Day Five

The morning dawned far too early for my liking, having had yet another late one the night before (not to mention having had a few drinks!). The Captain wanted to get up early and go exploring, and I woke up as she was getting herself ready and decided to go and find a place to have a bit of me-time. I ended up walking down to the cliffs. The day was gorgeous - bright blue skies, reasonably warm, and the views were spectactular - rolling green hills down to the blue sea.

I was walking down there when Mum and Dad called, so it was all pretty special. I found a nice little spot overlooking the water and a few boats, and settled in with my book. Eventually a few of the others from the tour strolled past, and a while after that along came the Captain. I ended up racing her back up the hill towards the hostel (no prizes for guessing who got her ass whipped, and it certainly wasn't the Captain!). We showered and organised our stuff, set Grasshoppa up for a good call on the degradation of her attitude for a word of the day win, and headed out to the bus.

Our first stop for the morning was the Carrick-a- Rede rope bridge. It was a scenic walk along the clifftops (with a slight pause for Grasshoppa to fall into some stinging nettles laughing at the concept of FOMO), and then we got to the bridge. Let's just say it's not for the faint of heart. The bridge is 20m long, and 30m above the rocks and ocean. Fishermen used to use the bridge for salmon fishing, although it's not done any more.

The bridge took us over to Carrick Island, which is basically a grassy knoll atop a huge rock. We posed for many photos, and tried to get a group jump shot (which I also fail miserably at!). Then it was back across the rickety bridge, up the God-knows-how-many steps and back across the clifftops to the bus.

From Carrick-a-Rede we headed to the place I had most looked forward to seeing, and was especially excited about spending my birthday at: the giant's causeway. I have long wanted to visit the place, and I was certainly not disappointed. I missed most of Connor's history of the place, and the legends surrounding it, because I got a phone call from Matt and Jo. I finished the call just as we were pulling up *sigh* We hopped off the bus and decided that we'd take the Shepherd's path across the top, down the cliff face and straight to the causeway. It was a pretty phenomenal experience. We were so high up, you couldn't really make out the individual rocks that make up the causeway.

Somehow we ended up singing a bit of Queen on the way down, helped out by Robyn and Matt - completely random, completely hilarious! We even posed for our own version of the Queen II album cover!

Finally we made it down to the causeway. For once in my life, there was no hesitation to go climbing on things that would normally deter me because I'm so damn unfit. I was a freaking mountain goat that day! I absolutely adored being there. I definitely was in no hurry to get going, even though we were quickly running out of time. There was a whole lot of posing going on, that's for sure!



I ended up catching the shuttle bus back up to the top (there was no way I was going to make it up on foot, and 27 was too young to die, especially on my birthday!). I was totally soft about it, but I'm ok with that! We had a little bit of time to check out the souvenirs, grab a cold drink and get back onto the bus.

From the giant's causeway we headed to Belfast. As we drove through the city, I was feeling slightly nervous. There'd been some attacks the week before, the usual violence between the Protestants and the Catholics. I wasn't overly worried, until Connor decided to tell us that the hostel wasn't named Paddy's Palace as that would make it a target for attack, and that he wouldn't be leaving the bus anywhere near the hostel for the same reason. In fact, several of the coaches were torched a few years before just because they play up the whole Irish leprachaun stereotype and the locals don't appreciate it. Awesome. Felt totally safe then.

It got better. We decided to do the black cab tour, which was the only way for us to easily see Belfast without the coach. We were booked for a later tour, so we popped up the road for a Starbucks break and some lunch, then went back to the hostel to shower and change for the evening. We had to hang around for a while waiting for the cab (we thought we'd been forgotten actually), but eventually one showed up. It was full of other members of our group, and they said the tour was fantastic.

Our driver took us straight into the Protestant area and parked in a dodgy kind of park. We were surrounded by murals, similar to what we had seen the day before in Derry. He gave us a bit of a rundown of the area, then told us we could get out and take photos of the murals, but he would drive a little further down to pick us up, and he'd be leaving the engine running. Turns out he'd been kidnapped there before and tortured for 3 days. Yep, feeling TOTALLY safe. We had a (very) quick walk through to where he drove up to, snapping pictures as quickly as we could. This is where the mural is of the soldier in a balaclava pointing a gun at you - I swear it follows you no matter where you stand. Scary stuff.

