Misty Morning

We met Kevin, Karen, and Ethan in the parking lot at O'Hare and they accompanied us to the terminal. After checking bags and saying goodbyes, we passed smoothly through TSA and headed to the United Club to wait for boarding time. Unfortunately some of the United Clubs at O'Hare are under construction, resulting in the remaining clubs being overfull. We couldn't find a seat in either of 2 different clubs. Eventually we snagged some at a table, but didn't stay long before returning to the gate for boarding.

We had good seats for the flight to Ireland, and I was able sleep enough to handle the driving we had planned on arrival. Ethan dozed a little before dinner was served, but I don't think he slept much after that. The flight seemed to go by quickly (for me at least) and we arrived at Shannon a little after 7 am. We got through passport control quickly, then collected our bags and the rental car and headed to the Cliffs Of Moher.

There had been a misty rain all morning, and when we arrived at the Cliffs, we found them mostly shrouded in mist and fog. But we enjoyed what we could see and also the visitor center where Ethan found a new hat.

We left the Cliffs and headed to Bunratty Castle where you can tour the restored castle and village buildings. We went down into the dungeon, and all the way to the top of the corner tower for a nice view of the surrounding area.

Because of the continued rain and mist, we decided to skip the Dingle peninsula and headed directly to the Ring of Kerry and our hotel for the evening. Our hotel room is nice and has a bonus view of a cow pasture with cows 4 feet from the bedroom window. We had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant and everyone is exhausted from the long day of travel and sightseeing. Ethan managed to nap occasionally in the car but even he is ready for an early night.

Tomorrow we circle the Ring of Kerry and head to our next stop in Kilkenny.