Doolin and the Cliffs

The tour bus was a great call. I was expecting a bus full of old people, but instead I was greeted by 6 other travellers...equipped with 2 cases of beer for the ride. So instead of having an informative and quiet trip down the coast, we had an AWESOME time drinking in the backseat and chatting it up...the Irish countryside as our backdrop.

We stopped in Doolin for lunch. Now I was expecting a small town, but definitely not this small. The whole town was comprised of maybe twenty or so buildings...restaurants and bars mostly. And there were maybe about thirty or so houses in the surrounding area. I ordered some amazing Irish pot pie for lunch (along with some potatoes and veggies, of course). After dropping my bags off at the hostel, we all piled back onto the tour bus and drove up to the cliffs.

Breathtaking would be an understatement. I think ball-shrinking would be more spot on. I walked straight up to the edge of these sea cliffs, jutting straight up from the water about several hundred feet high. It was petrifying. Even the great pictures I took cannot really do them justice. There were so many colors on the cliffs and the water below. The constant gusts of wind were like friendly hands pushing you closer. I really wanted to jump.

The bus driver dropped me off a couple miles outside of town, and I walked the rest of the way down the hill. I passed a cool looking castle overlooking the bay. I could see HUGE waves in the distance. I hear these waves are just as big as Pipeline's on windy days when the swells are high. I was sooooooo lucky to have good weather. I had always thought that England/Ireland/Scotland all had shit weather, and all the locals I talked to said I was the luckiest visitor ever to come during those few days of sunshiney bliss.

I finally got to my hostel on the river. Exhausted, I decided to take a nap in the grass. I was awoken by a little girl and her dog. She was tossing rocks into the river while the dog chased them and barked at them. I just love it when little kids speak English with accents. So cute. Even the dog was barking with an Irish accent.

The hostel manager was named Karl, and we had a few good talks that night. He was really helpful and friendly. He recommended I get some real Irish stew at a local pub for dinner. So I took his advice. I wasn't expecting the huge, steamy bowl they brought me. Along with home-made bread, some fries, and a Guiness, I was set. The stew was so good- full of hearty chunks of Irish beef, potatoes and carrots, and the best brown gravy soup ever. I was so full I could barely finish my fries and beer. Now that's when I love shelling out 20euros for a meal.

I slept well that night, obviously. Except for my snoring girl roomie. And a stupid door that insisted on creaking all night. But I awoke to another beautiful Irish day. I had a cup of tea outside with a cute little Czech girl. Then surfed the internet a bit before hopping back on the tour bus to head back to Galway. We stopped again at the cliffs and a few more places.

It was a good way to end my trip (oh yah, did I mention that I'm done?). I'm sitting here in Dublin Airport right now (after a horrible night's sleep on this stupid bench) getting ready to hop on a plane to Madrid, and then back to Atlanta.

I'm a little sad, but I've had my share of adventures. At least I was left with a great last image of Europe...those sea cliffs, towering high above the ocean...conquering all who challenge them.