Before we get to virtually visit what is likely the most beautiful place I've ever had the good fortune to experience, there's always time for CHOCOLATE!
A quick stop at the Skellig Chocolate factory - sadly, no chocolate rivers to be found - yielded more chocolate than you'd expect to eat in one stop. Samples galore await you at their counter, and then of course, there's the bags and bags of nearby shards of multiple flavors of chocolate to purchase and keep you stocked up for a good long while. Or at least until the end of the day. Highest props to their engaging and friendly staff, who provided lots of laughs for this wandering foursome.
With an ample amount of chocolate under our belts, we set off for the Kerry Cliffs.
I know it's a cliche, but photos cannot sufficiently do justice to a seascape that literally takes your breath away. And that has nothing to do with the unceasing winds that buffet you from atop the cliff promontories.
Prior to this visit, for most of my life, I confidently ranked Yosemite National Park in California as the most beautiful place I'd ever set foot in during my travels.
It's time to amend my rankings.
Fret not, Yosemite, you still hold the U.S. #1 seed, but these Ireland cliffs have just scaled to the top of the global leaderboard.
The Kerry Cliffs (Aillte Chiarraí) in Portmagee rise about 1,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, and were supposedly formed in a desert environment about, oh, 400 million years ago! Not quite sure how that data point, but who am I to dispute it?
The sights from this showcase in the Skellig Ring just ooze inspiration, romance, and awe.
And they're pretty good at inciting smiles all around to boot.
The Kerry Cliffs rise about 300 feet higher than the Cliffs of Moher (see previous blog entry), and are a bit less touristy, potentially because they're off the beaten path and the Ring of Kerry proper.
If only there was some way to have carved out a running path somewhere along the walls of these cliffs - now THAT would have been an epic run for the ages!
Jack is eyeballing the Skellig and Puffin Islands from high upon her perch
Shockingly, there was virtually ZERO crowd at this site. Probably not more than a dozen other explorers when we hit the site mid-day.
I hear the views at sunset are unparalleled, and I can just imagine their grandeur
Comparing the first pic of this blog entry to the last, it looks like both chocolate and cliff formations are pretty darn soul-satisfying.
In the end, though, while the chocolate was delicious, I'd have to give the nod to the cliff experience.
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