After arriving in Galway we went over a list or "rules" for the hostel. We were staying in a very very nice hostel that was very strict. They had a kitchen we could use at our own leisure but we had to follow rules to a T. There was absolutely no drinking allowed, no one was allowed in the kitchen from 10-12 in the morning and then from midnight to 7:30, we had to quite at all times in the bed room and blah blah blah. I guess they wanted to keep it nice. So we tried our best to follow the rules.
After we got all settled in we went for a short walk around the city. We went through a beautiful catholic cathedral It is nice for a change to be somewhere where the primary region is that of my own. When I grew up EVERYONE I knew was catholic so being somewhere where no one is catholic is still hard to grip sometimes. The cathedral was so beautiful and huge, I really enjoyed it. After the cathedral we headed down to the bay. Galway used to be a big fishing community so the bay area is really developed and really beautiful. At this point Tecwyn did his normal thing and ditched us expecting us to be able to make our way back to the hostel on our own. We headed up a very touristy street with tons of shopping ad eating places. Eventually we did manage to make our way back. We decided to take advantage of the kitchen and cooked... if you can call it cooking. We ended up with a huge box of chicken nuggets and salad for dinner. It was cheap and it was delicious! That night Sheilagh and I decided we wanted to explore the pub life so we headed out. We found a cute little pub called Taffee's that had live Irish music wafting out of the front door. We decided to give it a try. There was a cute little band playing right in the front. I got myself a delicious pint of Guiness and Sheilagh went with the cider. Eventually the music ended and we were able to snag some stools at the bar. This is where we stayed parked for the next few hours. We met some cool people and were in awe of the bar tenders and how they were able to serve a million people without losing it. Eventually more live music started that was really enjoyable. After spending way too much money (because the drinks were super expensive) we called it a night and stumbled back to the hostel.
The next day we headed to the Aran islands for a bike tour of the island. It took an hour bus ride to get to a place where we could hop the ferry and another 45 minute ride to the island. The boat ride was pretty tipsy, at times I thought we were going in. The Aran islands are a very remote place and it was kind of like going back in time. We got our bikes and we headed off.Our goal for the day was to get to Dun Aengus which are cliffs that are over 300 feet high. They were very very intimidating! We were told the best way to approach them was on your stomach so you don't get dizzy and fall off. That was exactly what we did and it was one of the scariest things I have ever experienced. The vertigo was so intense, just looking over the edge I thought I was going to fall. I did get the courage for like 2 seconds to hang my legs over the edge but I couldn't get myself to look over very far in that position. Some people were crazy and set of this little rock that was sticking off the edge. It looked like it was going to break off and crumble down the cliff, but they all managed to stay alive. After the cliffs we wandered around on the bikes for awhile. We came to a beach where we took our shoes off and put our toes in. The water was freeing but so beautiful. It was also the strangest beach I have ever seen. It had the softest grey sand that looked just like cat litter. After that we made our way to another part of the coast where we could see some seals playing around in the water. We were hoping they would come beach themselves but they stayed out in the water. After arriving back in Galway we decided we were too lazy to cook so we went out to eat. We ended up in an amazing pub where everyone enjoyed some of the best food we have had since beig abroad. I had chicken pot pie and then a caramel/chocolate cheesecake for dessert. By the time we were done eating I was so full I thought I would need to be rolled home. It was soooooo good!
The next day (Wed the 27th) our destination was the cliffs of Moher. This cliffs are probably the most iconic tourist stop in Ireland. No one travels on the west coast of Ireland without stopping at these cliffs. They were over twice as tall as the ones on the Aran islands but they were all fenced off. Apparently they are also a place where suicide is very popular so they had to fence them all off... well almost all of them. There was a spot where we could climb through the fence and walk to a place where we could really enjoy the cliffs. Of course we had to bend the rules a bit, but we were just doing what everyone else was doing. I thought the cliffs from the day before were intense but these left me speechless. I was so scared and I was walking around with people who were fearless. Grant even posed for a picture with one foot on the edge of the cliff and the other one raised over the edge looking like he was walking right off. I couldn't even watch it was so scary. We did a few jumping pictures that turned out really cool. Some people were jumping right on the edge making it look like they were jumping right off but I stayed far enough back that there was no way I had any chance of going over. Quite intense! Another cool fact about the cliffs of Moher, the cave scene in the latest Harry Potter movie was actually filmed at the cliffs! Pretty cool! After an intense day at the cliffs we needed a nice relaxing night. A bunch of us cooked together and then headed back down to the bay to watch the sun set. It was absolutely breath taking. I am a little jaded after living in Florida and seeing 500 million sun sets they just don't trip my trigger like most. But this one was pretty cool just because we were in Ireland.Today we are heading back to Bangor and then as most of you know a few of us are heading to the big wedding. It is going to be crazy beautiful and the next time I really get to sleep will be in about 48 hours from now. I cringe to think that I won't have a bed for the next two nights but it will be sooo worth it. It is an opportunity of a lifetime that I'm glad is not passing me by. I think the hum of the city is going to be just amazing. After we get back to Bangor I will have some catching up on school work to do. And then on Tuesday and Wednesday and good friend from home, who has been backpacking all over Europe, is coming to visit me! I'm super excited to see him so hopefully I can get everything done before he gets here. So I will try to do my best but it might be awhile before I get a chance to post another blog. Look for me on TV, I have a shirt that says "Marry me instead" that I am wearing to the wedding. I will wave!
Until next time...
~Amy
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