Once we got back in the cab, we drove through the gates (which are still closed every night) in the wall that separates the Protestant and Catholic areas, getting a little more history along the way. We then stopped at the peace wall. Basically this is one section of the peace lines that segregate the Protestants and Catholics, but it's dedicated to finding peace between the two groups. It's obviously painted over every so often, but stopped to sign our names (vandals that we are!).

We then headed through the Catholic areas, hearing more stories of some of the terrible things that happened during the Troubles. It's hard to believe that people can do such horrible things just because someone believes in a slightly different religion to you (and the history that goes with it, but really, religion is the root of all evil!). We heard stories of murder, kidnapping, torture, and other brutal crimes. This was definitely putting a downer on our trip, but was very worthwhile hearing about first hand.

Eventually our tour came to an end, and we were dropped off near a pub, where the DPA was meeting up with a friend of hers. We (the Captain, Grasshoppa, Big Mumma and I) ended up leaving her there and heading off to find somewhere for dinner. We found a Thai restaurant, and had one of the best meals of the trip. I had my birthday dinner in a Thai restaurant in Belfast, with another Aussie and two Americans, drinking French liquer. Totally awesome.

After dinner we headed back down the street to have a drink, and ended up at - where else - a JD Wetherspoons! The Captain and I don't travel without a visit to a Wetherspoons somewhere! Quite a few drinks later (to the surprise of the Captain at least), I called time on the night and headed back to the hostel. It had been an amazing day, an amazing birthday, and it will be a long time before I have a better one.

Day four

After a huge night in Galway, we packed up and headed out on the road. Our first stop for the morning was the Knock Shrine. In 1879, a whole bunch of people saw what they believed was an apparition of Mary, St Joseph and John the Baptist, in the local church. The church has now become a shrine and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. Pope John Paul II visited there in 1979, and its popularity isn't showing signs of decreasing.

It does say knock...

The entrance to the church.

From Knock we headed over to Sligo, where William Butler Yeats is buried. Plenty of other famous people have come from Sligo, including Westlife, although we were banned from mentioning their existence by our bus driver. It was almost worth tempting fate, if there wasn't a chance we'd be left behind!

William Butler Yeats' grave.

After a rambunctious lunch and a frolick down the street, we got back onto the bus and headed over the border into Northern Ireland. We had a bit of an odd moment just before we crossed the border - we stopped for fuel, and Connor suggested that while we wait, we buy an ice cream. Suddenly 50 of us were standing around eating ice cream - Connor said it, we did it. He figured he had some power over us by then, but it didn't last.

We stopped for the afternoon in Derry. The official name of the city remains Londonderry, but the council are trying to officially change the name. Nationalists (Catholics) would rather have no reference at all to London, Unionists (Protestants) stand firm on maintaining the link to Great Britain. We tried to just not refer to it by name at all for fear of offending someone! We were in Derry to do a walking tour. The guide had to be one of the worst I've ever seen. He started the tour by lecturing us to stay close to him so that we could hear, and that we wouldn't be able to complain about not hearing him if we didn't essentially stand in each other's pockets. He then proceeded to barely speak above a whisper. Whilst standing on the side of busy roads at rush hour. Totally smart. I doubt more than the closest 5 people could hear him, and even they would have caught only every second or third word. The walking tour was essentially a waste of time, because I've learnt far more about the place from doing my own reading afterwards than I did on the tour.

Unionist areas are noted by the red, white and blue gutters.

Some of the many murals painted on the ends of houses.

The memorial for the victims of the Bloody Sunday massacre.

We left Derry after the tour and headed for our final destination for the day. This was easily my favourite of the places where we spent the night. On the way in to Ballintoy we were told that there were just two pubs, and to try and split ourselves between them. Team Nerd stuck together for dinner, with a plan to go across the road afterwards to have a drink. In the end we stayed right where we were. We had a fantastic meal, far too much food, and lots of drinks. This pub was where the Grasshoppa met and had a little crush on Rodney, the singer, and where I totally peer pressured her into fulfilling one of her dreams - singing an Irish love song in an Irish pub. I'd have apologised for bullying her, but it was totally worth it!

