Galway-Aran Islands

On May 18 we woke up at 8:20 and caught the 9:25 bus out of Cork to Galway. We have truly become travel warriors. Here's an example. Grace and Laura wanted bagels (they are food twins) from the bagel place that opens at 9 in Cork, so we went to the bus station, everyone dropped their stuff, I watched it while they ran there to be the first in line as it opened, got the bagels, and made it back to the station before the bus left. It might not have been completely necessary but we still tackled it successfully.

Grace eating her bagel with Nutella on the bus

After a four hour and twenty minute bus ride we arrived in Galway. First order of business was buying ferry tickets so that we could reach the Aran Islands that night. Check. Second order of business was finding a post office to mail Laura's stuff at. Check. Third order of business was shopping.

Galway is pretty much the jewelry capital of Ireland and all three of us love jewelry so it was bound to be a fun and expensive day. Grace and I got matching trinity rings and Grace also got claddagh earrings that had the trinity. Laura got a little treble clef pendent too which was so cute. We also got many gifts for people and had a great time shopping.

Matching Trinity Rings

And then it was time to go to the ferry. We hopped on a bus that took us to the pier about an hour away and then slipped into the ocean to go over to the Aran Island of Inishmor. When we got off the ferry at Inishmor it was raining which was a bummer but we put up our hoods and found our hostel, called the Artist's Hostel (also the only hostel I could find on the island). However, when we got there we were told that the three of us would not be able to stay in the same room like planned because the owner's nephew had stopped by the hostel and he needed a place to stay with his two friends. No, she did not split up his group of three, just ours.

The bar Ti Joe Watty's was just a three minute walk from our hostel so we headed there for dinner and craic. Laura and I both got the vegetable soup with brown bread (typical Irish fare) and Grace had the chef's special pasta. Grace and Laura also split dessert, which became a theme throughout our travels.

We wanted to wait for the live music which we hoped would be traditional, but instead we got "music and comedy" from this very small man who had a Napoleon complex and kept telling the patrons to be quiet. The best part of his show was easily the "disco accordion." He basically had a beat going and just jammed out with his accordion.

Our roommates (the hostess's nephew and his friends) were also there and a little over-served. But they hadn't been actually over-served, they had brought a water bottle full of vodka and pre-gamed at the hostel. His name was Richard and he was really classy. He did come over to our table and chat with us but he was very drunk.

Disco Accordion!

We eventually went back to the hostel because we were exhausted from the fast-paced schedule I had made. Grace and I shared a bed in one room and Laura was in another room. After a little while Richard came back from the pub and we had a pretty funny conversation with him. Then his one friend came back and sat on our bed and talked to us for a while. We asked them where the third friend was but they said that they didn't know. Eventually Grace said that she heard him come back. Apparently he forgot the hostel he was staying in and ran around the island twice trying to find it. At least they provided us with some entertainment.

Blarney-Cork

The Sisters on the top of Blarney Castle

The next day the four of us woke up after sleeping in a little and headed out into Cork. The first order of business was getting Brittany on a bus back to Dublin so that she could catch her flight back to Chicago the next day. We dropped her off at the bus station and then got on our own bus to Blarney, home of Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone.

Blarney Castle

The bus ride was about twenty minutes. We got off the bus and to Blarney Castle no problem. It was kind of a cloudy day, but Blarney Castle was amazing as always; I think it is probably my favorite castle in Ireland, even if Rick Steves totally pans it in his guide to Ireland. It is a really pretty castle that feels like a castle (as opposed to feeling like a bunch of rocks stacked on top of each other that the tour guide tells you used to be a castle but just looks like a bunch of rocks stacked on each other). I could spend hours exploring the passageways in it.

When we got there was waited in line to climb the spiral staircases and kiss the Blarney Stone at the top of the castle. While waiting in line we met another Australian who was very happy to hear Laura's dialect and recognize his fellow Australian.

Climbing up

We made it to the top and this time I think I kissed the right stone (I wasn't sure the first time). Not much more to say; I don't kiss and tell.

Laura kissing the Blarney Stone

Sloppy seconds

Grace's turn

After a stop at the gift shop we walked around Blarney Castle grounds and the Rock Close, which were both beautiful. We even saw the poison garden, which is filled with poisonous plants.

