Our journey continues in Ireland with our first field trip together to the Aran Islands. Because this trip was only a one night stay from Saturday to Sunday, a lot of us decided to have a night out in Galway and in Spiddal. I hadn’t experienced the night life of Galway yet and found it to be very fun! It is similar to any college town, much like Kearney, where the young people were eager to get into the pubs to drink, mingle, and let loose from the hard work put in over the week. I also enjoyed this time because I got to spend a little more time with some of the people on the trip that I hadn’t really hung out with yet.
We took a ferry to the Aran Islands Saturday morning. It was rainy and cold and the ferry was fairly rocky. Standing up was definitely a challenge, but it was a fun experience. The group become delighted at the site of our bikes and were eager to take off on our tour. Martin was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the island. Our first stop was a goat farm that had been established only recently. Everyone loved to hold the kids (baby goats) and it was a nice way to warm up from our windy and cold bike ride so far. The man who owned the goat farm was very courageous to open it up on Inis More. He is the only man on the island who has a goat farm, he built his own facility, and it’s ran only by his family. Opening any business is a gamble, but in an economy such as the Aran Islands, it is even more of a challenge. Next, Martin took us along the coast of the island where the seal colony can often times be spotted. Although we were unable to see any, he told us their presence on the islands has actually become a pain for the fishermen. The seals are eating some of the fish population which would have been caught for the islanders to eat. However, the most notable of this route was the views of the ocean. Not only were they beautiful, we also a saw a rainbow where both ends can be seen. How magical it was to see this rainbow in Ireland!
Lastly, we saw the Dun Aengus, the Cliffs of Aran, and the Wormhole. This was a historical site because of the Dun Aengus fort built on the cliffs. Although it is not exactly known why this structure is here, it is still a remarkable thing to see. I assumed that because of its position, it was used as protection or a lookout of the bay before it. The site of the ocean seems to go on forever, and the cliff abruptly stops at a 90 degree angle. I found being at this site was quite inspiring. It reminded me of how big this world is and how much of it I haven’t seen yet. It reminded me of my zest to travel and to take in all the experiences that I possibly can. The Wormhole was a ways down from the fort, but still worth the trek. The limestone was carved out naturally by the water, which is odd because it carved out almost a perfect rectangle. Red Bull used this site for a diving competition last year. If it would have been available, I definitely would have went for a dive myself!
The bike ride was a blast and the views were unforgettable. The Aran Islands definitely proved itself to be worth its while and has been one of the highlights of my time in Ireland so far!
Until next time my friends...
We took a ferry to the Aran Islands Saturday morning. It was rainy and cold and the ferry was fairly rocky. Standing up was definitely a challenge, but it was a fun experience. The group become delighted at the site of our bikes and were eager to take off on our tour. Martin was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the island. Our first stop was a goat farm that had been established only recently. Everyone loved to hold the kids (baby goats) and it was a nice way to warm up from our windy and cold bike ride so far. The man who owned the goat farm was very courageous to open it up on Inis More. He is the only man on the island who has a goat farm, he built his own facility, and it’s ran only by his family. Opening any business is a gamble, but in an economy such as the Aran Islands, it is even more of a challenge. Next, Martin took us along the coast of the island where the seal colony can often times be spotted. Although we were unable to see any, he told us their presence on the islands has actually become a pain for the fishermen. The seals are eating some of the fish population which would have been caught for the islanders to eat. However, the most notable of this route was the views of the ocean. Not only were they beautiful, we also a saw a rainbow where both ends can be seen. How magical it was to see this rainbow in Ireland!
Lastly, we saw the Dun Aengus, the Cliffs of Aran, and the Wormhole. This was a historical site because of the Dun Aengus fort built on the cliffs. Although it is not exactly known why this structure is here, it is still a remarkable thing to see. I assumed that because of its position, it was used as protection or a lookout of the bay before it. The site of the ocean seems to go on forever, and the cliff abruptly stops at a 90 degree angle. I found being at this site was quite inspiring. It reminded me of how big this world is and how much of it I haven’t seen yet. It reminded me of my zest to travel and to take in all the experiences that I possibly can. The Wormhole was a ways down from the fort, but still worth the trek. The limestone was carved out naturally by the water, which is odd because it carved out almost a perfect rectangle. Red Bull used this site for a diving competition last year. If it would have been available, I definitely would have went for a dive myself!
The bike ride was a blast and the views were unforgettable. The Aran Islands definitely proved itself to be worth its while and has been one of the highlights of my time in Ireland so far!
Until next time my friends...