Aran Islands: Seals, Sweaters & Sunshine

I'll take a little break from catching you up on my adventures in London.

Including several excursions my program plans specific outings for us in advance. One of which happens to be the Aran Islands. It's important to pick a date with good weather, as the ferry across can be a bit rough. Although it's only an 8 minute plane ride, we didn't quite have the fares to cover the fee. Off to the islands for fun in the sun!

My morning began quite early as 5am rolled around. Needing revisions my castles paper was this mornings priority. Finishing around 8am, printing, stapling and dropping my paper into the golden magic box were three tasks to take care of at the University before leaving for the Aran Islands. In a bit of a rush I just about peed my pants when the printer seemingly broke. This can't be happening?! Thankfully I took a deep breath and calmly surveyed the printer, making sure it was powered on, hand enough ink, and  plenty of paper. Running out of time produced anxious feelings. However, turning in a paper is quite miniscule in the grand scheme. Loosing my marbles over a failed print job isn't very trusting of me; God is sovereign he'll take care of me. One more deep breath and a plead for help from the lad sitting across from me produced a beautiful 13 page paper on Native Welsh Castles. Sounds thrilling doesn't it?!? For tomorrows post I'll upload my entire paper for you to read! Okay, maybe I'll spare you.

Making it to Eyre Square in plenty of time gave me 10 minutes to relax in the sun and catch up with the other girls in my program. Especially those who live in Gort, which I don't see often. Brian met up with us as we walked to the Aran Island Ferry Tours. An hour bus ride later, we arrived at our ferry. Seeing the top was quite full we opted for seats inside for the 40 minute ride.

Katie & Chris on the Ferry. Reunited after 4 months apart.
Katie & Chris are twins from Minnesota both studying abroad.
Chris has spent the semester in Singapore,
while Katie has been here in Galway.

With such beautiful weather the ride was quite smooth, the exception of 10 minutes midway through. A few of the girls began to get seasick. Thankfully the rough waters did not last long, before we were docked and ready to rock. That is on our bicycles of course.

With little to do on the island, renting bikes to cycle around the island and up to the fort is the most common tourist attraction. The gentleman helping us retrieve our bikes was very kind with a bright bubbly smile. Getting all attention he warned us their breaks are different from those in the states. The back brake is controlled with the left hand and the right is controls the front brake. Apparently they've had more than one tourist fly over the handle bars mixing up the brakes. Sizing up our bikes, making sure all gears and breaks work we were off like a dirty shirt. Our first stop was Spar, a convenience store just incase someone had forgotten to bring or snacks for along the way. It was humorous to see all of our bikes, lined up, stacked on top of each other where ever we stopped.

On the left hand side of the photo you can see a small cream colored building "Banc na hEireann" This is the islands only bank; it's open only 2 days a week. Plan ahead much?

During our adventure we came across many beautiful animals and wonderful views.
















Although the horses and cows were beautiful, they weren't exactly out of the ordinary as I've seen them many times before back home as well as throughout my stay in Ireland. However, there was finally a new animals on this adventure. Seals! Other than in a zoo I don't think I've seen a seal before. Sun bathing and splashing around the water the little seals floated near the beach.

Seals!

All of Ireland is covered with stone fences, however the Islands seem to have an unusually large amount of them. They are everywhere!

The day was wonderful however there was a terrifying moment. A few of the girls are from the city and love to take pictures of horses and cows and pet the animals. We had just passed several cows and were coming upon a bull. One of the girls exclaimed "That's a huge cow". Brian and I explained, it's not a cow, it's a bull. Just as I was passing it, the bull let out a screeching noise and spit all over me. Okay, bull spit isn't exactly what I want to be showered in, but I don't care. I screamed and pedaled for my life, not because of the spit or crazy noise, but because what separated me and this giant bull was a few stones. The fence was only a foot from the road and the bull was leaning over the fence. Oh my goodness! I'm not about to be trampled by an angry bull, whose just spit on me. If only I had a stick...right dad? For those of you that don't know that story, please ask my dad about his bull fighting days and his handy stick. :  )  

Miz captured a photo of the screeching spitting beast.

Coming across ruins we decided to have fun and take a few pictures.

After passing loads of stone fences and green pasture we stumbled across an amazing sandy beach. The white sand glowed in the sunlight with crystal teal and blue water washing ashore. It seemed so out of place, but definitely welcome.

Katie decided it was the right place to sing
Willow Smith's song "Whip My Hair"

Chaco Love...
breaking out my chacos for their first adventure of the season.

I'm sorry to all of my friends and family in Wisconsin
who've been experiencing rain and snow.  Come to the beach!

Our main attraction on the island was stopping to see the Dun Aonghasa fort. Semicircular in shape it's placed on the edge of a cliff-side offering beautiful views and excellent defense in ancient times during it's occupancy of armies.

At the very top you can see Dun Aonghasa

Brian, Sara and I chillaxin on the cliff.

Where would you ever find a stone to throw?

The fort had amazing views over the cliff and the rest of the island. However, Brian was incredibly nervous as we neared the cliffs edge because of his responsibility for our safety. Haha poor Brian just about had a heart attack as we took pictures sitting on the cliff edge.

By this time we were quite hungry, stopping in a small cafe we ate a bite for lunch. My tuna sandwich was great.

On our way back we took a different route seeing a few more animals and different scenery.

Look how tiny he is!

I like how he thinks...a nap in the sun!

Stumbled upon another castle...the usual.

This is when you know you have way too much knowledge concerning castles. Katie and stood in the road discussing different styles of castles and their defenses...yikes. Nerdy conversation.