Grace and Claire

We stopped at a coffee shop while waiting for the bus and before we knew it we were back in Cork where we shopped 'til we dropped. I got two pairs of shoes at Penney's (including a pair of 2 euro silver glittery flats that I wore in London and threw out because they gave me blisters after 15 minutes of walking). Grace also got a couple things at Penney's, Ireland's own very cheap version of Kohl's. After working up an appetite shopping we stopped at McDonald's for the Irish specialties we can't get in the US, including twisty fries and Crunchie McFlurries.

When we got back to the hostel we asked for a recommendation for dinner from our hostess. She recommended Scott's which we went to that night. It had good food and we had a fun time chatting and spending time with each other.

We went back to the hostel and started resting up for our next day of traveling.

Cashel-Cahir-Cork

View from the Rock of Cashel

The plan was for Laura and I to wake up early and help Brittany bring her stuff down to the cab then say goodbye to Stacy, Stevie, and Britt before their American Airlines flight back to O'Hare International Airport. Things didn't happen that way though. As Laura and I were about to come downstairs to help Brittany came to our door and told us that their flight had been cancelled due to the menacing volcanic ash cloud. So naturally I went back to bed until I had to wake up to head off our our Irish oddessey.

After resting a bit Laura rushed into my room (where I was sleeping on the couch because Grace was sleeping in my bed) telling me that Stevie had found another flight and was leaving right away and we had to say goodbye/find her a cab. We got down there and the cab company was being a pain on the phone so I rushed out into campus to see if I could with some luck flag down a cab.

And I did have some luck because as I ran outside I ran into Stacy who had called a cab and was waiting for it. She too had found another flight and was heading off to the airport so Stevie split the cab with her and they were on their way back to the United States.

I was packing for our trip, as was Laura, when I gchatted Brittany to ask if she wanted to food that she gave me back since she was staying a couple extra days (her new flight was on Tuesday). She said no and asked if I knew what Stevie and Stacy were doing. I told her that they had already gotten on a 10:30 flight back to the US and she was bummed that she would be in Dublin alone so I invited her on our trip, which she accepted, and after saying goodbye to Jenni, our little Canadian friend, we were off.

While on the bus to our first stop, Cashel, I called our hostel and got Brittany a bed in our room which worked out well. And after riding the bus bus for  while we got to Cashel, home of the Rock of Cashel, an old castle turned church turned ruin. It is located on the Plain of Tipperary and the surroundings are absolutely gorgeous. Here are some pictures to prove it.

Me, Brittany, Laura

The Rock

Sisters

While at the Rock we just sat down, enjoyed the view, and ate the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies Grace made (and waited the two hours until the next bus). It was good craic.

Our next stop was Cahir where Cahir Castle was located (creative name I know). Unfortunately, the castle was closed for tours but we got to see the outside which was cute. We also went in search for dinner in the town of Cahir and found a dive restaurant to eat at. And when I say dive, I mean there was an ant crawling on the table and I avoided anything with meat or claiming to be meat. After two hours, another bus came and we were on the final leg of that day to Cork.

Cahir Castle

We got to Cork no problem and made our way to the hostel that we booked. On the way, a friendly Irishman saw that we were tourists and asked where we were from. We responded Chicago and he said, "God bless you, God bless Chicago!" More proof that the Irish are the friendliest people out there.

We made it to the Aaran House Hostel no problem and the hostess was so nice. The property was very clean and Grace asked if all hostels were like this; I told her that this was the nicer end of what hostels offer. There was also a dog at the hostel that was cute and if it misbehaved the lady of the house was not afraid to put it in its place.

We went to bed early that night and rested up for the adventures ahead.

Cork and Blarney-Day 1

Blarney Castle and Me

I had the most magical weekend in Cork and Blarney and I can’t wait to write it all down. Let’s start at the very beginning, after all, it’s a very good place to start. Day 1:
This vacation, although planned, was kind of fly by the seat of your pants (so not me). We left campus without bus tickets or a place to stay, just the dream of kissing the Blarney Stone. Brittany, Stacy, Jen, Mariel (a new friend), and I embarked from UCD at about 9 am to catch the 10 o’clock bus out of Dublin to Cork. Why Cork? Because, like every other tourist, I needed to make the pilgrimage to the Blarney Stone. The bus ride lasted about 4.5 hours, but the countryside was just stunning. I took plenty of pictures but keep in mind the landscape is about two hundred times more beautiful in person.

