Today I woke up early since I wanted to see how far the walk into the city Centre was and to findthe tour company so I can get my ticket. I woke up at 7:00 and had a nice breakfast at 7:30. I'm used to having baked beans for breakfast now. I was hoping they have a selection of Irish bread to try but they only had wheaten bread.
I left the hotel at 8:00. I told a different and longer route to get to town about 35 minutes. I took the shorter way back (25 minutes). I don't know what I was thinking in picking this hotel, but at dinner today it occurred to me that today was good day and I finally realized that I'm on vacation for myself and should be a relaxing one with the right amount of activities.
I was a bit disorientated since I took a different route. I had to consult my map to get my bearings. I found the Lally Tours ticket office and exchanged my confirmation email for tickets for the bus and the ferry. The bus wasn't going to leave until 9:30 so I had time to wander around to see Eyre Square and the shops. A section of the park was cornered off. They still have the 'Occupation' movement here. There was about ten tents in the sectioned off area. I got to the bus about 15 minutes early and the bus looked full already. At 9:30, we headed off. I got to see that Galway had a nice beach and waterfront area. The water is sooo blue. We had to travel down the coast outside of Galway for the ferry. I was unfortunate in sitting on the opposite side of the water. I did see a lot of expensive looking houses looking towards the water.
By the time we got to the ferry, the boat was almost full. There were a lot of tour groups going to the island. I sat upstairs in the opened part. It was very windy and the water was very choppy. It rained a few times each lasting a few minutes. I was heading to Inis Mor the largest of the three Aran Islands and where most tourist goes for the day. When I got there, it was raining so I decided to do the driving tour where a mini van drives you around showing the major sights. It cost the same as renting a bike for the day, €10. I think the drive was the most informative. There were many mini vans lined up looking for business. Since I didn't know which one good and didn't want to do it alone, I made sure the tour guide had people with him first. At the end, there were four of us. First the guide can us the load down of the economy which was interesting. Inis Mor economy is 50% fishing, 40% tourism, 5% farming, and 5% weaving. He also told us that in order to have property on the island, you have to be a native or marry in. Or you can buy the house but can't develop on it. I think the island is very lovely and don't mind living there but what would I do!
The guide took us straight to Dun Aonghasa, a fort that overlooks a cliff, first so we can beat the crowds. He was quick and only about 15 people were around up in the Fort. To get there, there was a €3 admission and a rocky walk up to the top. It took about 20 minutes to get to the top. Once at the top, it was beautiful with all that water a day the cliff. What was scary was that the edge of the cliff was not roped off or anything. People can dangle their feet over the edge. Of course, I only went up to about ten feet from the edge. According to the guide, there was only one person who stepped over the edge on five years. Apparently, the guy was trying to take a picture of the other cliffs and didn't see that he had stepped out too far. There were a lot of witnesses.
The guide us to explore Dun Aonghasa for under two hours. We had time to grab lunch at the cafe. I had vegetable soup and it was very good. After we went to the seven churches (ruins) and we also saw the only circular house on the island. Then we went to see the last lighthouse at this side of the Atlantic. If you keep going west, the next lighthouse would be in Newfoundland. We got to walk down to the shore. The lighthouse is in its own separate rocky island. The whole Inis Mor is covered with rocks. In order to have grass growing or soil, people would bring up sand from the beach and then bring up seaweed to cover the sand and the seaweed would decompose. You only need about 4 inches of soil to grow potatoes. Next, the guide took us back to the main village through the coastal road. Usually, there would be seals sunning in the afternoon, but we didn't see any. I did see a seal's head poking out in the water.
The guide dropped us off at the Aran Sweater Market. There was suppose to be a sweater museum but I didn't see it. The tour was very reasonable, €10 for 3 1/2 hours. At the sweater market I went a little crazy ignoring my budget. They had shipping for a good price so I bought a few items. My purchases are supporting the locals since they made the items.
The ferry back to the mainland didn't depart until 17:00, but we did have a full ferry going. I went to wait at the docks until it was time to board. I think I took a little nap on the ferry and on the bus ride back to the city. It was a long day. I decided after getting off the bus, I would have dinner at the hotel. It was a long walk back and we didn't get back to the city until 19:00. I was really hungry by the time I returned to the hotel. I just dropped my stuff off and went to the bar for bar food. I had a steak sandwich. At home, this would be an open face sandwich, but here the steak is in between a crusty bun, served with salad and a bowl of chips (thick cut french fries).
Now, I'm in the lobby (only one using wifi) surrounded by Italian people playing cards and talking very loudly. I can't tell if they are swearing or not. After every hand, they just talk very loud, particularly this one table. At least tomorrow I don't have to wake up so early.
Tomorrow's agenda: The Burren tour, Cliffs of Moher
"What was scary was that the edge of the cliff was not roped off or anything. People can dangle their feet over the edge. Of course, I only went up to about ten feet from the edge."
ReplyDeleteWha?! That is way too dangerous.