Clouds came in quickly to block the sun below, but you can still see the beautiful coastline.
As we drove around the bend, the sun came out again to reveal the deep blue Atlantic Ocean.
On the other side, we saw some of the islands. One of these islands below was the place where the final scene was shot in the latest Star Wars movie.
Still on the peninsula, there's a mountain called Mt. Brandon, one of the highest peaks in Ireland. Eric talked all of us into climbing it. On the way, we passed lush green pastures.
The hiking trail is an old Christian pilgrimage created by monks. At the base of the trail we saw this shrine.
The trail began fairly easy, although I still found myself out of breath. The fun part was walking side by side sheep who were grazing on the land.
The pilgrimage is marked by 16 crosses. The first one starts about 20 minutes into the hike. The next 14 crosses represent the Way of the Cross, or the Fourteen Stations.
Here's where is started getting steep. The little one needed a piggy back ride to the next cross. I can't believe he was able to do it, but our son carried her that entire stretch.
This is only the 10th station, and Eric & I were good to stop there. However, the kids urged us onward.
We realized the crosses were closer together now, but visability was starting to become a problem in the clouds. Notice how there are even sheep up here!
The 14th station.
There was one final cross on the very top summit, so we pressed onward. We were grateful for the small white markers every 20 feet, as that was often the only visual we had to stay on the trail.
View from the mountain, although there wasn't much sunlight coming in through the clouds.
Our vacation was amazing, and I'm so glad all of us had a safe trip. Next adventure ..??? who knows, but it's good to be home. Now if I can only find some great Irish butter and a scone....