Grasshoppa, the Captain and the DPA at the pub in Ballintoy. Can't remember why they were pointing at me!

Grasshoppa singing her song.

This was the place where we rang in my 27th birthday with a couple of Bushmills. We were of course still there enjoying ourselves at midnight, so it was only natural to start the celebrations early! It was also the place where Cliff made his second and somewhat surprising appearance. I'm not sure if I ever told Grasshoppa how that came about!

Day three

Day three dawned far too bright and far too early for our liking. We spent most of the morning driving, headed for the Cliffs of Moher. The weather had held up thus far, but it was set to change, albeit temporarily. We stopped for lunch, with Team Nerd as we were quickly becoming congregating in a pub around two small tables. This led to the now-infamous 'circle of trust' incident (which is understood by fellow team members, but is too long-winded to explain here). Suffice to say I was left with a circle and Grasshoppa lost hers.

The weather by this stage was turning grey and misty. We'd hoped to have it clear off before we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher, but it was to be the one single disappointment of the tour. The cliffs rise up to 214m where we visited, but visibility was down to 2 or 3 metres or so. Ridiculous! The wind was whipping around us, and we were hit with rain and spray from the waves below. It was insane, and yet loads of fun. The best picture of the cliffs in the end was a picture of a picture - taken inside the visitor centre. Oh well, I'll just have to go back again!

The spectacular and wondrous Cliffs of Moher. Or not.

Ghost cows!

Trying to cross the path - more difficult than it should have been!

The picture of a picture - the cliffs as they should have looked.

From the Cliffs of Moher (and from Cliff the puffin's first appearance - perfectly timed) we continued north to the Burren. This is a huge (250 square kilometre) area made up mainly of limestone with crevices in it that allow the growth of Arctic, Mediterranean and alpine plants side by side. It's amazing to see it spread out in all directions. We wandered around here for a while, exploring the various plants and bugs and things that we could see. Eventually though it was time to move on, headed for Galway, after a pit stop in a tiny town whose name we never knew.

Heading out to explore the Burren.

The Captain taking a moment.

The Captain and Grasshoppa.

We were spending the night there, on the same night that the Volvo Ocean Race was in town. It was utter madness, but lots of fun. The usual shenanigans made their presence felt - group dinner, followed by a couple of pubs, lots of Guiness, lots of giggles and this time, the need for a designated wingman for a certain Grasshoppa who was wearing a hardcore pair of beer goggles!

Day two

We were up bright and early the next morning, in fact too early for most people. Tamara and I decided to go for a wander around downtown Killarney to kill some time. Along the way we ran into Jen, whom we'd met the night before. Most people were nursing their first hangover of the tour, and Jen was out for a run! Insanity. We told her to do a lap for us and sent her on her way, before making our way back to the hostel for breakfast.

Once we got going for the day, our first stop was just down the road a little. We got dropped off at Killarney National Park, for a ride around the park in a horse drawn jaunting car. Somehow or other our little group that had formed the night before ended up in the same cart, to be driven by - I kid you not - Tom and Jerry. We were the last of the jaunting cars to depart, so we were following all of the others. I think some of the others might have wished we were further behind! Our driver was hilarious, he was telling jokes like being a comedian was his profession and he drove the cart for fun. Consequently, we were roaring with laughter the whole time - definitely a good way to spend a morning. Another highlight was seeing a stag. The park is home to Ireland's only remaining wild herd of red deer, and this one stag came out to say hello. Sure, Jerry told us he'd arranged it especially for us, and that his name was Seamus - even better as far as we were concerned!

Ross Castle, Killarney National Park.

Seamus!

Tom and Jerry.

