Up and on the road at 7:30 to drive 2 hours to Doolin for our ferry to the Aran Islands. We made good time to the ferry office and the weather was slightly better than when we tried to go a few days ago. We traded our Groupons for tickets to the boat and headed for the dock. We donned our layers of weather protection, put on our anti seasick essential oils and headed for our boat. While standing on the dock waiting for our boat I remembered I had mittens in the car and on this chilly day I wanted all of the protection I could get. As I walked back to the car the sky opened up and poured. I had already noticed that the water was very choppy so that sealed the deal for me.... There was no boat trip in my future. My desire not to be seasick was stronger than my desire to go out to Innisheer and to see the Cliffs of Moher from below. Carrie decided to forge ahead so we will be enjoying separate adventures today.
Carrie boarded the boat and I took off for parts unknown. I drove out of Doolin and found some single track roads to drive down taking pictures and then I drove to Saint Brigits Well, a natural spring coming out of the rocks below a cemetary. There is a type of hallway leading up to the well that people use as a space to commentate loved ones who have passed, to leave a token and a prayer, etc. I saw everything from photos in frames to religious medallions, headphones, jewelry, eyeglasses, statuary, decorative plates... You name it. There are trees leading up to the well that are decorated with ribbons, children's socks, hair ties... Anything you can imagine that could somehow be attached to agree branch.
After the well and a few more photo stops, I headed for a little tea house that was advertising free WiFi. I ordered a pot of tea and delicious Mango/ pear pudding and enjoyed a few hours of photo organization.
Carrie called me while I sat the and told me how beautiful the island (and the weather) was, how easy the boat trip over was, and how she wished I had come along.... When I met her back at the dock a few hours later she hung over the railing on the dock to steady herself and told me "you 100% definitely made the right decision not to go". Apparently the trip out to the Cliffs of Moher and back to the dock was rocky, and rough seas had everyone on the boat trepidatious about their safe return to shore. Carrie had never really been out to sea before and by her reports, won't be doing it again anytime soon! Her pictures of the trip are beautiful but I wouldn't trade the not seasick afternoon I spent on shore for the experience.
There is a resident dolphin named Dusty in the area around the dock and we got to see her while Carrie attempted to get her land legs back. After we left the dock we stopped in Doolin to wander the shops for a little while before we hit the road for more adventure.
During my time alone I had discovered a small castle tower I wanted to show Carrie, and a wild beach I hoped we could picnic on. We photographed the castle but we couldn't discover a way down to the beach. We drove down the road to another road I had seen earlier and we parked the car at a locked gate and began our illegal adventure for the day.
We have developed quite a back for jumping walls and fences to get where we want to go and today it was a sign that not only said no parking but also no going beyond this point without special permits, etc. sign? What sign? The path lead down to some amazing cliffs that overlooked the beach we tried to reach. It was wild and windy and very exhilarating and we had a great time watching the ocean crash against the shore and the rocks.
After that we made our way to La Hinch, a small town that had a beautiful beach. We decided to walk the beach and as we approached two boys were hawking something in little brown bags. I asked "What are you selling?"
"Perrywinkles"
"Periwinkles like sea creatures?"
"Here we will show you" said one of the boys as he opened a bag. He pulled out a little shell and offered it to me. " What am I supposed to do with it?" I asked.
"Eat it. With a pin"
As he tried to hand me a pin I said " I am a vegetarian".
He said "it's not meat".
I said "it's a seafood".
He swore it wasn't. The other little boy use the pin to extract the sea creature from inside the shell. As slimy slug like creature dangled from the pin, The boy reassured me that they were delicious and he tried to get me to eat it. I told him to show me so he did. He ate it. Carrie and I said thanks for showing us and said our goodbyes. No 2 euro bag of sea critters for us.
It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and we enjoyed our walk on the beach. I dipped my toes in the water and it was very chilly. Leg cramping chilly. There were plenty of surfers in wetsuits enjoying the water, and one little six-year-old girl.
We found a cute little local café and had a pot of tea before we set out on our drive home. Another home arrival/ dinner at 10pm.
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