Doolin

We hitchiked with a couple of German gals (there are A LOT of Germans here) from the Cliffs of Moher center into Doolin. They dropped us off at the tourist office, and we walked from there to find a hostel.

Things really turned around when we found a room at the Rainbow Hostel up the road. It didn’t look like much on the outside, but inside the place was quite warm and cozy. A turf-fueled stove, several comfy seating options, and well-equipped kitchen, and a cute private room with bathroom en suite. The owner, Carmel, informed us that her husband would be conducting a free guided walking tour at 5 p.m.

At 5, Mattie instructed us and a couple other tourists to jump into his car. Off we went like an Irish bat-car out of hell, down the road to a dead end, and the walk began. Mattie has a keen interest in the archaeology and nature of the area and was very glad to share his knowledge with the hostellers.

The inside of that hole that Mattie is standing over.  Apparently, it was a food cellar and sometimes hiding place.

 The "UFO Rock."  Transported by glacier during the formation of the Burren's unique landscape and laid to rest on top of three smaller rocks.

Cool artsy shot.  To the left is a built wall that may be a thousand years old.  The rest is the natural weathering of the predominant limestone formation.  The cracks and splits were formed by water when the rock was deep underground.

After a simple dinner of spaghetti and toast we were off to McDermott's pub for some live music.  There are three pubs in town and as many bands, so they rotate nightly to keep it interesting.

After McDermott's we headed to McGann's.  There was live music but it had been hijacked by a hen party who insisted on sitting in with the band to sing their own songs.

Here, the bride takes her turn as the other hens sing along. 

Doolin's great, we could spend a week here, but it's on to the Aran Islands.