Rock of Cashel. I need to make it there before I finish my stay.

Cork, which we ended up not spending a lot of time in

We arrived in Cork about 3:00 and got something to eat at a bagel place. Afterwards we successfully found a bus to Blarney, home of Blarney Castle, about 5 miles outside Cork. We got there around 4 and entered the grounds of the Blarney Castle. It was the perfect weather to go and the perfect time of day. We were some of the only people there and we could almost see the sunset from the top of the castle.

Grounds at Blarney Castle

Here’s the deal with the castle. It is a castle that is in ruins because it is about 500 years old. You enter and walk up 127 spiraling steps (easier said than done) to reach to top. At the top there is a certain stone, the Blarney Stone, that when kissed is supposed to give you “the gift of the gab.” The term Blarney was introduced when Queen Elizabeth said “Blarney! It’s all blarney!” to the lord of the castle after he made too many unfulfilled, eloquent promises. Kissing the Blarney Stone is another thing easier said than done. One must lay on their back and bend backwards to kiss the bottom stone about 120 feet in the air. It was really fun and touristy and I loved it!

The Blarney Stone is where the opening at the very top is

Receiving the gift of the gab. I tipped the guy holding me beforehand.

It has been voted the most unhygenic tourist attraction, but our friend at the top showed us that he cleans it every 30 minutes to an hour.

Stacy, Jen, Brittany, me, Mariel

What an amazing view from the top

Going down the stairs

After we took in all the sights of the surrounding land we headed down and walked around the grounds. Brittany wanted to find the wishing stairs because who couldn’t use a wish? The problem was we were unclear on what we had to do to get the wish and ended up walking up and down the stairs...multiple times...backwards...with our eyes closed. I’m not kidding.

After only an hour on the grounds we began to get anxious about having accommodations so we began our search. We had decided to stay in Blarney rather than heading back to Cork because it was a quaint little town and real Ireland. First we hit up a hotel and they were offering rooms and breakfast for 50 euro a person. It was a little steep but they said that was the going rate around Blarney. Because student is synonymous with poor we searched for another room in Blarney and came across a bed and breakfast. We went up to the door and knocked. Owen, the bed and breakfast owners’ son, came to the door and Jen asked in the cutest little voice “Is this somewhere to stay?” He said yes, the rate was 35 euros, but he had to call his mother first. He was gone for a long while, which we took as a bad sign (the five of us look like troublemakers.) He came back and said that he had a deal for us and if all of us stayed there it would be thirty euro a piece. And we get a full Irish breakfast! Sign me up!

The Meadowbank was the cutest bed and breakfast and a sight for sore eyes. Carol was the owner and the sweetest Irish woman I have met. She gave us the lowdown on where to eat and where to listen to music in Blarney (one pub is better for food, while the other has better entertainment.) She also made sure we knew all the places to visit and just wanted to chat.

Dinner was hearty and Irish and perfect for weary travelers. Mariel had fish and chips, Stacy had bangers and mash, I had rib eye, and Brittany and Jen had the soup. For a while we were the only females in the bar because it was all guys watching the soccer game and just a slice of Irish life. We sat there for about two hours just talking about our lives, the ups and downs, and laughing at our jokes (Special Guy 29, Paul Sr, and singing Total Eclipse of the Heart.)

Johnny's Pub

Up next was the other bar which was supposed to have good music. The good music might not have been true (there was a guy who Stacy insisted looked like Justin Bobby from The Hills playing American songs) but it was still a good time. We sat there, laughing and drinking cider (I had a coke) until about 11. At this point Stacy and Mariel decided to stay while Brittany, Jen and I walked the block back to the Meadowbank. We had planned on reading and relaxing from the day, but it turned into another conversation about life and love. It was like a slumber party.

Just an ideal day! The weather was amazing, the bed and breakfast was a dream come true, and the town of Blarney was charming. I know you are looking forward to my entry for Day 2 .