Tsunami Valentine

Final Days in Ireland

As my time in Ireland comes to an end (I head off to Iceland in the morning), I've been trying to pack in as much sightseeing as possible. To do this, I set off on a 3-day whirlwind tour of the south, arranged by Paddywagon Tours.

I admit that I had some reservations at first -- the Paddywagon website (and building and vehicles) had an oi-me-Lucky-Charms aesthetic, and I worried that the sheep-and-shamrock approach would be frankly a bit irritating. But a visit to their office reassured me. Our guides are proud to be Irish, the girl assured me, but they don't dress up as leprechauns or anything... I was convinced, and signed on.

What an amazing experience! I kissed the Blarney stone, walked along the cliffs of Moher and met some wonderful people.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip:

Day 1:

- Freezing picnic in Clonmacnoise (see the Celtic crosses)
- Discover our guide's amazing cow-whispering abilities (he would moo out the bus window, and all the cows would come toward us.)

- Wander around Galway

- Dinner in Galway

- Dance to live Irish tunes

Day 2:

- Climb up the limestone rocks of Burren (where Tolkein got inspiration for Lord of the Rings)

- Toss coins into a roadside fountain for a wish

- Dip feet in the ocean in County Clare

- Visit the cliffs of Moher

- Dinner and Irish-themed shots in Killarney

- Drinks and old-school rock cover tunes

Day 3:

- Skip the morning carriage ride, due to downpour

- Kiss the Blarney stone in the pouring rain

- Check out an amazing natural cave

- Long and tired drive home

The People

We were 20-odd in the bus, mostly from Australia, New Zealand and (surprisingly) Canada, with some Germans, Croatians and Mongolians thrown in. I admit that I got excited about being around Canadians again, and I spent some of the time with two girls from Ottawa and two girls from Montreal (one via Vancouver).

But it was the lovely Croatian ladies -- Franka and Ivana -- who were the highlight of my trip. We clicked instantly, and laughed, danced and talked our way through the rest of the trip. I learned more Croatian in 3 days than I've learned Irish. Thanks ladies!