The day began at 8. I waited for Eden in the common area downstairs by the fireplace and listened to some Irish tunes coming from the hostel owner's office for a while. She came down eventually and said it sounded like our house at Christmas.
As we were walking out I discovered that the music was coming, not from a cd as I had assumed, but from the hostel owner, who was playing a mandolin. Now isn't that something? (He's pretty cute too.)
Had bfast at a hostel cafe (not ours, because bfast isnt served there before 9). I had my first hot chocolate in Ireland! I thought my heart would expolde with happiness. I also had my second favorite breakfast item on earth, cereal, and Eden had a scone. I find myself surveying the Irish youth for potential mates who might aid me in my newly-discovered quest to immigrate to Ireland.. Eden thinks our mandolin-playing hostel owner with a gorgeous Irish accent is married but I'll have to check on that.
Our first fairy sighting in Ireland was a little anticlimactic. It was named The Happy Hooker.
When we arrived on inisheer (spelled inis oirr) half an hour later we declined several tours to see the island via bus, horse and/or bike, opting instead to walk. I hadn't researched the public attractions ahead of time but Eden's plan of "follow the horse shit" worked just as well. She said it would be like our version of playing Hansel and Gretel.
When we arrived on inisheer (spelled inis oirr) half an hour later we declined several tours to see the island via bus, horse and/or bike, opting instead to walk. I hadn't researched the public attractions ahead of time but Eden's plan of "follow the horse shit" worked just as well. She said it would be like our version of playing Hansel and Gretel.
We followed the rock walls past horses and cows grazing in very narrow plots. The roads were paved. Growing wild among the stones were blackberry vines, dandelion, daisies and some purple flowers I don't know the name of. The flowers in the burren made me think of Cicely Mary Barker, author of my beloved childhood books, Flower Fairies.
One of the main attractions the van and buggy drivers and bicycle shop owners inadvertently advertised to us fo' free was a shipwreck on the far side of the island. It was pure luck that we arrived at all of our destinations, the ship, the restaurant, even the bathroom, before the larger group that came over on the ferry with us descended.
The ship was mostly rusted away but we could actually go inside and it was appropriately eerie. There were lots of cool plants and graffiti, as you can see in the rest of the pictures at the end.
The ship was mostly rusted away but we could actually go inside and it was appropriately eerie. There were lots of cool plants and graffiti, as you can see in the rest of the pictures at the end.
Walking around the island felt like we stepped into the Secret of Roan Inish. The island is 4 square kilometers and has a population of 252 precisely. Most of the area is pastureland lined with a maze of rock walls.
Today was very foggy - Eden said this was what everything looked like without her glasses so she was as blissful as ever. We saw a lot of robins chirping from various fence posts. The sound of horse shoes hitting pavement echoed in the fog. I felt like Iccabad Crane at times, listening to sounds amplified a hundred times, but in a more peaceful way.
At the restaurant/bar we saw yet another picture of JFK. Eden informed me that in a show she watched about an Irish priest somebody claimed that JFK, the pope and Elvis were the holy trinity.
We missed our ferry to Doolin but, my god, everyone was so nice to us today! The boat captain of the next ferry said to hop on because he was taking people to the cliffs of moher (which we had paid for) after dropping those not seeing the cliffs off at the Doolin dock.
I loved watching how the ferry broke the water up so that the darkest blue was next to the lightest. As we were pulling into the dock I even saw a dolphin. Once all the middle-aged ladies saw it they went crazy. Apparently they never grew out of their 90's Lisa Frank phase.
I stood the whole half hour to the cliffs and back because you could feel the boat rocking better that way. The waves got choppier the closer we got to the cliffs - so exhilarating! It was not a great day to see them because it was so foggy but riding on the boat was fantastic anyway. Better even than snow at Christmas (and probably just as cold). It was my life or pictures the closer we got to the cliffs and I made a rash decision and went with my life. I did snag a few when we were still a ways away from that rock in the foreground, which was as close as we got.
I found out later that the Cliffs of Moher, besides being a big tourist attraction, have been in several films including the 6th Harry Potter movie and The Princess Bride. Sweet as.
We are now at our cozy hostel sitting next to a toasty orange blaze listening to the hostel owner's music, which was bob Dylan a minute ago and is now some soothing for contrast. Great smell of burning logs - like incense. We had dinner at a really cute cafe where the windows were fogged up except for a small oval where the candle flames had melted the condensation. Super cozy on a 10 or so degree Celsius night. After that we read in the hostel lobby by a popping fire and then turned in at a much too reasonable hour.
More pics of the day below.
Passed a football game. The dog was eagerly running to and from the ball, trying to engage in the game.
Eden said this is what happens to bad fairies. What kind of flower is this?
It's beached as bro! (NZ joke..)
Still life aboard.
Bulmers is my drink of choice here.
Our ferry, the Happy Hooker.
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