29-30 June 2007

So, today (Friday, I think) we get up at 5:30 and walk to the bus station to catch the 7:00 bus to Galway. We ride the bus to some town I don't remember the name of and it takes close to four hours to get there. We change buses and get on one that is going to take us to Doolin, where we are staying for the night. We get on the bus that is packed with tourists and covered in graffiti, and we're at the mercy of the worst driver ever. I'm really sick of riding on buses at this point, but we've still got a while to go before we get to Doolin. We pass another bus on the way and the roads are so small and curved that we almost touch the other bus as we pass. We get to Doolin at about noon and are dropped off at the hostel--which is one of maybe ten buildings in town--despite the fact that the bus is actually going to the Cliffs of Moher, where we plan to go later that day. We walk over to town, which is actually just a few gift shops, a coffee shop, a music store, and a pub, and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. One thing I definitely miss about home is the peanut butter.

Skippy peanut butter. The glue that holds the world together.

We decide then to hike up to the cliffs, which we think is a short distance, but actually takes forever. The path is basically all up hill, and I am slow and pale and wearing sunblock, and I am not wearing shoes or clothes that are fit to hike in. We meet a man along the way who tells us we have a mile left and everyone is optimistic but at this point I am slightly annoyed because we've already gone several miles. We take a wrong turn, get sidetracked about a mile and have to go back and walk up another hill in the right direction. We finally get to the top and by this point I can feel the sunburn coming on (the one day of sun the entire month and I go on an 18 mile hike without sunblock). There is a sign that everyone ignores that states in English, as well as a couple other languages, that you are not supposed to pass, not to mention a rock wall that you have to climb if you decide to do so.

The view is pretty impressive though.

We hang out at the Cliffs for about an hour or so and then head back to the hostel. When we get back we watch some really bad Irish soap operas, which are actually worse then American soap operas, if that's possible, and with worse acting. We go to dinner at the pub in Doolin and there is a band that playing American rock songs from the seventies. We talk about Jim Croce and how he is totally underrated and the band starts playing a CCR song which is hilarious to me for some reason. We head back to the hostel and I pass out by 8:00 and my sunburn is basically ridiculous at this point.

We get up at 8:00 the next day to go the the ferry, buy our 20 Euro tickets and sit on the rocks because we get there 45 minutes too early.

We get on the ferry which is sketchy and looks like a fishing boat, and I think I'm going to make it without getting sick but everyone is getting up and going to look at the ocean at the back of the boat and everyone is swaying because the water is incredibly choppy. I get up just in time to get to the bathroom before I get sick. From this point on, I have to stand at the back of the ferry with the wind blowing on my face and the ocean water splashing me. We stop at the smallest of the Aran Islands and let some people off, and my shoes are completely soaked. I get sick again on the way to the big island of Inishmore.

We get off the ferry and I have never been happier to be on land in my entire life. We walk around town and everyone we pass asks if we'd like to take a carriage ride around the island. We get lunch and coffee and really have no idea where we want to go, but decide to walk in the opposite direction of the rest of the tourists.

After about an hour of walking we see lots of cool things, but Suzie and I decide to come back to the main part of town and get Coke's at SPAR and sit on a bench for three hours.

There are people racing currachs and we get bored waiting for the rest of the group so we go into every store in the area while we wait.

The island is really beautiful, and there are so many cool things to see, but after the hike to the Cliffs the previous day, I am too tired to do anything noteworthy.

We catch the ferry back to Galway this time and the ride is much smoother. We get off the ferry and have to catch a bus to Galway City and there are tons of people trying to catch the same bus to we have to fight our way on. We get to the bus station in Galway and decide to take the 8:30 bus back to Dublin, which gives us some time to eat dinner before we leave. We end up eating at Supermac's because everywhere else is completely packed. It takes forever to get back to Dublin and our bus stops at every stop along the way, and I fall asleep right before we get back at midnight. We walk back to campus and there are tons of people out because it is Saturday night. This is the most exhausted I've felt in as long as I can remember. I wish I would have seen more of the Aran Islands, and I am glad I went, even though I got really sick and really sunburned.