Doolin
Doolin, Ireland
October 3rd-6th
Taylor and I ate breakfast at the hostel before we went to catch the bus to Doolin. Once we got on the bus, it was three hours before we made it to Gallway. It was here that Tay and I had to figure out how to get to Doolin. We were dropped off at a bus station but after asking a few locals, we figured out we had to go to a different bus station to get to Doolin. We saw a bus in the distance (the last bus in a long line of coaches) that was labeled Doolin and we started to run.. literally. We didn't want to miss it knowing there wouldn't be another bus for a long time. Once we made it, the bus driver was clever (rude) and charged us much more than he should have. We chose to let it go because we really wanted to make this bus. A few bumpy hours later mixed with a couple of close call collisions we were in the tiny town.
Once we made it, we immediately checked in with our hostel and got settled into our room. We had a lot of space and decent WiFi so we were happy. Its the little things. We called the family to let them know we arrived and then headed out to see what this little town had to offer. When I say little, I mean VERY little. There are 4 bars/restaurants, 0 stop lights, and a lot of open land. This place is definitely one of my favorite places of our entire trip. It was cold and a little rainy as we walked to one of the nearest restaurants for a bite to eat. Again we were thanking ourselves for getting those jackets back in Dublin. Unfortunately, once we walked into the restaurant, they had just finished serving lunch and it was going to be a while before dinner. Originally we were going to wait it out but we were too hungry. We headed back to our hostel and got ham and cheese croissants to hold us over. Once we were back in our room, we began to make a plan for the next few days.
Eventually we were hungry enough for dinner and ventured back out into the elements. Our hostel recommended a restaurant called McDurmotts because they had the best live music on that particular night. We set out on the mile long walk and took in the peaceful serenity of our surroundings. This place has more shades of green than I knew existed. It is very beautiful. We made it to the bar and found a seat right away. Apparently we were early because the place filled up shortly after we arrived. We both ordered a beer and looked over the menu. I decided to get the lamb shank special and Taylor got soup and soda bread. My meal probably could have comfortably fed three people it was so huge. Of course it was okay because it was so delicious.
We eventually gave up our table and moved to the bar so another party could sit and enjoy a meal. The music hadn't started yet so we got another beer and waited. My sister and I aren't very good with our timing we figured out. We were getting sleepy and eventually paid for our meal and drinks all before anyone started playing music (music was to start at 9:30 pm). We told ourselves we would do better the next day and called it a night. Walking home in the dark in a town with little to no streetlights while cars drive on the opposite side of the road was an intense experience. The cars were fast and blinding. It wasn't until later that we realized they are used to people walking on the streets and it became a little less intimidating.
We made it in our rooms and got our clothes ready to drop off the next morning. We saw a place on the way to the restaurants that advertised washing laundry for very cheap! This was a plus since the last time we washed clothes was in Paris.. Eventually we hung up our wet clothes to dry and hit the sheets. Traveling is tiring.
When we got up the following morning, we got ready to drop our laundry off on the way to see the caves of Doolin. We chose this day to see the caves because we knew it was going to be cloudy and rainy. According to the map, the caves were 4km away. We were a little ambitious and decided this would be a good morning walk. After about 30 minutes of walking up and down the hills, around the winding roads, and dodging traffic, we found this to be a little more than we bargained for. We toughed it out and made it, dreading the walk back the entire time.
Taylor carrying our laundry to the buildings you see on the right.
Taylor walks much faster than me. I am always trying to keep up!
Once inside, we immediately bought tickets and waited for the tour guide. We walked around the little gift shop and familiarized ourselves with a little history of the caves. They were discovered in the 1950's by two young college students who spent a lot of time digging their way to the center. Our tour guide showed up and we started our tour. We wore hard hats and got to see the largest stalactite in the Northern Hemisphere. It is over 30 feet long. CRAZY!
Our tour guide overheard Taylor and I telling some people in our group that we had walked to the caves from Doolin. After the tour, he offered to drive us back to Doolin which was on his way home. I know my mom is screaming at me while reading this.. The people in this town were so nice and this is just one example of many more that we encountered. He dropped us off at the restaurant we wanted to eat at and wouldn't take a cent that we offered (for the tour or the ride). The people in this town were like no others. We walked inside McGann's Pub and were the only people here. Both of us got the soup and shared some nachos. It was SO good. We made plans to come back to this restaurant that night for dinner.
I walked to the drivers side forgetting they drove on the opposite side of the road. He laughed at me and asked me to go to the other side.
When we arrived back at our hostel we took the opportunity to rest. The morning walk we really took it out of us. Eventually we made it back out to McGann's and had a great dinner. According to the locals, this was the place for music tonight. The pub filled up quickly and the music started playing. We ended up sharing a table with a couple and left shortly after we were finished. It was crowded and there were many people looking for a place to sit. The food was great as well. We ended up walking back to the bar we ate at the night before to see what was going on there. We got a seat at the bar and ordered a drink. They had music as well but it wasn't nearly as crowded as McGanns.
Taylor and I aren't considered night owls, that's for sure. We always seem to make it to bed by 10 o'clock. Of course we were fine with this considering tomorrow was a big day for us. It is the thing I was most excited to do in Ireland! We needed a good nights sleep before we were going to head to the Cliffs of Moher!
The next morning I was so excited I couldn't stand it. We walked all the way to the end of the pier to catch a bus that would take us to the cliffs. The weather was very windy but very beautiful considering the gloomy weather we had the day before. We took our time and couldn't help but take pictures of our surroundings. My words and our photos do not do this place justice.
We caught the bus right in time and made our way to the cliffs. This was a short ride. We were told we had a few hours before the driver would be back to pick us up. Once we got to the cliffs, you couldn't really see how magnificent they were right off the bat. We walked up to see the light house first. As we got closer, we definitely realized we were in a beautiful place.
The view from the light house.
After spending some time at the lighthouse, we decided to grab a bite to eat before making the journey to the cliffs. There was a cute little restaurant where I got a salad and Taylor got a soup. She really is obsessed. It was unique being inside the restaurant because it was built into the side of the hill. It was very efficient and overall a really neat place to look out at the scenery.
It is impossible to describe the feeling while being on the edge of these cliffs. The wind was so strong it felt like it could lift you right off the top. The view literally takes the breath right from your lungs. Taylor and I walked as far as we could along the edge of thes cliffs until we had no choice but to turn back to make our bus. Eventually we were the only people left to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. It was so hard for us to walk back. This quickly became my favorite part of the trip. I am truly blessed.
The lighthouse we were standing at in the previous pictures.
It was so windy. This is a little pathway that we could walk along for part of the way.
Again, no photo will do this justice. Hands down the most incredible moment I have ever experienced up to this point. When we were finished visiting the cliffs, we rode the bus back to Doolin. Taylor and I picked up our laundry and made our way back to the hostel. We decided to go to the only restaurant left that we hadn't eaten at. We had a nice little dinner and walked the mile back to McGann's for a night cap. We enjoyed a beer and listened to some more Irish music.
We walked back slowly knowing it was our last night in this little town. We had plans to leave relatively early in the morning to head out to Limerick. Doolin was a success.
Peace & Love,
Savannah