Galway--The Best!!

Sunday, April 1, 2012
I cannot believe April is here already! Where has the time gone?! In just a short 1.75 months I will be home! Goodness!

Today Amy and I took a bus to Galway on the western coast of Ireland. It is about 2.5 hours away. On the way here I was able to see the beautiful Irish countryside,which included the rolling, luscious green hills, which contained a plentiful amount of livestock (mainly cattle, sheep, and horses).

Once in Galway we found our hostel mainly by guessing which roads were which, because people in Galway apparently don't believe in street signs and must know all the streets because there were no streets signs to go by. It is weird...lol Anyways, we found the hostel, checked in, all is well.

We explored the city a bit in the afternoon, walking through the Galway shopping district, the Latin Quarter, the bay/port area, and a local neighborhood. On our walking adventure we stopped for lunch in a small restaurant where we were sat at a table under the stairs. It was very quaint, but weird because we basically sat and stared at a brick wall till we received our food, then we stared at the food. Ah well, all in the experience. :) Also on our walking adventure we watched a game of some unknown sport to us. It was a combination of futbol (soccer), ruby, and football (American style) and Amy and I did not understand it.

We were exhausted fairly early during the day so we returned to the hostel, used the Internet, and relaxed in our room, till we got supper for ourselves at a local grocery store; and now, bedtime. :)

Monday April 2, 2012
Ok! Today Amy and I took a bus tour south of Galway through the Barren landscape to the Cliffs of Mohr. Let me just say flat out that it was a fantastic day!!

We started the tour off by passing through the villages of Clarenbridge, Kilogen, Balendury, and Kinvara. In Kinvara we saw some authentic thatched roofs, one of them being the largest thatched roof in the world, hooker boats used for fishing in the region, and the Dunguaire castle. The 4 villages were very small, quiet, and quaint and I am thrilled that we drove through them!

Our journey continued through the Burren landscape, which is a limestone landscape created in this region from the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago. We ended up driving through this landscape for a majority of the day.

Our first stop was made at a farm of a local family that gives a tour of their land and another stop at some nearby caves. Passengers are able to choose one of the two tours; Amy and I chose the farm tour. The tour took us through the farmyard, where we saw some of their cows on the farm and a baby calf (sooo adorable!) and it continued through the pastures and up a mountain adjoining their land. The mountain is covered with the limestone from the Burren landscape and the pastures would have been covered with the rock, but it has been cleared away by farmers through time. The rock that covered the fields is actually used to make rock walls to create that lines where land changes hands and to divide pastures.

Our guide, Darra, (he is the nephew if the owner of the farm and he helps his uncle with giving the tours on the farm and with other work when needed) took us up the mountain where we were able to see some fantastic views of the surrounding area. Darra told us that the nearby village's name is Ottemen (I think this is the correct name). While on the mountain Darra pointed out a rock fence crossing the mountain. He said that this fence does not divide land or pastures and actually serves no purpose. It was built during the time of the potato famine by the poor to earn food from their landlords. He joked that the landlords were really smart to make their renters built a fence that serves no purpose when they could have been building roads, houses, schools, hospitals, etc. to be used in the country's infrastructure. ;)

After we left them farm we travelled on the bus to the mini cliffs where we got out and took pictures for a few minutes. The mini cliffs were breathtaking. We were able to get up to the edge of the rocks and look down into the sea. It was a steep drop! The mini cliffs are comprised of the limestone from the Burren landscape.

We stopped for lunch in the village of Doolin. The majority of the group ate at Fitzpatrick's Bar where our bus driver recommended we try the the Seafood Chowder. I tried it and oh my goodness was it delicious! It had all types of seafood in it and was served with 2 slices of brown bread and I also bought a scone with raisins to eat with my lunch. It was a fantastic lunch!

Our next stop was the Cliffs of Mohr! Finally! The cliffs stretch about 8 miles along the south western coast of Ireland. At the top they are grassy fields, the sides are jagged, rocky, and shear all the way down to the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean below. The bus stopped for an hour and a half here and Amy and I began our free time by walking along the pre-made paths built by the Cliffs of Mohr Park, but you could hardly see down the cliffs, so we found another path that allowed you to go to the edge of the cliff. We took pictures, sat at the edge of the cliffs, and Amy threw rocks into the water to see them splash. We could have easily sat there all day long taking in the beauty of the cliffs.

Fun fact: a scene from the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (the fifth movie) was shot at the Cliffs of Mohr.

Our day concluded with the drive back to Galway, stopping at a dolmens (two large pillars, with a third across the top, used as an ancient burial ground). The only reason I mention this very boring stop is that I am currently studying this form of art in my History of Art class.

When we returned to Galway we got supper from a grocery store so we could cook at the hostel, relaxed, showered, and went to sleep.