This past weekend, IFSA-Butler took us up to Killary ADVENTURE!!! Center in Connemara (map: http://bit.ly/bI0GkS), a region in the northwest of County Galway known for its spectacular scenery. Like this:
This was the view from my room at Killary. The water there is actually the Atlantic Ocean coming inland by way of a fjord, which just happens to be one of the most awesome words ever (right behind “lederhosen”). Anyway, all of us got to sign up for three ADVENTURES!!! during the course of the weekend (a lot of us liked saying “ADVENTURE!!!” as we were doing something the entire weekend, even if it was just lunch). One of the ADVENTURES!!! that I did was kayak around the fjord. Unfortunately, it was really really really windy (there were white caps on the water, for you people out there who know the lingo), and everyone was getting tossed from their boats left and right, so that lasted about ten minutes (but it was an ADVENTUREOUS!!! ten minutes). But we did other sweet things, like walking through a gorge and jumping off the rocks into the water and climbing up a rock wall and doing obstacle courses and (my favorite):
Ziplining! That’s me coming down the zipline at about 500 miles per hour (okay, maybe about 60 mph).
And there I am just hanging around. It was pretty fun, and I didn’t get sick because it wasn’t bumpy or twisty or turny or any of that unfun stuff (I definitely felt more queasy on the bus ride to and from Connemara). It was also good to see some of the people I hung out with in Dublin who are studying abroad in Galway, so all around it was a good weekend (plus there was ADVENTURE!!!). I may actually be heading back to Dublin next weekend since I have a free ticket courtesy of UL’s international office, so keep watching for more ADVENTURE!!!
I love that top image. I just watched "Spirited Away" this evening, a Miyazaki film (I'm now one of those people who can refer to Miyazaki as though we're close personal friends), and its reminding me of it. Mostly because its eerie and now I'm expecting weird no-face spirits with mouths for stomach to come out of it. It's definitely (ha! I spelled it right!) adventure-worthy. Even though the water was cold. That's a story you can tell your children when they complain about the cold (cold! let me tell you, being dumped out of an Irish fjord in a kayak - now that's cold!).
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the excessive parentheticals, and sentences that string one non-sequitur into another, but know I am always in love with all adventures (including--especially!!--lunch! I had an epic pizza adventure with Collin Clark wherein we took advantage of my melodious female voice to get Domino's to let us use a coupon 3 days expired. 3 Large 1-Topping Pizzas for $15. WHAT!)
Also, love to the Brian. And lederhosen.
Let's pray no one but you and me reads these comment threads.
<3
I wouldn't worry about that, Melissa. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for being the only one to take the time to comment on this thing! Love!