July 2015

I am a person who likes nature. I enjoy escaping the confines of town and city whenever I get the chance and appreciate being around trees, grass, dirt, and all that good stuff without concrete, car horns, and strip malls. So whenever I go to a new place, I always make sure to get out of the cities and do something in the great rugged outdoors. This is what brought me to the Cliffs of Moher during my trip to Ireland.

For those of you unfamiliar, the cliffs stand around 300m (900ft) at their highest, and drop directly down at a 90 degree angle into the Atlantic Ocean below, all the while being surrounded by some of the greenest land on planet Earth. And if you decide you want to walk along the ridge all the way to the top, you won't find guard rails or fences, or anything of that sort for protection. Sounds dangerous? Well, at least they give you a fair warning...

Of course, Blake and I did the full walk, and as you can imagine, the weather decided I didn't want to be our friend. One minute it would be sunny, then it would rain, then it would be cold and cloudy. And then there was one element stood out most of all: the wind. But I wouldn't describe the conditions as windy. Oh no. Windy implies a steady breeze and occasional gusts. Windy is the weather in which you fly a kite. These were destructive, unrelenting, hurricane-force winds. I'm not kidding. It got so intense that we were still pelted from the ocean spray all 300m up, and when it got bad, the only thing we could do was dig our feet into the ground and hunch down in order to avoid falling over.

However, we did have some company on our journey. All along the way, groups of animals, such as cows, horses and donkey, lounged around just doing their thing despite the weather. In my head, I pictured them saying. 'Yeah, I see you wind and rain. Do what you want, but I'm a cow and I'm just gonna chew on this grass regardless. And I'm gonna like it." Naturally, Blake and I posed for photos with these stoic animals.

So, was the multiple hour trek that involved getting soaked and blown over by wind worth it? Of course! The cliffs themselves were unlike anything I had ever seen, and the rolling hills were like a dark green ocean. But the sea and the sky, those more than anything completely took my breath away. The sky, clouds, sun and rain all twisted and turned together, creating blues, purples, reds, grays, and whites so vivid and intertwined, it looked as if the landscape were a tie-dyed shirt designed by Jackson Pollock. And it was always changing, just like the wind and the weather, so with every glance, I was greeted to something new and incredible. I literally could have stared for days on end.

To this day, the Cliffs remain one of the most amazing geographical features I have ever seen, and despite whatever the surrounding weather conditions may be, it is completely worth going to. And come to think of it, the bad weather actually enhanced the whole experience, adding to the challenge and bringing out unbelievable colors in the sea and sky. One thing is for certain though, I will return.