Thumbs Up

Walking backwards with my thumb up in the air, I began to think about how I had never hitchhiked before. I felt a little nervous, but having already experienced the Irish hospitality, I decided to take a chance. As my friends and I walked, we watched as several cars drove by. Walking ten minutes and watching three or four cars drive by, it began to feel like we had been walking for hours and that no one was going to pick us up. Though, after a couple more cars, I saw one turning around and coming back towards us. At this point things were beginning to get more real. We were about to get in the car with a total stranger.

Across the street, an older man in a black car pulled into a parking lot. We walked over and began talking to him. As we stood and talked with the man I was very wary. He seemed to be a sweet old man, though I had always been taught to be careful around strangers. We told him we were heading to the Cliffs of Moher and asked if he could take us. He agreed and we began to make room in the car. Squeezing together in the back seat were on our way, so we thought. The drive from where we were, Lahinch, to the Cliffs of Moher was about fifteen minutes by car. On our way, our driver told us about his life, explaining that he had just gotten out of hospital after being admitted for several months and that his wife was currently in Berlin. He told us that since being released from the hospital he loved to drive around the countryside and enjoy the beauty.

As we began to get closer to the cliffs he asked if we wanted him to show us around the area. With no other plans than seeing the Cliffs of Moher, we gratefully responded with a yes and excitedly began our tour of Ireland. As he drove us towards our first stop our eyes were glued to the windows as we drove past the lush green Irish countryside. Getting closer to the first stop we notice the landscape began to change. The once vibrant green grass had begun to turn into stone. Our driver explained to us that the rock we were noticing was called the Burren, and that the the large grooves in the rocks were caused by glaciers moving across them many years ago. The rocky landscape was a dark grey that seemed to go on for miles along the coast. After getting out and exploring we realized the rock abruptly stopped and was over a hundred meter drop to the deep blue ocean.

Moving along on our journey the lively green color came back to everything we passed. Off in the distance we noticed a small little tower. As we got closer we could see it was a light grey, stone brick tower with a stone wall around it. Our driver explained to us that it was a castle built around the 16th century and more recently it had been renovated and turned into a bed and breakfast concept. Looking from the outside, we would have never guessed that anyone would still live there.

From the castle, we continued to drive through the backroads of Ireland and through the small towns scattered through Clare County. As our tour began to come to a close, we pulled up to our last stop, the Poulnabrone Dolmen. It is a large stone monument dating back to the neolithic era. The monument was used as a burial site with over twenty bodies buried under the main tomb. The monument structure was composed of four large rocks parallel to each other with another resting on top. The rocks looked as though they weighed over a thousand pounds each, which quickly raised the question as to how they got into the formation. We headed back to the car and began making our way back towards the Cliffs of Moher. Our driver explained how the Poulnabrone Dolmen was a mystery for everyone, and told us about other interesting Irish history.

A simple fifteen minute drive had turned into an amazing afternoon journey all across Clare County, Ireland with a generous local. On our way to the Cliffs our driver explained to us that with his wife away he had nothing to do back home and that if we wanted he would wait for an hour and read the newspaper while we explored the Cliffs. We accepted his offer and then took in the beauty of the Cliffs of Moher. On top of one side of the cliffs rests the the castle O’Briens Tower. A small old stone castle with a great view of the rest of the Cliffs. I could have stayed and watch the white waves crash up against the side of the cliffs hundreds of meters below all day, but it was time to return to our new friend and back to Lahinch. Our driver turned out to be the nicest Irishman we had met. He took time out of his day to drive strangers around all over the countryside and asked for nothing in return. The man who never said his name showed us his genuine kindness. Taking chances can often be terrifying, but for me it ended up leading to the best experience I had in Ireland. I believe taking chances leads to a life of excitement and adventure.