18 June 2012
Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, Ennis (County Clare)
Because of our late night shenanigans and because Chappy's alarm didn't go off, we woke up ten minutes before we had to be in the taxi, so that was an exciting morning. We got everything together though (we had mostly packed the previous night before going out), so that was good. I ate the apple turnover I had bought the previous day in the car.
After a long, twisty drive, we made it to the Cliffs of Moher, which were beautiful. We went through an exhibit about the cliffs, which talked about their formation, climate, wildlife, myths, and those that live in the area (including some neat interactive stuff at each station!). The exhibit ended in a really cool 3D-like virtual reality movie that showed the cliffs and wildlife, from the perspective of the animals. Then we actually went out onto the cliffs, which were amazing. I got so many great panoramic pictures. Megan and I paid the extra €2 to go up in O'Brien's Tower, a little castle-y type thing on the cliffs which had a fantastic view. One part of the cliffs which was amusing yet sad was that next to the most dangerous part of the cliffs (easiest to jump off of), there was a sign that said "Need to talk? Call Samaritans." and gave a number. =/ We said hi to the cows up on the cliffs, and then it was time to go.
We then got back in the van and headed to Bunratty Castle (via a small hotel restaurant for lunch, where I got an Irish coffee [tasty!]). The Bunratty Folk Park had a bunch of old medieval houses, and in one of them we got to help churn some butter (though since our time was limited, we didn't stay until the end, so we didn't get to try any on the [probably] delicious Irish bread that was next to it). In another house, a woman was starting to make an apple pie from scratch. We also saw a lot of farm animals, and pet a super soft donkey (some of the girls kissed him too). The tiny pony didn't want to walk over and say hi to us; he stayed outside of petting distance (as did the sheep, and the cows). Bootheel chased a rooster around for a bit, trying to make friends. The piggies, however, were very excited to see us. The castle itselfw as smaller than I would've thought/smaller than other castles I've seen (I think it was an earl's or a lord's castle, rather than a king's), but it was pretty neat nonetheless. As we were meandering our way back to the van through the shops (full of handmade things, of course!), it started to downpour; just enough to get us thoroughly soaked for the rest of the ride.
We arrived at our hostel in Ennis around 5:30pm or so, and I think I liked this hostel the best of the three. Our 8-bed room was so huge, and there's two computers downstairs that are free to use. After a short but much-needed nap, Airriell, Olivia, Chappy, Megan, and I all went out to eat. Airriell was really missing pizza, so we found an Italian place, which was super tasty. I had Carbonara, which was really creamy and delicious.
Later, we stopped back at the hostel to pick up Alie and Bootheel and drop off Airriell and Olivia before going back out on the (tiny, retirement-seeming) town. First we went to the this bar called YOLO (You Only Live Once), which we found hilarious. It was pretty modern and seemed out of place--more an American bar than an Irish pub. Yet again there was live music--playing everything from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here to Call Me Maybe. A few days after our departure they were supposed to have a band called "Plan B" playing there. At YOLO. ... In other news, they had a cocktail called "Jelly Baby" and a shooter that was "Baby Guinness"--supposedly Tia Maria and Bailey's (unfortunately I did not try either of these drinks).
We then made our way down the street to a pub called Dan O'Connell's that also had a live band, which played traditional Irish music, Mumford and Sons, MGMT, and of course, Johnny Cash. An older (~40s) drunk guy kept coming over the dance with Chappy, which was amusing. At one point he got all of the rest of us to get up and dance as well. Interestingly enough, after midnight, they shut the front door and blocked it with a table and stack of chairs, I guess to prevent more people from coming in, while still allowing the party to continue inside. There had been an Ireland Euro Cup game that evening, so the pub was pretty packed with football fans and just normal bargoers. Ennis really does roll up its streets though. Most businesses were closed by 5pm, and most bars (or at least the front doors) closed between 10pm and midnight.
19 June 2012
Ennis, Limerick
So this morning I woke up and breakfast at the hostel--pretty much the same breakfast that was served at every hostel--cornflakes, toast, coffee, and orange juice. The only difference was that I had to wash my own dishes here, unlike at all of the other hostels. Then I finally mailed my postcards (which haven't gotten here yet, and it's almost been a month [July 17], so it's highly likely that they are lost somewhere between Ennis and Chicago D=), and took a walk around town, which only took about half the day. It's a cute little town, but it seems like somewhere to raise a family and/or retire, not to visit as a tourist, so I'm not really sure why it was included on our tour [for those of you who followed my blog when I was in Germany, Ennis is smaller (or maybe similarly sized) than Holzkirchen].
For lunch I had a doner [FINALLY] from a place called Abrakebabra. Irish doners are quite different from German döners (and it's not just the ümlaut). It's got Irish lamb, cabbage, and red cabbage, and then there is a red and white sauce that tastes a tad bit spicy. it was tasty and interesting.
I then went back to the hostel and just hung out there for a bit before our last game. We got a coach bus to the game instead of a small taxi van! We ended up playing tag rugby again because their insurance had ended in May. Fortunately, we're starting to get the hang of it, and they weren't as good as the teams we played on Saturday (or at least cared less), so we didn't embarrass ourselves too much (though we did still lose). Another difference was that this team also normally plays 15s tackle, whereas the teams at the tournament are full on 7s tag rugby teams and train as such. I almost made a try, but I was tagged and I dove into the try line (~simultaneously, as I touched the ball down), which isn't allowed in tag for some reason.
After the game a few of us went out to get some dinner. I finally had the (infamous) taco fries that Alie and Bootheel had been talking about all week. They were pretty good, kind of like nachos supreme on fries instead of tortilla chips. We then went to a pub for our last night out and listened to some nice traditional Irish music. Some creepy guy (~40s, again) who was super drunk kept talking to us about rugby, among other things, and it was a bit awkward.
We left the pub a bit after midnight, and went back to our hostel room and drank some Bulmer's cider and rum and coke that we had bought earlier on our dinner adventure. We had quite a fun time just team bonding at the hostel, Ireland style.
20 June 2012
Ennis, Dublin, Airplane over the Atlantic, Chicago
So the hostel was really nice and put breakfast out early just for us (we had to leave at 6:45am, and normally breakfast isn't served until 7:30am). We then all piled into our coach bus and headed to the Dublin airport (arriving ~30 minutes later than planned). We said bye to Olivia as she met up with her dad and brother, and then proceeded into the airport. We got our boarding passes, checked out bags, and went through security, and then, interestingly enough, we went through customs. I've never done customs prior to getting on the plane before, usually it's upon landing. But this was US Pre-Clearance, and after asking all the necessary questions, the guy stamped my passport and said, "Welcome to the United States," despite the fact that I was still in Dublin. It was quite odd and I was stressed out since I thought we were going to be late. That stress continued when we got to the departure/arrival boards, which said "last call" for our plane. Luckily that just meant last call for customs, and we had at least another half an hour before they even began boarding Group 1 (we were Group 6).
On the plane I watched Winnie the Pooh (the new one, which was cute), Happy Feet 2 (surprisingly not awful like many cartoon sequels are; I actually enjoyed it), and Jeff at Home (this was interesting...still not sure whether I liked it or not). i also took a short nap (fell asleep during Jeff at Home, and rewinding on an airplane tv with no chapter select is very irritating). Then, I was home!
(pint glass count: 3)
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And now, I want to go back. The weather was much better than this disgusting heat wave. 60s>100s.
Co Clare Pics!
