I want some Moher Saltlick to kick stone mountains

W ow. What an exhausting day Saturday was.  I decided that the core of my day would be chewed up by a tour that had 4 stops, so I got up early to get in a run. I was hoping for 13-15 miles, however, my run quickly turned into sight seeing as well, so there were frequent stops and only 10 miles were to be by the end. Not to worry there's more running to come, just not the planned type.   My run had me leave Galway and end up in "saltlick".  I was hoping for something cool dealing with salt, but not much salt to be found on my run (other than the salt n pepper restaurant). That said, it truly is one of the great promenade sites around.  With the way its oriented once you get down a bit practically all you can see is the ocean.  Unfortunately you can only go so far as after a few kilometers it becomes private property.  At that point they have put up a wall which has now been called the kicking wall. Some believe the name is such because you're so frustrated that you can't keep going that you kick the wall.  Also along the course is the lighthouse out on an island, which is sometimes accessible by foot bridge.  Sadly the footbridge was closed to traffic during my run, but it was still a great sight to see.  And for many who left during the famine and afterward, to find a better home in America, this lighthouse was the last bit of Ireland they saw.

The tour 

Dunguaire Castle
 16th century castle built by a family  reported to have been in the area since the 600's. As we were only scheduled for a quick stop, we did not pay the extra 6 euro to go on the tour of the castle, but we did do a quick walk around the exterior to take in some of the views.  Inside is supposed to be one of the best restored castles in Ireland, so maybe when I'm back I'm Ireland again, I'll take the tour.

 Burren Hill 

As we continued our trip, in the background you could see a series of large hills that look like they were solely stone.  As we got closer you could tell that there was a bit of grass on these stone hills but not much.  The mission in front of us was to climb this hill like billy goats.  Ok, they lent us each a walking stick to help keep balance, so we weren't completely billy goats.  For the most part we wouldn't need them but there were a number of spots where they came in handy, especially when toting a camera in one hand.  From the top, you get a clear view of the Galway Bay as well as the countryside with a small town and its church below.  With so many rocks available, it's no wonder why you see plenty of fences made out of stone to corner off sections of property in this area.  As you walk along the rocks, you can see how over time glaciers and erosion have changed the  landscape.  There are large boulders, dropped in conspicuous places, the rocks below the feet show cracking and divots from the years of rains.  The Celtic compass tours that I went on was the only one that offered this hiking adventure and I'd highly recommend it, for getting a feel of the country side of the country. 

On a random note, while on the tour, the guide gave me the advice to continue to get out and see the beauty of nature of the world, and leave the museums for when I'm older and that's all the sight seeing that I can muster. LOL!!!!

Cliffs of Moher

 wow!!!!  do I need to say more?  This is site number 1 on my tour where I say I must go back.  And not just to see the cliffs again.  There are the Aran Islands in this area that are supposed to be a must see.  Additionally, this is county Clare, so I would love to get inland a bit more and see whereabouts my grandparents lived growing up.   

Cliffs of 

With being on a tour, our time was limited at the cliffs.  The plan was for just under an hour and twenty minutes.  This is probably plenty of time for folks who just want to get a basic look, snap a few pictures and visit the gift shop.  However for those of us who like to take it all in and explore I would definitely recommend 3-4 hours.  That or you'll not be able to see it all and will have to run as fast as you can up hill, with a backpack, slipping and sliding, back go the bus.  And still be 15 minutes late :(  fortunately I went on a smaller tour and they waited for my return, a little concerned that I became one of the many who slipped, fell and went off the side 200+ meters to the bottom.  I did sip, but my only damage was a lot of mud and probably a light sprain to my wrist.  

Poulnabrone Dolmen

Ok, it's not stone henge (which I hope to see later on this trip) but it is older dating back to 3500 BC.  This feature marks a burial spot of some 30 individuals, found during excavations.  In the general area near this one, there are several others as well, showing that this was some sort of customary practice to build these and use them as burial markers.  

The roomies:

I did get all situated into my new room for the night.  Where Friday night was top bunk in a 6 bed room, Saturday was a bit more comfortable.  It was a two bedroom apartment.  I was in the single and Susanna and Mirjam were my roommates in the double room for he night.  They're both from Hungary, and are in Dublin for 6 weeks for a teaching class.  While in Ireland they are traveling to different cities on the weekends.  Mirjam has some artistic tendencies and gave me a neat little handmade business card.  This is one of the cool parts about staying in a hostel.  Most folks are really down to earth and are just interested in meeting  others and sharing experiences along the way.