"They say it's one of the most beautiful drives in the world."

Today we went on that drive with the Patrick and Katherine. Patrick drove, Katherine was in the passenger seat (which is our driver's seat) begging him to "slow down!" or "be more careful!" for the majority of the trip, which gave us a good laugh. We didn't really know what to expect out of our drive because the details weren't discussed at all. We started just by driving through town and then out into the country where we saw sheep grazing on the green hills. We ate lamb stew the day before (which actually is really good), and I started to feel a little sad about it when I saw the fuzzy sheep looking so cute. After the sheep, horses, and cows (which are spotted and look just like model cows in a milk commercial) we pulled up to an ancient graveyard and church from the 7th century. That is before America was discovered. The graveyard is called Kilmacduagh Monastic Site. Simply wondrous.

We then drove along the Barren region of Ireland. It is like their desert, but instead of sand they have rocks and boulders and limestone for miles. The land is pretty much impossible to settle so it has been untouched for years. It was interesting to see. Just beyond all of the rocks is the rocky shore. We drove along a winding road at 100 km/hr. Katherine was gripping her seat and looking a little frustrated. I had to pee soooo bad that all I could do was sit tight and bounce up and down for distraction... and of course there was no bathroom any time soon. They stopped so that we could take a few photos of the waves and the ocean. Jared took the photos, I snuck behind a rock and pretended like there was something to see over there. Feeling much better, we got back in the car and drove along the coast for about an hour. It was a stunning view. Cliffs and boulders and waves bigger than I have ever seen. We drove past a run off (Jared called it "Swan Pond") that had about 50 swans in it, one was black. They are native to Ireland and so beautiful. I have never seen so many swans in one place. It was cute to see their heads go under water and then their butts would pop up.

We ended our drive up the coast and through Doolin where they showed us the dock where the ferries depart to head to the Aran Islands. Katherine wrote down the phone number for us so that on a clear day we could catch one and head out to the islands where the natives only speak Gaelic and the view is spectacular. We went from Doolin, past the cliffs, and back to our home. The drive lasted about 3 hours. I was feeling so grateful for their sacrifice, and also really terrible that they never let us repay us when Katherine said "We will have to do this again when your friend gets here!" The giving never ends!

The day was fantastic, now we are winding down, catching up on work, and enjoying the company of each other.