The End

 So we say good bye to our friends in Ireland. Some are new friends like the boy pictured with Cristopher at lego camp.

 Sadly our only photo that contains all 3 of us. We may need to work on this tonight:-)

 We will always remember Scooby.

And our cousins in Killarney.

But before we end... We have been driving all week and I have a few observations about driving in Ireland. As you know they drive on the left (I call it the wrong side, Cristopher corrects me and says, "no Mom, it's just a different side:-) So there are 5 speed limits in Ireland as far as I can tell: 50, 60, 80, 100 and 120 KPH. 50 and 60 are reserved for towns and schools, 120 is reserved for the super highway (I think there are 2 of these) and 80 pops up occasionally (I'm not sure why). Everything else is 100. There is never any danger of speeding. If you decide to go the speed limit all the time you will likely end up in  a field because you missed a turn or in the wrong lane because you um.. missed a turn (the roads are a bit curvy).

We have enjoyed our trip and learned a little too!! I hope you enjoyed the trip reports. Until next time...

A morning gallop in Cleggan

 After a very large breakfast at the B&B I headed back to town to go horseback riding. This dog clearly owns this eating establishment. He posed for this photo:-)

 I wasn't sure if Popeye was a good name for a horse or it meant that my horse was going to be strong and run away with me. He was a little of both. This riding stable really had everything very well organized. They did a riding assessment in the ring prior to sending everyone off. The 4 beginners in our group were at the front of the line (one of them a five year old little girl whose horse was ponied off the lead guide's horse). We walked and trotted to the beach and then the walk trot group trotted down to the middle of the beach and after they were safely halted the remaining 5 led by a guide cantered down to the other group. By the end we were hand galloping down the whole length of the beach. Popeye may look a bit relaxed here but he was a speedy guy when he got moving.

 After my morning ride Cristopher and I dropped Dave off at a large steep mountain with no trails and headed to Clifton. We had a lunch in a pub and did what any good tourist does: shopped.

 We didn't buy a lot (we have no more room in our suitcases) but Crispother did like this traditional Irish whistle.

Here he is imitating a famous jazz musician. Yes, I recognize that I may regret this purchase but he is enjoying it and he may even learn how to play it.... See Dave's Facebook page for his photos of the mountain climb. We picked him up at 4 and headed home to Galway. Only one more day in Ireland:-( We will be happy to get home and see our friends and family but we all really love Ireland. It is an amazing place!!!!

Tuesday's Return to Inishboffin

 We headed up to Connemara early Tuesday morning so that we could appreciate Inishbofin as a family! We took the 11:30 ferry from Cleggan and arrived at the island around 12:30. Above is the light house that sits at the entrance to the harbor.

 Of course there was a hike involved... We walked on the right side of the island. First we followed the shore, then a sheep path, then umm I'm not sure, then some rocks. We finally navigated to the far end of the island. There were many bogs.

Please note that there is a giant orb in the sky that occasionally allows us to be warm, except for the wind. We have been so lucky on so many of our trekking days!

 Yes, that is a very large lollipop. It was a three hour hike: Yes I bribe. Cristopher is showing the heart that was displayed after an hour of licking.

 "Excuse me, if you are going to walk near my field I suggest that you at least bring me an apple core."

 Doesn't the water look warm and lovely? Dream on it is as cold as the ocean in Maine, I don't care what they say about the gulf stream, it's chilly.

Baby beefer and his friends. Ireland is filled with wonderful farm animals:-)

We returned back to Cleggan on the 5:00 boat and headed to our B&B. After a brief shower we walked back to town to the local pub for a pint and some chowda (oops forgot we are not in Maine).

Monday's trip to Cliffs of Moher

 We headed off this afternoon to the Cliffs of Moher. It was a bit windy as we went but nothing could prepare us for what we encountered when we got there. We dropped Dave in a town just short of the cliffs and he walked/flew to the cliffs. Someone reported the wind at 60 MPH. Cristopher and I were going to walk along the path and meet Dave but the winds were too strong so we made our way back to the visitor center and watched a movie of the Cliffs instead.

 We each bought a new hat to try and stay a little warmer.

 The wind blows Cristopher toward me.

 Despite the wind it was still beautiful on the Cliffs.

The cutest donkey that I have seen in Ireland!

Out for a ride

 Fifteen years ago when I visited Ireland with my friend Anne this man William Lehy took me for an exciting cross country ride over stone walls and through fields. On this Sunday morning we walked around the fields but once we returned home I trotted round and round the ring on my mount George.

 George goes like a hunt horse. Very solid and turns like a ship. I'm hoping to return to Dartfield later in the week to jump!

Our group gets organized for the big trip out. Yes, it was raining lightly and then heavily on our hack but it is Ireland after all. If you wait for the rain to stop you'll never get to do anything.

