Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11

Day 11: The Burren
We were down to our last two days in Ireland, and we still hadn’t been to the Aran Islands, but sadly the ocean was so choppy that all the boats had been canceled for the day. So spontaneously we had the hostel find us a driver, and we all hopped into a little van, and he took us on an impromptour. Get it? An impromptu tour? Impromptour. That’s right.

It was a gorgeous day, despite the wind, and it ended up being one of our favorite days of the trip. First we stopped at some ocean cliffs and explored. And tried not to get blown in. No seriously, we almost did.

Then we drove to a beach where we all got out and walked around. It was fun. We all milled about, soaking it all in and enjoying Ireland quietly. Except for the CRAZY wind in our ears.

After the beach, we stopped in the little town of Doolin to check out the shops, then pulled off at St. Brigid’s Well. The area around St. Brigid’s also had a cemetery and a…hmm, what do you call those places where people come to make offerings? Google isn’t helping.

Then we went to the “stone store.” Our professor had been hyping this so-called stone store since before we left for Ireland, and I honestly didn’t understand what could be so great about place that sold stones. Turns out it’s like this rock emporium! All kinds of cool things made out of stones and gems and marble and who knows what else. I ended up buying a set of marble salt and pepper shakers, and a glow-in-the-dark necklace with an encased flower beetle. Both show here:

(The other necklace is a pressed flower from the Cliffs of Moher.)

Next we drove through some small towns and villages and stopped in Liscannor for lunch. That was the place that gave us the troughs of ketchup. Love you Liscannor. We made a few other stops after lunch too. Lahinch beach, a memorial to the Potato Famine, etc. When we got back to the hostel in the afternoon, we all crashed from our long day in the Irish sun. After a nice nap, it was off to the local pub. It was our last pub night, so we enjoyed the music and drinks as much as possible.

Unfortunately when we got back to our room, our jeans were still wet from the day before. Luckily the incredibly nice South African guy at the front desk let us use the dryers for free. After laundry it was off to bed.