Stubborn Horses, Sunrises, and more!

This weekend all of the AIFS students (including me) ventured on an overnight trip to Inis Oirr, the smallest island of the Aran Islands. We drove an hour and a half to get to the pier where a small boat took us to the island. As soon as we stepped foot on land, we were all bombarded by people asking if we wanted to rent bikes or take a horse carriage to see the island. By bombarded I mean maybe 4 elderly men because the population is only about 250 people. A few friends and I decided to take the horse carriage, I mean why not try traveling in a different way than I'm used to? Meet Gypsy: the most stubborn horse in all of Inis Oirr!

What makes him stubborn? Probably the fact that my friends and I did more walking around the island than riding in a carriage. Gypsy would not go up hills with people in the carriage, so we all had to get out and then walk to meet up with the driver and Gypsy. While on this tour, we saw the shipwreck of The Plassey (which happens to be the name of the village I live in at the University of Limerick) and O'Brien's Castle.

After having dinner at one of the three restaurants that are on the island, everyone pretty much went to bed because we woke up the next morning VERY early to catch the sunrise from on top of the castle. Yes, ON TOP of the castle (you can see some of us in the picture above). We climbed up and sat there to watch the sunrise. Sorry, Mom and Dad, but it was definitely an experience that I will not forget. There was even a rooster crowing to help keep us awake, believe it or not.

The B&B that we were staying at provided all of us with a full traditional Irish breakfast. This consisted of sausage, eggs, bacon (here in Ireland it's more like ham), and some unidentifiable meat that I was not brave enough to try. Unfortunately, no pictures of the food because I was too worried about staying warm after having watched the sunrise in strong winds and the freezing cold. Two of my friends and I (pictured below) put on leggings underneath our pants and doubled up on socks because we were so cold after the sunrise.

With about three hours to kill before heading back to Limerick, we explored around the island and made friends with some horses and cows. Most of us stopped by the local fudge shop called "Man of Aran Fudge" and it was delicious. I highly recommend it. Hopefully I'll be eating even more chocolate next weekend when a group of us go to Belgium!