nothing?

 Ross's personality is so consistent, he does not express the highs and lows of his emotions. He says he has them but he can quickly rationalize the moment and instantly he is content. How have I become bored with our routine? The thought alone makes me even more upset because we are living life with very little to worry about and we have the freedom to do anything we want each day. As weird as it sounds, I think I miss being stressed. I am so use to worrying about everything that when life limits the things I should worry about I feel lost. Ross explains to me that he puts little value in worrying because the older you get the more you realize that when you look back on these moments you will wish you didn't waste it worrying. Enjoying each moment is really the only thing that matters.

After drying up my unnecessary tears we headed back to Doolin for a drink. We asked the bartender what her favorite whiskey was, she recommended Crested Tin, so we ordered two. Clinking our glasses together we drank to being together on this amazing journey and to the highs and lows we will experience throughout life as husband and wife. As we drank the pub became crowded. People were rushing in to hear the rhythmic Irish music created by two violins, a banjo, and a pair of spoons.