Pinch me I’m dreaming of the Cliffs of Moher

Pictures don’t do it justice. Nevertheless, I will attempt to be your window to the enchanting views the Cliffs of Moher have to offer. It’s amazing to me that it has almost been two years since I’ve seen it in person.

The most incredible thing I’ve seen to date (even still!), the Cliffs of Moher turned out to be a top bucket list item I never knew I had.

 

Maybe you’re planning a trip, or you’ve already been there; I bet these photos will make you wish you were there right now. Along with some pictures from my visit, I’ve got a few facts for ya that I bet you didn’t know about the beautiful cliffs.

The Cliffs have had major screen time

They’ve starred as the backdrop to many movies, TV series and music videos. Have you heard of the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Low budget, Indie film? Ha – gotcha. I’m sure you remember the scene where Dumblebore takes Harry to the horcrux cave; the scene before they enter- yep, Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs… They’re magic.

And not to mention that The Cliffs were featured on the cover of a U2 album, No Line on the Horizon.

 

 

They’ve seen a thing or two…

The first sign of man at The Cliffs was in 1st century B.C. Back then there was a little fort that stood in place of the Moher Tower today. The fort stood until 1780 A.D., as recorded John Loyd in “A Short Tour of Clare.” Back then The Cliffs served as a lookout spot, as well as a place for fishing and quarrying.

If you want the best view, you’ll have to trespass

Millions of people visit The Cliffs of Moher each year, which must be a tad annoying for the neighbors next door.The Cliffs stretch 8 miles along the coast, but some of that is the property of farms. You’ll see a long barbed wire fence next to the hiking trail where cows come up to say hello.

It’s not trespassing, really, but it is a risky move if you want to take pictures on the edge like this one:

To get here we walked by a posted sign that stated going past that point was at your own risk; The Cliffs of Moher association was not responsible for anything that happened to… A little scary to read, but when life gives you an opportunity like that…. Take it!! (but with the utmost caution). One wrong move on The Cliffs and you could end up like the witch in the legend of The Hag and Cu Chulainn.

 

Did you learn something today, or was this post click bait? Happy St. Patrick’s Day – What was your favorite part about The Cliffs of Moher? Are you headed there soon?

 

I Went to London and Hated It

This will be a rant, not a rave.

Let me tell you about the time when I traveled to the U.K. and hated every minute.

You would think that London, England would be a wonderful time for any American holiday because the differences between the U.K. and the U.S. are subtle enough to get the adventure of exploring a foreign country without all of the confusion that comes with it. Like, believing every single Berber in Morocco that what they’re spelling in the sand is, in fact, your name in Arabic.

Yes, I could read every street sign and road map that London had on display, but traveling was an utterly impossible task that weekend.

I hate the tube. I do! I hate it- Even the ever-endearing “please mind the gap” sound bite that plays whenever the doors are closing. My experience was terrible. London did not have their “shit together” the three days we stayed.

Hungry and eager for brunch at Bad Egg that morning, Raz and I made our way to the metro station… To stand 30 minutes on the platform where this man from an undisclosed location – apparently with a camera – yelled at us over the intercom to spread out, or he would cancel the next train. Which, was supposedly on its way- for 30 minutes? You’re a liar, sir, and do you find it acceptable to cancel a train because passengers want to stand uncomfortably close to one another?

Funny enough- At this point, Raz was the one getting frustrated and I was talking him down, but here I am holding a grudge four months later.

We paid for a journey, but the train we planned to take was now canceled and the other platform was closed.  So, now was an excellent time to hop on a double-decker bus.

Except, your bus maps are absolute rubbish, London.

We had no concept of what streets were near which bus stops. Admittedly this is partly our fault because we should’ve anticipated shit hitting the fan and looked up multiple routes…

Obviously, not all travel experiences will be stellar ones. And, of course, I will be returning to London some day (but, I certainly won’t rush to buy a ticket anytime soon).

OK- fine, yes, I did like *parts* of my English adventure. There were some things I really enjoyed about the city… Like,

Harrod’s

Abbey Road

The Globe Theatre

Walking through Kensington and Chelsea

So it wasn’t a total rant.

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Sticking To That Long Travel Check-list Will Ruin Your Next Trip

Time flies when you’re having fun, apparently so will your vacation if you over-plan. In an interview with Jenni Avins of Quartz, Marc Whittman, psychologist and author of Felt Time explains the phenomenon of time in relation to travel; an over-booked schedule will make time fly faster than you wanted it to.

I’m guilty of the offense. Once I have my airline tickets booked and my calendar marked, I go into full trip planning mode and make long lists of my ‘must do’s’. I can’t help it- my Type-A tendencies force me to plan out what I want to see and experience. I obsess over making sure that I will make the most out of my trip. Turns out, this could be doing exactly the opposite of what I intended.

According to Whittman, the key is to go into a trip with minimal planning and a flexible schedule. By opening up our travel calendars, the trip might feel longer and a heck of a lot less stressful when it’s time to head home.

If we go into a trip with a set itinerary for every hour of the day, we will be relying on the next step and anticipating the next activity. Basically, you’re planning your vacation away.

In Wittman’s words,

“Planning also speeds up the passage of time. Because there you’re always already in the future. You have this future perspective of your mind, and then you are actually not attending to what is happening right now.”

Have you ever noticed that you recall your emotions more clearly than the events themselves? That’s a big key in memory formation, which makes mindfulness an important practice during travel. Focusing your attention to your surroundings and maintaining a degree of self-awareness can lead to a more memorable trip.

Our gut reaction is to plan heavily for trips, thinking that it’ll reduce our stress upon arrival. However, the takeaway here is that if you want those precious moments away from work to last, less is more.