So I didn’t get an opportunity to post while I was away but I can say, boy does it feel good to be home! I love to travel but there is just something about your own bed. I have not been well since arriving back on NL soil so I must apologize for the delay in my posts. If anything I should now be caught up on sleep!
BK is delighted to have me home, I missed him so much while I was gone. As Grandma would say, he was very needy. Even made reference to wearing him as a scarf while I was away-He is the most affectionate kitty!
BK is delighted to have me home, I missed him so much while I was gone. As Grandma would say, he was very needy. Even made reference to wearing him as a scarf while I was away-He is the most affectionate kitty!
Where do I begin..... this may take a few entries, but I will try to keep it as short as possible:)
There aren't any words to describe the beauty that surrounds Ireland but I will do my best to put an accurate description here and many reasons as to why everyone should do a Shamrocker Tour at least once in their life.
The flight to Europe went off without a hitch, I didn't get to sleep on my flight but the gravol took the edge of flying off. I arrived in Dublin at 7:20 AM Ireland time- Super early. I hadn't really decided what I was going to do while I waited for my travel partner to arrive, I thought about doing a hop on- hop off tour, doing a day tour to Wicklow Mountains or even going to the zoo. The first step was to find my Hostel and see if they could hold my bag for the day until it was time to check in. After 15 minutes of walking around the airport like a lost puppy I found someone to ask where the bus I needed to get was located. I loaded my baggage in the undercarriage and we were on our way. I arrived downtown Dublin 20 minutes later with directions to the hostel. I found it no problem thankfully! For those of you who don't know me, it was only my second time out of the country, and here I was in Dublin alone for the day. It was scary at first but I put on the big girl panties and handled it like a boss.
When I arrived at Ashfield (hostel) the gentlemen on reception was very kind and helpful. He informed me that there was a luggage locker, I could have some breakfast if I wanted and that he could show me where to go in Dublin to pass a few hours. So I got myself some breakfast and sat down to a table to fill my angry tummy It had been hours since I had eaten and the Hanger was at an all-time high. Before I knew it two fine fellas sat down with me and introduced themselves. We got to chit chatting and before I knew it I had made some new friends. One of the men was travelling back home that day and the other like me had just arrived that morning. I was still undecided as to what I was going to do with myself for the day. I have always wanted to see the Wicklow Mountains and though about doing that tour but I was not confidant that I would be back in time for Courtney's arrival or that we wouldn't be stopping by there on our tour so I decided against going. In the meantime, one of my new mates, Paul had taken me under his wing and we decided to do the walking tour of Dublin that morning at 11am. This was great, I thought that meeting new people would be a little more difficult but I was only in Dublin for 2 hours and BAM, New friend count was already at 1.Ditto!!
The day was pretty lax which I didn't mind at all. I had been on the go for almost 24 hours without sleep, so once we were able to check into our hostel it was shower and nap time. The two hour nap that followed did me all the good in the world. Fresh as a Daisy! For dinner that night we went to a place called O'neils pub. The best fish and chips I've ever had live there! So much food, value for dollar was great, I could only eat half of my meal and was stuffed to the gills. We turned in early that night, listened to some good tunes and did some catching up. We had an early rise the next morning as it was time to explore IRELAND.
There aren't any words to describe the beauty that surrounds Ireland but I will do my best to put an accurate description here and many reasons as to why everyone should do a Shamrocker Tour at least once in their life.
The flight to Europe went off without a hitch, I didn't get to sleep on my flight but the gravol took the edge of flying off. I arrived in Dublin at 7:20 AM Ireland time- Super early. I hadn't really decided what I was going to do while I waited for my travel partner to arrive, I thought about doing a hop on- hop off tour, doing a day tour to Wicklow Mountains or even going to the zoo. The first step was to find my Hostel and see if they could hold my bag for the day until it was time to check in. After 15 minutes of walking around the airport like a lost puppy I found someone to ask where the bus I needed to get was located. I loaded my baggage in the undercarriage and we were on our way. I arrived downtown Dublin 20 minutes later with directions to the hostel. I found it no problem thankfully! For those of you who don't know me, it was only my second time out of the country, and here I was in Dublin alone for the day. It was scary at first but I put on the big girl panties and handled it like a boss.
When I arrived at Ashfield (hostel) the gentlemen on reception was very kind and helpful. He informed me that there was a luggage locker, I could have some breakfast if I wanted and that he could show me where to go in Dublin to pass a few hours. So I got myself some breakfast and sat down to a table to fill my angry tummy It had been hours since I had eaten and the Hanger was at an all-time high. Before I knew it two fine fellas sat down with me and introduced themselves. We got to chit chatting and before I knew it I had made some new friends. One of the men was travelling back home that day and the other like me had just arrived that morning. I was still undecided as to what I was going to do with myself for the day. I have always wanted to see the Wicklow Mountains and though about doing that tour but I was not confidant that I would be back in time for Courtney's arrival or that we wouldn't be stopping by there on our tour so I decided against going. In the meantime, one of my new mates, Paul had taken me under his wing and we decided to do the walking tour of Dublin that morning at 11am. This was great, I thought that meeting new people would be a little more difficult but I was only in Dublin for 2 hours and BAM, New friend count was already at 1.Ditto!!
