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The islands consist of three islands: Inis Mór Island (Big Island), Inis Meáin Island (Middle island), and Inis Oírr Island (East island), which are located near Galway. So, if you want to get to the ferry dock, it is easy to go there by train or bus. I feel like this group of islands gets often overlooked, even though it has so much to offer! The ferry departs from two different places (be careful though, after the tourist season only the pier in Rossaveel is open). The ride only takes roughly 45 minutes, which will go by even faster if you enjoy the view outside. 

An international friend of mine and I decided that we wanted to clear our heads from the university load, so we booked a trip to stay two nights to discover the island. Of course, you do not have to stay overnight, as this place is also perfect for a day-trip! Once we arrived on Inis Mór we immediately went to a Bike Rental shop, as only the residents that are living there are allowed to use cars. Bikes are the only means of transportation for tourists here, but for the people who are not as athletically ambitious as we were, they also offer electric bikes, as the island can be unexpectedly hilly in some places.  

As we made our way to the Airbnb I could already smell the sea and see the cows that were munching on grass next to the main (and only) road here. If you do not fancy an Airbnb there are also other cheap options as the island offers a hostel and a few cute Bed & Breakfasts, as well! After we unpacked our stuff, we decided to go for a ride around the island to discover a bit more. What is very distinctive about the island is its landscape: The Aran Islands are famous for an extensive network of thousands of miles of dry stone walls built by generations of islanders over several centuries to clear the land of rocks and create arable soil for farming. Of course, our first stop was a field, where cows were peacefully munching on grass. We observed them and got lost in their friendly eyes and their calmness. 

Unfortunately, the goat farm was closed (probably due to us not visiting during the tourist season), but on the other hand we were lucky when we went to the seal beach, because (as the name suggests) we saw seals!!!! Not one, not two, not three, but at least nine seals were playing and resting in front of our eyes. We were over the moon, as we had never seen seals in the wild before. Even luckier when I googled and the internet told me the best time to see seals was during summer (it's November) and when it was sunny out (it was foggy and raining). The island luck was on our side! 

This proved to be true on the next day as the weather report was blatantly mocking us by telling us the chance of rain was 90% the whole day. After a few hours though, rain turned into drizzle and drizzle turned into sunshine. Our goal was to see as much of the island as possible, which is why we stopped at a lot of ruins and read the history behind it, which was astonishing considering the fact that some of those ruins date back to 1500BC and others were built during the early medieval period. 

The island generally has lots of animals to offer, not only cows and sheep, but also goats and donkeys along the roads, who are always happy to get pet! If you are an animal lover, you should definitely come here! I think the animal population is actually bigger than the human one. 

We let the evening wind die down in the (once again: only) pub in town and enjoyed eavesdropping on the locals. The atmosphere there was even moodier and cozier than the pubs on mainland, trust me. I was also pleasantly surprised that they offered a vegetarian menu! Even though it is a small island, there is live music playing every day, which is so cool. 

So, if you want to escape the exam season that is slowly creeping up on you, I strongly suggest visiting the Aran Islands. Do not hesitate- book your ferry ticket and prepare to (respectfully!) explore the island's beauty. 

By Nele Dzienkowski, Germany