Green; it is my favorite of all the colors. Pink used to hold that position and I was happy with pink but after needing to have the last word in an early childhood spat when I was younger and was told no one else could have their favorite color as green, green became my top-billing color out of spite. Although, quite petty and ridiculous of me, in my defense, I was only about nine years old. I have never held any regret for that decision and have been fascinated by all the varying shades of green ever since. “Green” is very different here. I am not all together sure I have ever seen many of the shades that are in Ireland before now and I am confident that the people of Crayola, as color name creative as they are, could ever begin to come up with names for all of them or recreate the depth of their color in a crayon. Varying from the deepest shades of almost black to the lightest, appearing as though brushed with silver, every field and glen is a different shade separated by trees, bushes, flowers, or rock walls and all boasting their own versions of “green”. I am in awe and determined to commit every shade I see to memory so I do not forget a single one.

We missed our morning visit with the cows yesterday as we left our cottage in the dark to begin the three hour journey to Galway; traveling though small towns and villages and taking slightly blurry photos out the car windows along the way. It should have felt like a long drive, but it did not. Watching night turn to day over the hills and mountains was a captivating vision with something new to grab attentions along the entire stretch of the journey. We reached Galway to join in the Saturday morning hustle and bustle of city life as we made our way to the Doolin Ferry Service ticket office. Upon collecting our tickets, boarded our tour bus and enjoyed a scenic drive to Doolin, to hop the ferry to Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands. We had meant to go to Inishmore, the largest of the three islands, but did not realize the error till we were partway to Doolin. Although, not our original destination, Inisheer was lovely and I am glad we went. The ferry ride over the Atlantic was exciting as we sped over the choppy waters; reminiscent of childhood roller coaster rides. Our first stop on the island was the Aran Sweater Market, a smaller version of the original store on Inishmore, and did a bit of shopping, followed by a quick bite to eat at the hotel. We took a short tour of the island via a horse, named Rolo, and buggy where we investigated an old shipwreck, toured the small town, and drove along incredible dry-stone walls of limestone that separate each parcel of land on the island. Eventually we wound up back at the ferry dock and indulged in steaming cups of hot cocoa to warm up from the cold and rain before boarding the boat that would take us on our next tour; the Cliffs of Moher from the sea.

Captivating, awe-inducing, mesmerizing; all words that could easily be used to express the view from the waters below the Cliffs of Moher and still, it would not be enough to describe something so incredible and comprehend it actually being real and not out of imagination. Ellery fell asleep on top of Kevin during this boat ride which left picture taking to me…pictures are not my forte so they will probably be blurry and out of focus. Audra seemed fully tuned out until our tour guide pointed out a cave in the cliffs that was used in the filming of Harry Potter, she immediately perked up to listen and Kevin and I had a good chuckle when the guide quoted from the Princess Bride and explained that it too, had filming spots on the cliffs. We got back to the bus, all of us soaked, and made the quick ride back into Doolin to a Pub called McGannes. After the chill and damp of the day, I did not hesitate to enjoy a hot bowl of beef stew and fresh bread. The tour was meant to pick back up after lunch and head back to the cliffs to walk along the tops of them but the four of us were spent and Anthony, our tour guide for the day, reached out to another guide, Gary, already on his way back to Galway and he graciously allowed us on his bus back to the city. Another ride of probably blurry pictures out bus windows but incredible nonetheless.

We reached Galway a few hours later, returned to our rental car, and after a quick stop for petrol and car snacks, began the return trip back to the cottage. Upon arriving home, the car was unpacked, laundry was started, tea was had, and the girls went to bed while Kevin and I planned our next outing. Ellery has taken to obsessing over the animals. Cows were plentiful among the many fields we drove by but with the addition of horses, goats, sheep, and donkey’s, one would think she had won the lottery. She would like to befriend them all and if anyone could do it, it would probably be her. Audra enjoyed the boat rides, hot cocoa and shopping. She spent quite a bit of time picking out clever gifts for her cousins and found joy in the decision making process of discovering just the right one. Kevin found his happy in the bus ride. So far, he is the one doing the driving, as I am still not quite ready to take it on yet. The bus ride allowed him the opportunity to actually look out the window to see the sights and provided the opportunity for a cat nap on the way back to Galway. His love of history has no bounds so I think he enjoyed the history lessons provided by the multitude of tour guides we had at our disposal as well.

It is much later in the morning for me to be doing my writing as we all slept longer than usual. Kevin has already brought me my breakfast, the sun rose a few hours ago, and rain clouds are making their way back in. Today will probably be another damp day but regardless of cool weather and rain, we will make the most of it, but only after I finish my cup of tea.