After returning from our 4 days visiting Chis and Bec, we returned to the Shannon Airport, rented a car, and headed towards Doolin. We didn't know anything about Doolin, but Chis and Bec said that they had spent some time there and loved it, so we thought we should give it a shot...and we weren't disappointed. Different to the first week in Ireland, this time we basically spent the whole week in this beautiful part of Ireland, which is home to the Burren.So, as we had previously done (or not done), we didn't have accomodation booked in Doolin, but thought that we would just rock into the town and see what we found. What we ended up finding was a B&B on top of a cliff overlooking the town and the ocean, with a ripper tower castle in the hills directly behind it.
We shared breakfast on the first morning with some lovely American ladies who were also touring Ireland. One of these ladies is involved in some movement against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and she told us of the time that they were protesting in the OC in California. On this day, the cast and crew from The West Wing were there to film, and the noise of the cars supporting the protest was interrupting filming. The producers asked them if they could postpone the protest (which they hold every week) but the ladies said that they hold it all the time and never miss one, so they wouldn't postpone it. Anyway after the filming the cast came and joined them in the middle of the round-a-bout to lend their support to the protest. Pretty cool huh?
The second morning involved sharing breakfast with a lady who looked and ate like a horse, and her spoilt children. Stark contrast to the day before, and due to them we postponed one of our planned events for the day (which we did the following day) so that we wouldn't have to cope with them.
 Castle above our B&B at sunset...pretty! |  The Castle as seen from the road leading up from our B&B close to sunset |
The first full day in Doolin took us south for a drive to the Cliffs of Moher, and the continuing further south to the Loop Head Peninsula.
The Cliffs of Moher were pretty impressive, although it was freezing cold. We bumped into our lovely Americans here again, and then marvelled at the sheer drop into the ocean that these cliffs offer. We also marvelled at 1 very bad busker, one very good busker, and many dumb tourists who apparently can't read signs, no matter how many languages it is written in.
 From the worn tracks it would appear that these aren't the only illiterate tourists around |  This chick was acutally very good at playing the harp and singing. She was the good busker...pity we already gave money to the crap one... |
The Loop Head Peninsula is also very much worth the drive if you ever get over here. Along this coast line there are a lot of parts of the cliff that have broken away and formed islands, like when the London Bridge in Australia collapsed.
The next day took us for a drive through the Burren area, which is a rocky desolate landscape where all the top soil was removed due to receding ice many 100s or 1000s of years ago. One of the most well known structures here is the Poulnabrone Dolmen, which is/was a burial toom in ancient times.
 Bel and the Burren |  The Poulnabrone Dolmen |
While driving through this area, we saw a guy hiking on the side of the road with a massive pack with a huge stuffed donkey strapped to the back of it. We stopped and asked him if he wanted a lift, but it turned out that this Aussie was walking the length of Ireland to raise money for Donkey Sanctuaries (was going to do the hike anyway and take the donkey for fun, and someone suggested he should raise money...). Two catches - he had to stop for a beer at every pub he passed on the way, and a stuffed donkey becomes very heavy when it rains for 2 weeks straight.
The next day, Bel and I did a tour through an underground cave that holds the 4 largest self-supporting Stalactite in the world. This was discovered by some cavers who saw a river flowing into the hills, and followed the rule that where a river flows into the hill, then you will find something cool...and they did. The tour was pretty cool for us too, as we were the only two on it, so we got to ask a lot of questions and spend as much time as we wanted looking at it in pure silence.
 B&B with a big hanging thing and dopey looking hats |  The big hangy thing by itself...the photo doesn't do the size of this thing justice |
The next day took us from Doolin to Athenry where we got into some more castle action. But my favorite part of Athenry was walking into a Hurling training session across from our B&B and spending 1hr talking with a guy who played all his life, and getting the low down on all the equipment and how the game is played. These guys are freaking nuts. Speaking of - I found out that the goal keepers don't even wear a box for protection...
 The County boys training hard, trying to get selected in the squad for their upcoming quarter final |  On the streets of Athenry |
 Another one of the Castle during sunset |  Picture at the Cliffs of Moher. Notice the layering due to different kinds of rock and soil |
Anyway, even though we only saw the bottom half of the country, I would highly recommend Ireland to anyone who was thinking about a holiday in this region. Sure, the weather is crap, but you will still have a great time, and see heaps of interesting stuff (and take more photos than you could possibly blog in a lifetime).
Tschüß,
'Brushy
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