+12: Inishmore

Today we went to the largest of the Aran Islands, Inishmore. We biked from the port in Kilronan to Dun Aengus, an Iron Age fort. The trip was about 6 miles each way, although it felt a lot longer. Dun Aengus was absolutely gorgeous--even though it was most likely not used for military purposes, it's in a pretty strategic location at the top of a pretty large hill. The climb up was totally worth it, not only for the crazy history--the fort is actually built on top of even older houses, so the area has pretty much been inhabited for over 3,000 years-- but for the awesome views.
As great as the views were, the ferry ride over was really tough. At times it felt like the boat was about to capsize, especially on the way back...I guess that's another reason not to want to leave--the ride back to the mainland is brutal!
The Aran Islands are also the home of the Aran sweater, so I got one, of course.

That's all for now...here are some pictures from today's trip!


The coast:



Biking back to the port:



Biking:



"The Great Wall of Ireland":



Cottages:



Donkey outside of a really cute house:




Most of the group by the cliff (Courtney's):



View from the top of the cliff at Dun Aengus:





Courtney, Kelsey, and I in one of the fort's doorways (Courtney's picture):



Hobart and William Smith!:


Most of the HWS/Union Group (from Amanda, I think):