Bun(doran) in the Sun(doran)

I'm going to skip over a couple things that were very fun, but I have chosen not to write about. Instead each activity will get one, and I mean only one!, picture.

Connemara tour with API: Witnessing an Irish stereotype.

Oughterard: Failing to commandeer a boat, but still having to go to the bathroom, Monica and Lauren were forced to pee on the edges of this person's lovely driveway.

St. Patrick's Day & 21st Birthday: What happens on St. Patrick's Day and my 21st birthday in Ireland stays in Ireland.
Photo courtesy of Rachel.

If you are really keen on hearing about one of those, feel free to ask me, but if it's about the last one I'm probably going to need you to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Now, onto my 21st birthday adventure! In the U.S., turning 21 is a huge deal, and surprisingly, turning 21 here is important too. My Irish roommate, Shauna, told me that birthdays divisible by 3 are always exciting. I don't know, man, I'm just going to go with it. Anyway, I wanted to do something special for this one. My friend Monica and I have been talking ever since seeing the mini cliffs in the Burren about going cliff jumping, and what better time than when I was itching for an adrenaline-inducing activity?

Monica found a place that specialized in outdoor water activities that was also linked up to a hostel, and so, the day of my birthday, all a little "worn out" from the night before, we headed to Bundoran, Donegal. The day got off to a later start than we expected because of weird bus schedules, so after a long ride we found our hostel, but then immediately had to suit up because the tide was going out.

I had never put on a wetsuit before, so that was an extreme adventure in itself. By the time it was finally on I was completely exhausted, and Cayla, who was just observing for the day, was exhausted from laughing at us. Once we were ready, we piled into their waterproof van covered in sand, and made our way to the cliffs.

Up to this point everything had happened so fast I wasn't really able to think until I hit the water, then things started to clear up pretty quickly. The first jump was just a practice jump to make sure we had the technique right, and I felt like the water wasn't that cold. This attitude quickly changed. It eventually got to the point where it felt like Mr. Freeze was in my frontal lobe and The Hulk was grabbing my lungs. Cayla probably thought I was so disgusting with my snot flying everywhere, but honestly, I couldn't feel my face, so I don't think that's my fault completely.

I found cliff jumping to be super exhilarating. When I would watch a video of it, it never seems like you're in the air for that long, but when you're actually doing it, it feels like eternity. Some of the higher jumps I had to take a deep, reassuring breath before stepping off, but I did them all, so I'm proud of myself. I got a little worried with a couple of the jumps because I would hit the floor of the ocean, but for the next jump I would just tell the instructor guy and he would adjust the way I would jump out. I'm really glad that I did it, but I think if I was to cliff jump again, it would be somewhere warm that doesn't require a wetsuit.

This probably wouldn't fly for safety standards in the U.S....God Bless Ireland!

Everyone, please bow your heads in prayer.

We weren't actually cliff jumping, we were practicing our levitating.

That glow is smugness from jumping off of tall crap.

Subconsciously, we all want to be superheroes. My superhero name would be Un-Leish-ed.

After we were turned away from one restaurant, (probably for being too good-looking), we ended up at this place Stake's, which, in a surprising twist, had no steaks on their menu. They did have a good amount of wooden poles on the menu now that I think about it. After a long day, it was great to get a hot meal in our bellies, even if it meant being subject to criticism due to the fact it was Ireland's Mother's Day, and we were 3 girls out to dinner, mother's nowhere to be found. As a side note, I love Mother's Day in Ireland because it means hundreds of cards covered with "Mum, You're The Best" or "I Love You, Mummy!"

You know a meal is good when you get your own personal gravy boat.

I know I was really excited about the Crown Bar in the last post, but I think I found one of the coolest bars in the world. The people at the hostel told us about this pub that was ranked as one of the best pints of Guinness in Ireland. The pub was called Brennan's.

Brennan's has the best pint of Guinness in the Ireland.

Ireland has the best pint of Guinness in the world.

Herego, Brennan's has the best pint of Guinness in the world. 

I drank the best pint of Guinness on Earth. This wasn't the coolest part of the pub, though.  It's non-descript front did not tell of the treasures that lay within. It was owned and worked solely by two little old ladies who were probably in their late 70's or 80's, so they are probably the two most awesome people in the world besides Dame Maggie Smith. You have not lived until you are served at a pub by someone who probably remembers the Hindenburg disaster firsthand. The decor of the pub was interesting. Obviously there was the bar with the stools, but then for the other seating in the main room it was just wooden benches around the walls. There was also an attached room that looked like a grandparent's living room/mud room from the 70s, plastic covered couches and all. The other thing about the pub is that you're not going to get rowdy. You are literally not allowed to curse or talk loudly, otherwise you get a strict talking-to by one of the ladies. I wish old ladies in the U.S. had enough spunk to open fantastic pubs.

Facade: Strictly business. Inside: Party all the time.

Irish Fact: It takes 4 pints of Guinness to truly enjoy Guinness. Note: It has not yet been determined if Irish facts are actual facts.

We were all pretty pooped after that, so we headed back to hostel and our Beatles themed room, binged on an entire pan of brownies filled with chocolate biscuits and Cadbury chocolate that Monica had made for me (amazeballs!), and then hit the sack.

The next day was a lot more laid back. We just spent the day walking around Bundoran. It's a really beautiful town and countryside. The town is great for water sports and outdoorsy activities. As we were walking along the dunes of the beach we even spotted a group of horse riders making their way through the sand.

We didn't try to tackle those mountains.

The cliffs we jumped off the day before. Don't worry, there was more water down there the previous day.

The rock bridge collapsed 5 seconds after I got off. Just kidding! It was 10.

Yeah, didn't walk all those dunes. Wayyyyy too lazy.

Riding away into the sunset...

Bundoran is a lovely town, but there isn't a whole lot to it unless you have some sort of activity planned for the day. The last couple hours we spent in this cafe where I ate a whole stack of pancakes with cinnamon apples and cream even though I just ate fish and chips at another restaurant. The place had books and magazines to keep us busy, but I think at various points we all took brief naps. Don't judge! The seats were very comfortable. We went back to the hostel to get our bags, and even after the cafe we still had time to kill, so some of the workers for the Adventure Center invited us to watch TV, where I discovered a newfound love: the 1960s TV show "Batman" with Adam West. I think this is from the movie, but it's the same amount of cheese, so enjoy:

"Bon Voyage, Pussy"