Today we got up early to embark on our journey to the Aran Islands, off the coast of Galway. We caught a bus outside the university at 9, and rode it all the way to Rossaveal. There, we caught a ferry out to Kilronan, on Inis Mór - the main island of the three. It was raining for most of the ride, but cold too. It made the ride interesting, at least.
We arrived on the island and picked up our lunches at one of the restaurants. They were sandwiches (ham and brie? lol). Then we got on a mini bus to tour the island. It was pretty cool. Our tour guide, Rory, showed us all the sights as we drove along the road to Dún Aengus. Dún Aengus is a fort on the island, built on a cliffside, that was used to defend against different groups of attacking peoples. It's built in a half circle, all out of stone. I got some really cool pictures of it (which you can see here, along with other pictures), along with the cliffs nearby (just for Mom).
From there, we hung out around the little shops nearby and walked around. We saw some "Leprechaun Houses", which are little model houses based on the ones that used to be on the islands before. After that, we tried to stay out of the rain and cold until Rory came back to get us. We went off to tour the rest of the island next, stopping at Seven Churches ruins to walk around for a little bit. The island is so peaceful and quiet, which makes sense since there are only 800 people on the island. And it's just so pretty, even though it's raining. We got back on the tour, riding along the coast trying to spot seals, and arrived back in Kilronan.
We checked into our hostel, and headed into it's pub for some drinks and hanging out. We spent the rest of the evening pub hopping and having a good time. We did take a dinner break, though, at the Aran Fish Market which served fresh fried fish and stuff. Pretty good. One of the pubs - Joe Watty's - had a guy playing guitar. He played some songs we knew, and then Nicky got the guitar and played some more. It was a lot of fun. We ended the night at the American Bar (lol), where it had turned into a disco, and we danced. Exhausted, we all pretty much went to bed after that. Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.
(P.S. God Daddy Larry - I'm going to answer your questions in the first comment on this post)
4 comments:
Love the photos for your mom. Having a relaxing Father's Day.
Love Dad
God Daddy Larry -
1 - API strips are more like strips with about 15 wells that contain dehydrated reagents. You inoculate each one with a mixture of the bacteria and saline solution, incubate overnight, and read the reaction results to type it.
2 - They have condiments available, usually on the table, and they have both tomato sauce (ketchup) and brown sauce (which I haven't figured out the American equivalent of yet).
3 - Haven't heard of a "most famous" limerick yet...but I'll see if I can find one.
4 - I'm pretty sure there is a soccer team in Galway...but I don't know what level they would be (pro or whatever).
5 - They drink mostly black tea, but green tea is available.
6 - I'll try and bring back some sand in a bottle for you the next time I go.
Also, I found out that none of the colleges here in Ireland really have mascots. So out of place with our SEC teams. :)
AWESOME PHOTOS! Love the ones for moms. she would freak out if she was with you. Love you and miss you lots. Have a great day!
*ALLIE*
I don't see what I ever did to you to make you so mean. Those cliff pictures are giving me a heart attack! This is so much fun touring Ireland. Except for all the biology mumbo jumbo, I am thoroughly enjoying the trip!
YOUR FRIGHTENED MOTHER
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