"I ain't never seen nothing like a Galway girl"

An Irishman my roommates and I interviewed yesterday for our journalism story explained to us that it's a cultural thing for the Irish to find noble the people who do the simplest tasks. Simply put, the Irish admire simplicity. This is one of the many things I adore about this beautiful country, and something I was reminded of today.

After being in the city for almost two weeks, I have been dying to stay in a more rural location. Today I got another taste of that Irish countryside. On our bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway, I was refreshed by the simple countryside. It was just what I needed. The bus took us from the east coast of the island to the west coast in roughly four hours. While that meant sitting on the bus for long spans of time, the views were definitely worth it!

Our first stop was the famous tourist destination the Cliffs of Moher. Along the Wild Atlantic Way, the cliffs are located in County Clare, Ireland. As a landlocked Midwesterner, the views of the Atlantic are breathtaking. There's something about water that is appealing to me. As for the cliffs, the utter scale of them is absolutely stunning. I easily felt diminutive atop the massive cliffs. Due to the sheer height of the cliffs, the gusts of wind are blustery. At one point the wind was so strong I thought I might actually be blown off the cliffs! And yet the experience was incredible.

The next stop was the Baby Cliffs of Moher. Just as the name implies, the cliffs are smaller ones similar to the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs are made of limestone that got carved and exposed after glaciers melted. The area is very rocky, which makes it easy to sprain an ankle. Having navigated past the rockiest of the terrain, I was greeted with a closer and lovely view of the Atlantic. This stop was brief before we left for Galway.

Due to some delays and unexpected traffic into the city, we did not have a full two hours in Galway. The city center was full of shops, cafes, restaurants, and bistros. It was very much a tourist city. My group didn't really get to explore the city too much. We were concerned about getting lunch as we hadn't eaten since breakfast. (At this point it was after 3 pm.) We enjoyed pizza and bubble tea. We strolled down a local market street with vendors selling their wares, as well as explored Saint Nicholas Collegiate Church. I would have loved to explore the city more, but as I said, we were limited on time.

I felt as if the theme of the day was to find happiness in simplicity. The cliffs, ocean, and wildflowers were simple things that brought me joy. As the Irish do, I spent the day admiring the simpler things in life, making the day rather remarkable.