“Bad Habits” leads us back to Dublin

We bid farewell to Dingle. It was a heartwarming experience to share it with our friends. And, I think they would have stayed longer there if the option presented, however we had places to go and things to see. We wave goodbye as we twist through the beautiful Conor Pass. It is the highest road winding through the mountains. Its tight turns and narrow passes are thrilling.

Sheep occasionally wander into the road as a momma herds her lambs across, or a ram warns drivers to slow down as he jumps back up to the hillside. Settle in and enjoy the ride.

Funny thing, when we were traveling to Ireland several years ago, we traveled through Kilkee. We walked the cliffs only passing a couple of other visitors.  We compared them to the Cliffs of Moher ( no disrespect intended) and thought they were so beautiful and so natural, sans coach bus traffic.  As we left the Pax House headed for Galway via the Cliffs of Moher, we were conversing with a private tour operator who was picking up guests. He urged us to ditch our plan to see the Cliffs of Moher and go to see the cliffs of Kilkee. However, as our week unfolded, the point of interest most anticipated were the Cliffs. So we pressed on.

We did stay with the plan to ferry across from Tarbert to Killimer. It is a short ride, but adds a dimension of interest, and allows us the option to head to Kilkee or to Cliffs of Moher.(C. Of M.) The caution with the C. Of M. is the high commercial endeavor they have become, however, once again, good fortune, luck of the Irish, call it what you will, the day was clear, the crowds were low, and the C. Of M. Delivered- big time. The C. Of M. are majestic.

The imposing dark cliffs, jagged and craggy to the sea. The brilliant green grasses on the plateau top and the crashing waves of the ocean below are quite breath-taking. The tower views and the paved walk ways allow for multiple angles to view the cliffs. Glad we held to the plan, however, would strongly recommend seeing Kilkee!

Galway was a short stopover and probably should be given more time. As the Ireland leg of our travels and the trip for our friends draws to a close, we are wrapping up our must do’s. We settled into our hotel and headed out for some sight seeing ( Spanish Arch, Eyre Square, surrounding areas) finally settling on an outdoor restaurant for dinner. In a previous trip to Galway, we visited the Galway Hooker brewery. Glad to enjoy a bottle while we were in the city again.

We enjoyed a low key evening planning to head out early in the morning for breakfast and shopping. We find a cute Saturday farmers market, with lots of produce, baked goods, arts and clothing stalls tucked into the alleyways of Galway. We cannot linger too long for we are headed to back to Dublin.

Daniel Pink, American best selling author, former speech writer for Al Gore, and podcast guru of short powerful lessons, on his book “When : The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing“, tells of the phenomenon that the last night of a trip can color your impression positively or negatively for the whole trip. We have found this to be true. A slap dash last night can leave an uneasy feel to the days before. Knowing this, we try to plan a wow ending to our segments and end of a trip. With this in mind our last night with friends will culminate with the European kick off concert to Ed Sheeran’s summer Mathematics Tour! ( fitting for three of four travelers, all educators,) to be at a “mathematics tour”. 

We drove to our last hotel. Dropped our bags and readied ourselves to head to Croke Park, home of the GAA( Gaelic Athletic Association) where with 89,996 of our new best friends(after all there are four of us) joined in for an amazing, energetic, and stylistic  two hour and twenty minute one man show. If you are not an Ed Sheeran fan, you would be by the end of the show. He can energize a crowd and tell a story. It was a rollicking good time night.  There was a communal energy that rocked Croke Park … gave us “Shivers”! He finished the night off with bringing the house down singing his latest hit…. “Bad Habits”

The small problem with partying with 90,000 of your new best friends in Dublin Centre is… trying to get a taxi back to the airport hotel for your next morning 4:30 am flight check in. Well… sleep is overrated! The concert was awesome! The vibe was positive. We hugged our friends goodbye at 1:30 am. In three hours we are off to Italy and they will head back to the US midday.  Daniel Pink got it right… ending a trip on a high note casts a positive light over the memory. Goodbye Ireland…. Buon giorno Italia!