The day began to a foggy, brisk early morning. The drive to Foynes, County Limerick was pleasant and we arrived to the Foynes Flying Boat Museum. I think that none of the group knew what expectations to hold for the visit. We went through the tour and understood quickly that the visit gave new insights into a luxury range of flyer options in the 1920s and 30s that most of the group would have never been able to experience. The museum was funded by legendary actress Maureen O'Hara who was married to Charles Blair, captain of the flying boat 'Yankee Clipper'. The town of Foynes was chosen as a hub for the flying boats as it provided a strategic port and one fully sheltered from the winds of the Atlantic Sea. The Foynes airport(location of the Flying Boat museum) also was the birthplace of the famous 'Irish Coffee'. The museum staff gave an Irish Coffee making demonstration and I was chosen as her assistant.
Onto the touring coach, we move onto County, Clare and the Cliffs of Moher and happier for the knowledge of the flying boats and the lovely port city of Foynes. The Cliffs need little introduction as they are viable aa one of the world wonders. In sheer cliff faces 700-800 meters from the sea surface, gulls dart in and out of the rock formation and sea tides lap at the base of the cliffs. In fact the sea and water over much time were the cause of the sheering of the cliff faces. Pam and I were here to visit five years ago and the grounds were in transit with temporary fencing and the cliff edge and a construction trailer serving as the gift shop and welcome center. Now the center in cut into the rock structure and manicured rock fencing shelters travelers and visitors from any danger and many of the temptations for hopping over the wall and taking that perfect photo or to gain the perfect view. However, the views are perfect and the grounds impressive beyond words. The Cliffs are magical and timeless. The extending sea provides dazzling play on light and adds even more depth to any photo. After a short time in the gift and welcome center, Pam and I come away with a few wonderful little watercolors from the day and the area and begin the journey to Galway. - David
On the way to Galway, the landscape turned decidedly lunar. The Burren is a world UNESCO Heritage site. It us easy to see by its wavy looking granite flat boulders, this was once the end of a river bed and the extremely hard granite, once silt and sand - not unlike our Missisippi Delta. After a few snaps we left County Clare and were heading on to County Galway and our hotel.
The clouds rolled in suddenly and the rain came down in sheets. It was obvious we would not be going to a pint at a local pub or even having our Galway City tour. The lovely Westwood Hotel was very warm and inviting after a long days travel. The hotel staff was very young and fun. I finally learned a few words of Gaelic from them (I'll have to post them phonetically since I am not sure of the spelling) 'Go row mah agot = Thank You and ,Ta falch aroo' = You are welcome. John the head bar man came and did a drink demonstration. An 'Irish Flag' is equal parts Creme de Menthe, Irish Bailey's Creme and Irish Mist all layered in a shot glass to look like the Irish flag. Andrea commented she had never had a shot before, so of course we made her do one in the warmy cozy bar. It began to snow. The Michigan contingent groaned and rolled our collective eyes. The US Southern and Australian members of our group were definitely not jaded by the white stuff and it was fun to see them outside catching the flakes.
'D' continues to be a real treasure. Tour company policy prohibits them from joining travelers at meal times and in the bar. Luckily for us, the policy is relaxed with groups as small as ours. We have enjoyed his company in the bar and at lunch. He is a true gentleman who loves his family and he will be missed upon our return.
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