The night that we got to Galway we went out to a club nearby and had the time of our lives, although the club was very different than the ones we are used to in Kingston it was still a lot of fun. We instantly regretted the decision to go out so late in the morning when we had to wake up early to get on a bus to go and explore The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher as long as the coast of Ireland.
We got on the bus and we were all feeling the effects of a late night. Our first stop was a cave tour, which we all chose not to embark on because it cost extra money. Instead we stayed outside and explored the area surrounding the cave. We got a birds eye view of the Burren and the area that we were about to explore. We also got to eat, which made us all feel a lot better. Then it was back on the bus for the next part of our excursion.
In the next part of our tour we found ourselves winding up a road that was certainly not built for a bus the size we were traveling in. It was a winding road up a hill that was much like the road in San Francisco. At the top we all got out to take pictures of the road and the view from the top of the hill we just climbed. Then it was back on the bus to our stop at the Cliffs of Moher. Although it was windy and raining, the view was absolutely fantastic! It was just simply breathtaking and a little nerve-wracking because of how close to the edge the pathway was. We walked along the path to O'Briens Castle. After exploring the "castle" that is more like a Tower we kept walking over to another part of the cliffs. Again we were all speechless. It is a wonderful sight and something that I could have only dreamed of being able to see.
After an hour or so at the cliff we again got back on the bus along the countryside. We saw the Aran Islands and passed a couple more castles. We also passed a lot of rabbits, baby sheep, baby calves and all kinds of other animals, much to the delight of our bus driver who made sure to stop at every opportunity to point out how cute all these animals were. I must admit, the newborn baby sheep and cows were simply adorable but after a while I got sick of stopping just to stare at them since they were around every corner.
We were off the bus again at a very beautiful coastline. The water was so rough, however, that it was coming over the sides of the rocks and spraying everyone. Since it was already so cold and wet out, everyone took their pictures and very quickly got back on the bus. We stopped at a couple more castles and to see yet some more rabbits and then we were back to where we had started. It was a long day, but extremely wonderful and I would not have traded it for the world. We also met some really cool people that were sitting around us on the bus and being able to talk to them was an experience I would not have traded for the world.
After getting back to Galway we went to see the University of Galway with Siobhan. It is an absolutely beautiful campus. That night Siobhan had a house party because it was the end of the semester for the kids in Ireland. We all decided to crash early despite the loud music because we all knew we had to get back on a bus to Dublin in the morning and we did not want a repeat of the bus trip around the Burrens.
We arrived in Dublin early afternoon and went and did all the exploring that all people that would visit Dublin would do. We saw the spire and the Guinness Factory. What was most amazing about this was the gravity bar at the top that allowed us to see Dublin from the top of the city, the skyline. While we were admiring the skyline we saw a rainbow in the distance. It was a good feeling to see a rainbow in the place where the idea of leprechauns started. We passed a couple churches and Christ Church as well as a few other famous landmarks before getting stuck in a rain and hail storm that was the hardest rain we have seen since being in Europe. We were standing under the overhang to the "Castle of Dublin: which was nothing more than a couple arches before deciding to run back to the hostel. It was there we stayed to dry off and get ready to go out for a pub crawl that night.
The pub crawl was great because Lena and Sarah and I ended up in a pub that was full of live music, like in the movie PS I Love You. It was a wonderful experience and I really enjoyed the live music a lot more than I thought I would. We headed back to the hostel as soon as the music was over and went to bed before our flight back to England in the morning.
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