Today was a very long, but spectacular day! We left Cork this morning so we had to be packed and ready to go by 8:30. We took an hour and a half bus ride to Killarney National Park and a very short hike to Torc Waterfall. We took a few more stairs up to see an opening in the forest after we were at waterfall for a bit. There was a path farther up, but we couldn’t be there that long so everyone left. Stuart, Ryan, and I ran up a little farther to see if we could see anything, but the trail just kept going up and up so we had to turn around and go back to the bus. We drove a little farther before going to Ross Castle. We got to explore the area for 20 minutes before our boat ride to this island. The view was incredible! The fog was starting to clear at this point and showed amazing mountains. Once on this island we were given 30 minutes to check out whatever we wanted. Naturally half of us bypassed the ruins and ran straight for this path around the side of the island. We were able to climb down to the point of the island. We only had a little bit of time left so we ran back, checked out the ruins real quick, and moved on to this small beach made out of rocks. After a little more looking around, we headed back to the mainland by the same small dingy to get back on the bus. From there we had a very fancy group lunch at the one and only McDonald’s. There were 3 more hours of our trip left so we wanted to get back on the road. The trip consisted mostly of short naps and some dramatic stares out the window in between. There is no grocery store in Doolin so we had to stop in the town next to it. We hopped back on the bus after we cleared the shelves and had a short 15-20 minute drive. The cottages we are staying at are so cute! It was not what I had pictured when I heard where we are staying, but they are very nice. Like extremely nice. They are stocked a lot better than our previous apartments and much homier. It helps that they are set up just like mini houses.

We got settled in and picked our rooms before I realized how hungry I was. Tatum made chicken parmesan for the 5 of us tonight, which was delicious (Thanks you the bomb)! After dinner we had a late evening stroll to check out the Cliffs of Mohr Walking Trail. I was in shock! It was indescribable and we didn’t even get as far as the famous Cliffs of Mohr site that everyone visits (We’ll do that as a group trip in a couple days). I am so excited that this is just a short walk from where we are staying. I can’t wait to explore more of the paths and walk along the beautiful cliffs. I felt like a National Geographic photographer with scenes like that. The only way I could describe the view was something you’d see in a magazine. It was unreal! We got caught in a sudden downpour and were soaked instantly all the way through. However, when we were wondering if we should start making our way back, the sun came out and the rain slowed and out came a rainbow!  Rainbows are pretty cool in general, but when you see one in Ireland while standing on the Cliffs of Mohr you really start to wonder if leprechauns are real and if there will be a pot of gold at the end of it. I can’t tell you what kind of experience it was. With our spirits instantly lifted, we continued on our route, discovering more of this amazing place we get to call home for the next few days.
We probably could’ve gone on forever, but when the clouds grew dark again and we could see the rain coming over the water, we decided to turn around and start heading back. Because we are in Ireland and the sun doesn’t set until 10pm, we didn’t realize it was already 9:30 at that point. As we got off the trail the rain had started and by the time we were back at our cottages it was pouring! If our clothes had dried at all in that period they weren’t dry now. I was thrilled when I could finally take a nice warm shower and we all grabbed a snack and settled in for our nightly movie. The forecast isn’t looking too good for our next few days here, but I’m hoping the rain will at least hold off a bit like it did earlier today. I am so excited to take my camera back out there and see what we’ll come across next! We will see!!