The Diamond

 We had a beautiful sunny day on Saturday and up the Diamond we went in Connemara National Park. Cristopher and I almost made it to the top but there was a super playground that we had to get back down to. We hiked half way up the red line while Dave went the rest of the way to the top.

 We pause for a Jelly bean break mid way up.

 Cristopher and I often play games on the trail. This is Alex from Mind Craft looking very fierce as she conquers the world.

 Awesome see saw at the bottom of the Diamond.

And.... The reason they call it the Diamond, it's a nice big rock.

Just your average Friday night in Galway Center

 Cristopher and I got new sneaks. There will be no missing us as we walk down the road, these shoes are bright!!

 Dave looks truly Irish in a tweed cap. I am still trying to convince him to buy one.

 This man walks on a tight rope and plays the violin. You've got to do something out of the ordinary in order to stand out in the crowd.

 Songs by the side of the traffic free road. The down town zone is blocked for a no car experience.

 Yes, a marionette show.

 Another singing group.

This violin/cello group is having a hard time finding a place to set up. It is challenging to get far enough away from the other musical groups so that you can be heard. There is a definite artful etiquette to this whole process.

We had our last evening with the class group at a pub down town. Cristopher is very popular among the teachers. We had an early day and ended class at noon after our final group presentations. The organizers had loads of compliments for our group and they were very impressed with the work we did as a class. We really bonded and I will miss seeing them around town over the next few days. Some other class members are planning additional travel around Europe but the majority of the group is flying out tomorrow. Our family is starting vacation. We are planning a hike in Connemara tomorrow up the Diamond trail.

Prairie Home Companion meets Lawrence Welk

 Class as usual during the day, well kind of like usual. We had the opportunity to see a performance by traditional Irish dancers with traditional Irish instruments. That evening we walked to town and I had the best Indian food! It was some kind of potato dish with a side of spicy lentils (yay). And then the decision whether to go to the 9:00 PM evening performance. Normally in the U.S I would have skipped it, but we are in Ireland so I went.

Dave had the opportunity to join me but as he put it "I hate Irish music":-) They were brilliant musicians. First a fiddle player that has performed in Carnegie hall, her sister played a variety of percussion instruments (in my opinion she was the one to watch). They mixed up the show with Irish step dancing. The whole shebang looked like a performance from a Prairie Home Companion but then out came Barry as one of my classmates called him. He sang two Irish Ballards with piano and if Lawrence Welk was still around he would have snatched this guy up.

Our school group lowered the average age in the audience to about 70. The young dancers pictured above performed traditional Irish step dances. The two boys on the end are 13.

Wednesday's field trip to Flaggy shore and many, many monasteries

 Cristopher uses his new soccer ball.

Our fist stop was Coole Park. This is where Yates wrote many poems during the summer months at the home of his benefactor. The scone on the left is one of the reasons that I will return with the scale reading the same weight as when I left even though I have been walking 11 miles a day. The tree that is in jail on the right has Yates and 14 other famous individuals initial's carved into the trunk.

 Stop 2: A very famous Monastery (I will look up the name later and insert). I am leaning against the tower pictured above because I need something to hold me up.

 The tomb pictured above is housed in the monastery pictured below. Stop 3 on our very long journey.  It was at this point in the trip that we started to think that the old buildings were all starting to look the same. The structure below was constructed after the monks came to town.

Stop 4: The beach. We walked 4 miles along the beach, stopped for ice cream and continued on to the bus.

 Flaggy shore is pictured above and the sweetest calves ever are pictured below.

 Stop 5: Dinner at a restaurant with the largest thatched roof in Ireland. We ate inside but this horse and dog were not allowed to eat inside (life is so unfair). This is one of the many conemara ponies that we encountered during the day.

 We got back to school at 9:00 Pm. It was a 12 hour day as any one of my many aching body parts can confirm.

Monday: A field trip to Inish Bofin

 You have to be a tough sheep to survive out here. The wind blows strong! There are pink sheep and blue sheep, it just depends on who you belong to.

 This memorial was erected for two 18 year old boys who drowned in 1976 while trying to swim across the inlet. The tide had come up and they swam rather than waiting for the tide to go back out.

 This cave opens out on the other end to the ocean. It is an adventurous climb down to the sea.

 This fort turned prison has a long exciting story and sits at the entrance to the harbor. The fort was built to keep this island from being captured during one of the many long invasions. After it's usefulness as a fort was over it was converted to a prison. This would not have been a pleasant place to do time.

Sheep were everywhere. One member of our group tried without success to pet one. We suggested a petting zoo. The boat on the right took us back to the main land. It was a very windy and exciting ride!