The day was pretty lax which I didn't mind at all. I had been on the go for almost 24 hours without sleep, so once we were able to check into our hostel it was shower and nap time. The two hour nap that followed did me all the good in the world. Fresh as a Daisy! For dinner that night we went to a place called O'neils pub. The best fish and chips I've ever had live there! So much food, value for dollar was great, I could only eat half of my meal and was stuffed to the gills. We turned in early that night, listened to some good tunes and did some catching up. We had an early rise the next morning as it was time to explore IRELAND.
Day 1: We arrived at the Shamrocker Office to check in along with the rest of our tour mates, got a coffee and waited for the tour to start. On the first day we were headed to Northern Ireland with a stop in Belfast before heading to Ballintoy. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. There are seven counties in Northern Ireland and they all use Pounds as their currency rather than Euro's like the rest of Ireland. We had the option of doing a tour called the Black Cab Tour which takes you through Belfast and talks about some of the troubling political times that occurred there in the past. They show you things like The Peace Wall which happens to be the worlds longest and take you through other areas like the Titanic ship yard and so on. We decided to do our own little tour and walked around Belfast on foot. We went to the local market to do some shopping and get some food. We then went to the water front and took a walk to the Titanic Shipyard and did some sightseeing. On the way back to our tour bus we stopped for tea at this quaint little tea shop and had a pot of tea and a treat. From here we headed on up to one of the northern tips of Ireland to Ballintoy.
As we headed north to Ballintoy, we stopped at the mysterious "Dark Hedges" Inclusions, these can be described as a laneway of beech trees that were planted by the Stuart Family in the 18th century. They were planted with all intentions to impress visitors when they visited their home. To the left you can catch a glimpse of what they look like. I didn't get to include the laneway as it was full of tour buses and visitors.
Finally, Ballintoy. It is a small quaint town with approximately 100 people inhabiting it, there are only two pubs in the whole town. To be honest there are probably more sheep and cattle than there are people. We stayed at Sheep Island View Hostel, conveniently located across the road from a field of sheep and a little island off the coast known as Sheep Island. Located just outside the town in Balleycastle is the well-known Rede-a-rope Bridge. We decided that evening once we were settled away in our rooms that we would take a walk along to coast to the bridge with hopes of crossing it that evening. The cliff's and landscape are indescribable. It is the type of scenery where you could sit there all day long and never get tired of what is right in front of you. Out of the whole trip, this little town was probably my favorite place next to Killarney. Later that night after we had finished exploring and all had dinner it was time to get ready to go to the Pub. We had been looking forward to this all day. On the journey up we had heard nothing but great things and were excited to get out and experience some of the lifestyle and culture of this beautiful place. I must say, our tour guide Connell, he described this place perfectly. The people were so friendly, they love to see tourists, especially us Newfies. There was literally nowhere to sit down let alone move come 11 pm. The Carrick-a-rede pub was BLOCKED. There were locals playing everything from Irish Music to Jonny Cash and this went on for hours. It was also a great way to get out and introduce ourselves to everyone else on the tour. Little did we know at the time but we were going to meet some great people and hopefully develop friendships that will last a lifetime.
Day 2: The next morning came a whole lot faster for some of us than others to say the least. I was a well behaved girl and went back to the hostel around 1-1:30 so an 8 am rise would not leave me hurtin' in the morning. It was Sunday and we were headed to the Giants Causeway and to the town of Derry. One of the things my travel partner and I had been looking forward to the most was the causeway. It is the most incredible geological structure I have ever seen. At the causeway there are over 40 thousand interlocking basalt columns. They are located here as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption that occurred here around 50-60 million years ago. In my opinion, whether you like geology or not, It doesn't get any better than this. If you've ever been to Ireland & to Newfoundland you know that the weather is very similar. When we arrived at the cause way it was sunny with a slight wind giving the air a little nip. Within the half hour you could see the rain clouds offshore. Before we knew it the sun had hidden itself, it was pouring and cold, brrrr! Thankfully this only lasted for 20 minutes, long enough to soak us to the core. Luckily for us the sun decided to come back out and along with the nice wind gusts we were warm and dry in no time. If you ever get the opportunity to go to Ireland, Giants Causeway is a MUST SEE. It doesn’t get any more beautiful than this.
No photo can do this place any justice. There are just too many to choose from, so take my word for it and GO THERE. There is also a really nice coastal walk that you can do while visiting the causeway. They give you a map and a audio guide to listen to upon arrival which is loaded with awesome information. The visitor centre has all kinds of interactive things for kids, washrooms, shopping and a great cafe which is also home to the best lemonade I have ever tasted in my life. If you've ever done the Ferryland Lighthouse Picnic here in Ferryland, NL you've probably had the lemonade, it’s damn good. However it doesn't hold a torch remotely close to this stuff. Fentlman's Victorian Lemonade, if you ever see a bottle of this stuff, get it while you can. I spent the rest of the trip around Ireland looking for this stuff and it was nowhere to be found.
