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thePeorian.com
It
was a bittersweet day.
The ferry ride from
Galway was rough, even
rougher than turbulence on a
plane. Luckily, no one vomited.
The largest island, Inis Mòr,
was really windy when we land-
ed. We rented bikes, but they are
different than my bike at home
and it took me a few minutes to
find my balance. Also, I forgot
how to tighten a helmet strap.
All of this took time, in which the
others (wearing no helmets, the
crazies) began to ride off without
me.
Well, I figured I’d catch up with
them somewhere on the road and
I headed to the store to buy food.
My plan was to go to the ring fort
at the other end of the island, eat
my lunch there, and then see the
other sites on my way back to
the pier. I didn’t want to be nine
miles away with only a few hours
to get back to the ferry before it
left (because apparently it will
leave without you).
I started to go in the wrong
direction, but I found my way
back onto the loop. I think I
walked my bike more than I rode
it because the wind was blow-
ing against me and most of the
road was uphill. I did pass a nice
older gentleman who told me the
worse was over. Good news! The
road becomes either somewhat
flat or downhill.
I rode for maybe five more
minutes when the sky got dark.
I’d encountered the random rain
before — it would be sunny and
then rain for about 20 minutes
and then return being sunny —
so it wasn’t a surprise when it
began to rain. I had my raincoat
and I put it on as fast as I could.
But it didn’t just rain. Oh, no. It
poured, and with the wind blow-
ing it was like daggers to my face.
I got soaked. I tried to find shelter
but there wasn’t any place to go.
I tried to go behind a building,
but it didn’t really help. I figured
that oh well, I’d dry out, but I was
cold, my hands were too wet to
get my gloves on, and I wasn’t
really happy.
Then a tour bus drove by.
In movies and TV shows, the
main character gets drenched in a
waterfall of water from a pass-
ing car. Guess who found out
that it happens in real life, too. It
was an understatement to say I
was angry. Maybe the only good
thing was that I found out my
backpack is in fact waterproof.
But still, I cried. I was cold, wet,
somewhat lost, hungry, and not
sure if I should persevere or turn
back right then. I mean, how
many times does one go to the
Aran Islands? But still... I decided
to continue because I figured I
wasn’t too far away and the rain
was stopping.
When I saw the cliff that the
fort sits upon in the distance,
I knew there was no way I’d
make it. Yet I didn’t want to turn
around and go back the same
way I came. I had just gone
MY ARAN ISLAND
ADVENTURE
By Kaylee Wagner
Student Story
Kaylee Wagner visited the Aran
Islands while studying in Ireland
last year. This photo is of the
countryside of Inis Mór.
