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After a car ride to the train station, a train to Rome, a bus to the airport, a flight to Dublin, a bus to a hostel for a few hours of sleep, a tram to the train station, and a train to Galway I arrived at the starting point of my real adventure. I first needed to fuel up at a local pub with a Guinness and traditional Irish breakfast of eggs and about five different sausages and hams. Guinness from the tap is AMAZING! The bartender recommended a bike rental store and I walked through Eyre Square and picked up the bike that was to be my trusted steed for the next four days. I immediately headed out of Galway following the coast on a gorgeous sunny day with a refreshing breeze off the ocean. Strange to be riding on the wrong side of the road!
My first realization that I was actually in Ireland with a bike to take me wherever I wanted to go was on the tip of this point looking out at the sea. I also realized here that I was going to be fighting a remarkable wind for my entire ride.
An oyster shell. The town of Clarinbridge advertised itself as the oyster capital of the world and has an annual oyster festival.
I walked around the point on the beach and eventually found this little dirt track, which led me back to the paved road.
About 30 swans all of a sudden appeared on this inlet where the Kilcolgan River enters the ocean.
The Dunguaire Castle just outside of Kinvarra. By this point the wind was really picking up and a sprinkle had decided to start drilling me in the face so I decided to call it quits in Kinvarra for the night.
On top of Dunghaire Castle in one of the strongest winds I've ever experienced.
A traditional Galway Hooker bobs in the harbor.
The view of the Burren from Bernie and Niamh's house, Pullnah Uisce (the Watering Hole), on Tuesday morning. It was an interesting situation finding a place to stay Monday night. I found that the B&Bs in Kinvarra were too expensive and one lady directed me to a hostel just outside of town. This was just some guy's house that he's been slowly expanding into a hostel and so his relatively small facility was full. He, however, called some friends--Bernie and Niamh (pronounced "Neeve")--who agreed to put me up for the night. They turned out to be incredibly hospitable and their boys Seamas and Eoghan (7 and 4 respectively) were very excited to have someone new to play with (they are home schooled). We had dinner together, watched a movie, and when the kids went to bed Bernia, Niamh, and I jammed on guitars, drums, and voices playing some traditional Irish tunes, Bob Marley classics, and originals that Bernie wrote. This was possibly one of the most poignant experiences of my trip to Ireland and I am infintely grateful for this family's incredible hospitality and unprompted friendship.
Another Galway Hooker in the Kinvarra harbor.
After the rain stopped (sort of) around 2PM I left Pullnah Uisce and got to the Burren a few wet and windy hours later. The incredible limestone formations of these hills are very distinctive from far away but walking on them is even more remarkable.
Lunch on the road consisted of an orange from the hostel in Dublin, a chocolate bar from the Dolomites, and sandwiches made of bread from Italy, jelly from Dublin, and black raspberries from the roadside. The black raspberries were still in prime harvesting season and supplied me with endless snacks throughout my ride across the Irish countryside.
My walk from the road to Eagle's Nest on Slieve Carran.
Eagle's Rock is an an abandoned church that was erected next to a cave where a saint lived. I don't remember when the saint lived or what his name was.
Here's the cave!
These woods were more like a rainforest in the middle of a harsh, rocky landscape. Pretty interesting.
Cool flower. There many interesting flowers in Ireland.
Clare's Rock Hostel in Carran with my trusty Alfa. The plastic bag on the seat is there because of the drizzle that set in today and lasted until the end of my trip.
Ireland's largest turlough, or disappearing lake, is a result of a peat bog that lies on top of the karst limestone landscape of the Burren. The fissures and caves that have formed over millions of years of corrosion by slightly acidic rainwater allow water to drain from the valley. The lake, which is about two kilometers long and about one kilometer wide, can fill to a depth of about 50 meters and then drain completely in a period of about three days.
the only pub/restaurant in the tiny hamlet of Carran.
Clareconnel Fort.
The Pulnabrone Dolmen marks a burial mound that was constructed between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago during the Neolithic Period.
Low tide in Ballyvaughan.
An abandoned church off the road just west of Ballyvaughan.
This is just one of many castles I saw off in the distance and didn't have time to check out. The sheep was more interested in just checking me out.
I ate lunch at this lighthouse at the head of Galway Bay.
My first exposure to cliffs on the real Atlantic coast of Ireland.
A beach with big waves. Apparently surfing is a growing pastime in Ireland.
Glacial erratic!
An example of the fissures carved in the limestone of the Burren near the coast as I rode between Fanore and Doolin on my way to Lisdoonvarna.
Crazy tree breaking apart some ruins.
Lisdoonvarna is the home of an annual matchmaking festival during the month of September, which I did not know about until I got there. Mostly people over the age of 50 come from all over the world to meet the love of their lives. It was funny seeing hundreds of foreigners in this tiny little town in the country. I met a kilted Scotsman in a bar Wednesday night while listening to some Irish music. I also met the guy who brews three beers specifically for that bar while there and tried both their black stout (much like a Guinness) and a red ale, both of which were very good.
Lisdoonvarna's main square shows the old folks dancing.
Another castle between Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher. They're everywhere!
The Cliffs of Moher were my ultimate destination for my bike trip and I made it!
O'Brien's tower on top of the Cliffs of Moher.
Here is most of the tickets and maps required to get me to my destination an back. I took a bus back to Galway from the Cliffs of Moher, returned my bike, took a train back to Dublin, spent the night in the Dublin airport, flew back to Rome, and took a train back to Coldigioco on the 20th. What an amazing trip!
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