Roads with Grass in the Middle 2!

The beginning of April was a great time here in Limerick because the sun was shining and my family was reunited. I'll admit my residence room became a bit squishy with four people, so to avoid spending our time cramped in a small room we ventured into the Irish countryside to visit a few attractions.

One day we took a trip to the Flying Boat Museum in Foynes, a small town on the south side of the Shannon Estuary. According to the museum, Foynes was "the centre of the aviation world from 1937-1945" because it was the departure port for trans-Atlantic flights by massive-bodied flying boats. These airplanes, which landed on water, were the first passenger aircraft to cross the Atlantic ocean. These planes reached their prime during World War II as several important people flew to neutral Ireland. These people including John F Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ernest Hemmingway, Prime Ministers from all over the world, and Royalty from Saudi Arabia, Holland, Greece and Norway. During World War II, aircraft technology improved so drastically that afterwards there was no demand for the flying boat service.

 

A Boeing 314, the "quintessential" Pan Am flying boat

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Interestingly, Irish Coffee was also invented at Foynes. The story goes that late one night a flying boat destined for Newfoundland was forced to return to Foynes due to poor weather conditions. The exhausted passengers were brought to the terminal's restaurant where Chef Joe Sheridan was asked to supply them coffee. Thinking they needed a bit more than coffee, Joe added some whiskey to the mix. One of the passengers praised the coffee and asked if it was Brazilian, to which Joe replied "No, that is Irish Coffee!"

The next day my family made a trip to Cliffs of Moher. I had visited the Cliffs last autumn and was surprised to find that several changes have be made since that time. Now the barrier walls are reinforced to discourage people stepping too close to the edge, plus an entire new path stretches to the North for more great views of the Cliffs.

After the Cliffs our journey became a bit navigationally challenged . . . and of course that had nothing to do with my possession of the map. We made a last minute decision to drive up along the coast to an area known as the Burren. The Burren is composed of exposed limestone rock, giving it a very extraterrestrial look. I was really surprised by the extent of the rock, it's all you can see for long distances and is incredibly beautiful in a barren sort of way.

I had the clever idea to cut down our travel time by catching a "minor road" (as labeled by my map) from the coast back to the main highway. The amount of time it took us to find the entrance to the road should have been a sign, but we eventually ended up on some kind of road which had us winding higher and higher over a towering hill. Our height gave us lovely views of the coast.

Very soon we began to see grass in the middle of the road, which sent us females in the car into a fit of giggles. My father was very quick to voice his doubts, and in true Canadian fashion he declared that we were on a logging road. I personally did not think logging roads existed in Ireland, but was proven wrong when my father hit the brakes as we passed this sight:

Despite all of this the road continued and at one point we even saw another car. Eventually we began to see houses and victoriously came out to the main highway. Of course I knew what I was doing the whole time. My family has no faith in me.

Last stop of the day was at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, located just outside Limerick city. This tower house was built in 1425 and extensively restored in 1945. The folk park is a huge 26 acres which depicts life in the 19th century. There is a weaver's workshop, schoolhouse, several farmhouses, and a recreated main street with operating shops. There are several animals cared for in the park including pigs, red deer, horses, sheep, chickens and Irish wolf hounds.  I did not realize that such a gem was located so close to Limerick. The whole place is a great craic to visit!

The main street with gift shops and a pub.

Sleepy Irish Wolf Hounds, standing up they are taller than my waist.

I swear Ireland loves me!

Sitting outside Bunratty Castle is the famous pub Durty Nelly's, which has been copied all over the world. We had a wonderful streak of good fortune when we stopped at the pub for supper. It turned out that a couple days before our arrival three juvenile dolphins had swam up the Shannon Estuary and taken residence near Durty Nelly's. The dolphins drew a large group of spectators, including myself as I had never seen a live dolphin before. I almost could not believe it when I snapped this picture of one showing off for the crowd.

 

Well that is all that I have to share about my adventures with my parents. At the end of that week my parents boarded a plane to return to snowy Canada. It was a wonderful visit and a great chance for me to see more of Ireland. I am a lucky girl!

 

In other news, it is my birthday today! So wherever you may be in the world, please celebrate on my behalf by having a pint.

 

Shannon