West Coast Adventures

"In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs."

~Sir John Pentland Mahaffy

So far, this quote has proven to be true in spectacular ways! I got up early this morning to blog for you all before heading into Galway for my first Irish mass, and it seems as though this is our third morning in a row without rain! Hallelujah! Of course, I can tell by the dark clouds that have filled that sky that this will not be the case all day, but at least I get to wake up to birds singing, right?

The last couple of days have been packed full of adventure! On Friday, we got up early and headed right to the coast to catch a ferry for our day at the Aran Islands. We decided as a group that the best way to explore Inis Mor, the main island we were on, was on bike. So, we rented bikes (paid for by the school...thank you, CSBSJU!) and took off down along the coast. We had a group of about 6 or 8, and unfortunately, we ended up going the wrong direction for about an hour! We hit a dead end on one of the most beautiful islands in the world - just our luck! The scenery was beautiful, but we were a little upset that we went so far out of our way. We went back to the village (Kilronan) and grabbed something to eat while we regrouped and figured out where exactly to go next. We ended up biking atround most of the island after that - we explored an old lighthouse, rode along the beach, and rested at the seal lookout. We were rushed for time, but we made it back to the village with enough time to spare to look around the world-famous sweater market. And yes, I bought my Irish sweater! Last night, I wore it around the cottage, and it is almost miraculous how warm it keeps you! We had about 10 minutes for 5 of us to purchase our items and run around to the other side of the bay and hop on the ferry, so on a whim, I also grabbed a wool scarf. So far, I love them both!

After returning to the Park Lodge that night, we took our alotted one shower of about every 3 days (not as bad as you might think!) and got ready to head into Spiddal for some time at the pub. It was a beautiful night and about 7 of us made the 20 minute walk along the bay at night for an evening in Spiddal. We went to a couple of different pubs, one of which had real Irish music! We're pretty sure they were having a jam session with a banjo and a flute - it was so great!

On Saturday morning, we had to get up early once again, but this time we weren't entirely sure what for. You see, Chuck just called the Lally bus company and hired us a coach and requested that they do the same thing as last year - except, he wasn't sure what they did last year. Adventure ensues! We loaded the bus, headed into Galway to get a different bus driver, and embarked on what turned into a tour of almost all of western Ireland. It was so much fun! We spent a lot of time on the bus, which could have been awful, if it wasn't for our hilarous bus driver. I snuck a shot of him right here. :) He is your classic Irish hippy, we decided - earring and everything. He literally did not stop talking for the 6 or 7 hours of our tour! We seemed to know the history of everything, beginning every story with, "Let me just give you a brief history of this," or "Allow me to get off subject for a minute." He was more than entertaining! He reminded me of when my sister Amanda told me grandpa drover her around Great Oak, pointing out all sorts of things to her. You never quite know what to believe, because you know all Irishmen are full of bullshit, but part of you knows that they might actually know what the hell they're saying about this. My favorite line of the day came when he got to a newly-built intersection on a road he hadn't traveled in a couple of years: "Well, this is new then, isn't it? I was listening to the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" last night, so I don't know where the hell we'll end up!" Classic!

We stopped in the towns of Cong and Westport and drove through Connemara. Again, it was beautiful! I don't know how many more times I can say that about the landscape, but it's true! We went up to Croagh Patrick, and I decided that I will do that pilgrimage someday - it was such a peaceful place. We ended our journey back with a little Enya as we drove through the hills and valleys back to the Park Lodge. As I got off the bus, I said "Thank you," and he corrected me and taught me what I should say in Irish (they don't call it Gaelic here...they call it Irish). Naturally, I forgot how to say it already, but it was still pretty neat!

Well, I better go grab some breakfast and put on my rain gear. Since I sat down here, it started to rain, naturally.

Take care, everyone!