Once we were finished at the causeway it was onwards to Derry. Derry is also located in Northern Ireland and they also use pounds as their currency. Derry is home to the Bloody Sunday Monument, if you like the band U2 you may have heard the song they have written about this event. We only got to spend one night in Derry so we were short for time. When we arrived and settled the whole group went out on a walking tour of the town which was delivered by a gentlemen named Garvin. During the week we were in Ireland we had gone on about three walking tours and this was by far the best. The delivery that this man gave us was incredible. It was refreshing to see someone so passionate about the place in which they live & to love doing their job just as much as he did. Garvin told us all about the events of bloody Sunday, he took us through what is known as the Bogside of Derry. It was here that the murders of January 1972 occurred. Painted on all of the buildings are memoirs of what had happened there so many years ago, It was so beautiful to see. During the tour there were hail showers, how was it possible that on the 31st of May we were having hail. I thought to myself, surely the weather here is not THAT much like home. Before we knew it the hail had stopped and the sun was splitting the rocks again. By now everyone was starved, or Hangry as I like to put it so we all piled into the restaurant that was located beneath our hotel for a feed and a beverage. This was the only night that we were going to have the privilege of just the two of us sleeping in a room together with a bathroom to ourselves so after dinner we freshened up and took as long of a shower as we wanted and went to bed early in the peace and quiet. You forget what a privilege this is until you have been on the road for a few days with 23 other people.
Day 3: Monday, it was day three and this was going to be the longest day of the tour, It was our day to drive for what felt like an eternity. The road from Derry to Galway was a long one but we stopped at some beautiful places along the way. We were lucky however that the one day we were going to be spending he majority of it on the bus was raining and gross outside. It reminded me of being home in NL because lord knows the weather here isn't that great most of the time. It was a sleepy Monday to say the least. We made a few sightseeing stops along the way. One of which was called Croagh Patrick in Carrowkeeran-Murrisk, Ireland. This place was beautiful. There was a statue at the bottom of the mountain which represents Croagh Patrick and an explanation that says any Pilgrim that ascends the mountain on St Patricks Day or any day during the months of June, July, August & September and prays in or near the chapel for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope may gain a preliminary indulgence on the condition of going to confession or the holy communion on the summit or within the week.
Once we were finished at the causeway it was onwards to Derry. Derry is also located in Northern Ireland and they also use pounds as their currency. Derry is home to the Bloody Sunday Monument, if you like the band U2 you may have heard the song they have written about this event. We only got to spend one night in Derry so we were short for time. When we arrived and settled the whole group went out on a walking tour of the town which was delivered by a gentlemen named Garvin. During the week we were in Ireland we had gone on about three walking tours and this was by far the best. The delivery that this man gave us was incredible. It was refreshing to see someone so passionate about the place in which they live & to love doing their job just as much as he did. Garvin told us all about the events of bloody Sunday, he took us through what is known as the Bogside of Derry. It was here that the murders of January 1972 occurred. Painted on all of the buildings are memoirs of what had happened there so many years ago, It was so beautiful to see. During the tour there were hail showers, how was it possible that on the 31st of May we were having hail. I thought to myself, surely the weather here is not THAT much like home. Before we knew it the hail had stopped and the sun was splitting the rocks again. By now everyone was starved, or Hangry as I like to put it so we all piled into the restaurant that was located beneath our hotel for a feed and a beverage. This was the only night that we were going to have the privilege of just the two of us sleeping in a room together with a bathroom to ourselves so after dinner we freshened up and took as long of a shower as we wanted and went to bed early in the peace and quiet. You forget what a privilege this is until you have been on the road for a few days with 23 other people.
Day 3: Monday, it was day three and this was going to be the longest day of the tour, It was our day to drive for what felt like an eternity. The road from Derry to Galway was a long one but we stopped at some beautiful places along the way. We were lucky however that the one day we were going to be spending he majority of it on the bus was raining and gross outside. It reminded me of being home in NL because lord knows the weather here isn't that great most of the time. It was a sleepy Monday to say the least. We made a few sightseeing stops along the way. One of which was called Croagh Patrick in Carrowkeeran-Murrisk, Ireland. This place was beautiful. There was a statue at the bottom of the mountain which represents Croagh Patrick and an explanation that says any Pilgrim that ascends the mountain on St Patricks Day or any day during the months of June, July, August & September and prays in or near the chapel for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope may gain a preliminary indulgence on the condition of going to confession or the holy communion on the summit or within the week.
We had only stopped here for a short while before we were on the road again. We had driven through umpteen towns and counties and Galway didn't seem any closer, so naturally it was nap time!
Pt 2 to Follow......
Pt 2 to Follow......