The Aran Islands are famous for their beautiful sweaters. Sometimes they're called fisherman sweaters.  The sweaters are distinguished by their use of complex textured stitch patterns, several of which are combined in the creation of a single garment. The traditional sweater is cream, but they are made in almost every shape and color. Even the smallest of sweater wearers can find one just their size.

Time to head home on the ferry.

Mel & Christine were wiped.

Overall the day was grand! Beautiful sunshine, with a fun cycle all around the island. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Great craic!

With Love from Galway

Pounds, Pence & Sense Day 2

Our first full day in London began with obtaining our bus/tube pass. London's subway is called the underground or tube.

 Edgeware station, nearest our hostel, became our first stop of the morning. Due to an emergency, staff were needed else where and could not help us purchase our ticket. However, the officer was very friendly giving us advice. Notifying us tickets cost £8 at the moment and drop down to £6.60 after 9:30am. The wait was certainly worth it. Giving us about an hour we explored the streets of London until 9:30am enabling us to save money. Coming across Primark, a large department store we were floored at the price and variety of beautiful clothing. No wonder everyone in London looks nice. Beautiful clothing is everywhere and quite cheap. Shopping seems to be an everyday thing as most women carried atleast one shopping bag with them coming home from work. Although  we could shop for hours there was no point in wasting daylight inside a store, not to mention we're both broke.

Buying our bus/tube pass allowed us access to any bus or tube within London for the day. Definitely a wise choice as we utilized the public transportation numerous times. Without such a pass we would have missed out on much of the city.

Leincester square, Picadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben were on the days schedule to visit. Accomplishing our goal we were glad to see all of them, however we miss calculated the energy it takes to do so. Exhausted and a bit crabby wishing we were back at the hostel for a nap we agreed tomorrow would be a slower pace with more rest.

Sadly, we missed changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but we were still able to see the guards and their funny poofy hats.

No matter how hard I tried they still wouldn't let me in!

Just a bit of security...ouch!

Let's just say the Palace gate is a bit fancier than your average white picket fence.

A police officer standing guard at the gate was talking to two young Irish lads about the Palace Guards (the ones in red, with the funny hats). This was a very interesting conversation to over to listen in on. He explained that they live just a couple blocks down the road. Inside the palace they have their own room where they change and eat, with a giant plasma screen T.V. However, they all live together when off duty. So you'll see them out in the bars or just around London. He described them as a band of brothers who do practically everything together. The lads were both interested in applying for a position, as the officer encouraged them to do so, letting them know some of the current guards are from Ireland. However, both became discouraged saying "I bet they're form Northern Ireland." It was very interesting hearing this separation come up in daily conversation.  While in Northern Ireland I experience the tension and extreme separation Northern Ireland has from the Republic of Ireland, but I hadn't heard it come up when I was in the U.K. The officer reassured him that the palace hires from the Republic as well.

By best guarding pose.

Calvary Guard

Making our way to 10 Downing Street we were afforded a small glimpse of Number 10. It's one of the most famous addresses int he United Kingdom and the world. Almost three hundred years old, the building contains about one hundred rooms. There is a private residence on third floor and a kitchen int he basement. The other floors contain offices and numerous conference, reception, sitting and dining rooms where the Prime Minister works. Government ministers, National leaders and foreign dignitaries are also met and entertained here. There is an interior courtyard and, in the back, a terrace overlooking a garden adjacent to St. Jame's Park.

Number 10 is now closed off.

For most of its history, Downing Street was accessible to the public. There was some security at Number 10 but it was minimal: a police officer standing guard. The front door has no keyhole on the outside. A second officer is on duty int he entrance hall to open it for the Prime Minister. In 1991 a mortar shell was launched at Number 10 thus the ensuing closure of the street and heavy security.


Big Ben was I indeed BIG. Quite the change from the very square concrete clocks and buildings I'm used to seeing in the states.

Big Ben

Big Ben & I were synced!

Picadilly circus was not really all that thrilling as it features a large screen similar to that of Times Square.

 The less than exciting atmosphere was also due to the large amount of construction. All over London cranes dot the skyline.

10 cranes can be counted in this photo,
with many more behind me.

 After passing the 2012 Olympics countdown sign all of the construction made sense.

They are preparing for a massive influx within the next year.

Not to mention the 37,000 runners would take the street on Sunday for the London marathon. For the most part the marathon didn't have a huge impact on us other than a dew roads and bus routes closed temporarily in prepartion for the race.

   Manager a Pret is a very popular cafe throughout London. Featuring natural fresh food made daily packages have no expiration date. Ingredients are purchased locally and quality is of high importance. I really like their motto and view on fresh food. Amazingly, their prices weren't too bad either. Hungry for dinner, having only a small budget and no kitchen in the hostel we stopped at Pret for sandwhiches.

A nearby park bench became our dinner table. Just like all of the other parks more beautiful flowers filled this one as well. The night before while trying to keep ourselves from going to bed at 6:30pm we searched for cheap activities in London. Stumbling upon £12.50 broadway tickets we eagerly purchased them for the following evening. Our hostel stff graciously printed our tickets for us for free. Most would make you pay.

Dream boats and Petticoats centers around a teenage romance in the 60's.

 Throwback oldies played throughout the performance. It turned out to be a cute play and well worth the cheap ticket price. Abby C and both had a great time at the performance. Throughout the finale the actors and actresses encouraged everyone to stand up and dance along with them. You should have seen the baby boomers go nuts. I can only imagine my parents doing just the same.

The performance ended quite late. Taking the tube back to the hostel we turned in for the evening.

With Love from Galway