Eventually we left the park, bellies and ribs aching from laughing so much. We also departed Killarney, on our way to the Dingle Peninsula. We did stop at the top of the hill overlooking Killarney for a bit of a frolick, and then it was back on the bus, headed for the beach. Now, I say beach, but in my head I'm denying that it was any such thing! First of all, we pulled up on the side of a cliff, and had to negotiate our way down to the sand in a stiff wind, climbing down the rocks, in pluggers. Not an easy feat. Why we did it, I'm still not sure! The water was a loooooooong way out, and it was freezing. Yes, it was May, but that meant nothing! It was ridiculously cold, given that the sun was shining and it was Spring, but it was worth it for a good laugh with the girls.

Looking back towards Killarney.

After imitating some kind of monkey and climbing back up the cliff, we headed for our lunch stop - the town of Dingle. The Dingle Peninsula is the most westerly point in Ireland, and indeed in Europe. It's a seaside town in a gorgeous location, and is also a Gaelic speaking town. Luckily for us though, being a tourist town, they also speak English! The town is also famous for its resident dolphin, Fungi, who comes in regularly to meet and greet the locals and tourists alike. There is a bronze statue of Fungi in the town, which of course we had to have photos taken with. The other famous place in Dingle is Foxy John's, a combination hardware store and pub. Apparently it's a hardware store by day, pub by night - every man's dream!


After fish and chips for lunch in Dingle, we headed along a coastal road around Slea Head. There were stunning views, and we even hopped out of bus to walk part of the way. This stroll included various stops for photos, including a few ridiculous ones the likes of which won't be posted here. Eventually we made it to the ruins of an old church, however I don't remember the details of this as I broke my own golden rule and forgot to take a photo of the sign. My bad.



Eventually we carried on a little further, arriving in the small village of Annascaul, where we were to spend the night in a fluorescent green hostel called the Randy Leprachaun. We took a moment to discover that the shower in our room didn't work, before heading into the bar for dinner and a rowdy night of tunes, Guiness, pool, dancing and karaoke. There were also some jaeger-bombs involved, but I think those drinking them would really prefer to forget... It was only our second night away, but we carried on until we were kicked out of the pub - again!

Ireland tour, day one

After a hot, loud and relatively sleepless night, we were up early to start our tour. It turned out that seeing as it was half term, there were two buses instead of one, and we were doing a reverse tour - heading south first instead of north. We jumped on the big green bus and settled in.

Our first stop was actually still in Dublin, at Phoenix Park and the Papal Cross. Phoenix Park is 712 acres in size and is home to fallow deer, some of which we saw. It's also the location of Aras an Uachtarain, the home of the Irish president. The Papal Cross is a huge cross that was erected when Pope John Paul II visited in September 1979, and said mass to over one million people. We were only there for a few minutes, and then Connor (AKA Conrad and El Capitano), our guide and driver, got us back on the bus to get on the road properly.

The next stop was at the Rock of Dunamase. Apparently the rock was first settled in the 9th century, but the castle itself wasn't built until the second half of the 12th century. It's all ruins now, but it's clear to see why it was a desirable position. It's perched up high, overlooking the wide green valleys, so would be an excellent defensive position. This was the stop where Team Nerd really introduced themselves to each other. Tamara and I first spoke to Jen and Dorothy as we got on the bus in Dublin, and we chatted to Nicola and Tennille as we wandered around the ruins. I'm not quite sure, but I think it started there when Tamara and I were insulting each other rather loudly and we were overheard... All fun and games!

After pulling out the Peter Pan pose, we stumbled down the steep gravel path back to the bus. It turns out, contrary to popular belief, that it's not such a long way to Tipperary after all. It was our lunch stop for the day. We weren't there for long, enough time to be fed and watered and to empty out the bladder ready for the next leg of the trip. Oh, and time enough to buy the obligatory postcards and souvenirs!

Once again we jumped on the bus and hit the road. Our stop for the afternoon was at Blarney Castle, home of the famous blarney stone. It had been raining on and off on the drive down there, but magically enough it stopped raining for us to wander around the beautiful gardens and to make our way up to the top of the castle to kiss the stone. The legend is, of course, that those who kiss the stone are given the gift of the gab. So, we made our way up the steep spiral stairs to the top of the castle, and lined up ready to be dangled head first over the edge of the parapet to kiss a rock. You know, because I really needed an increase in my ability to shoot the breeze. Apparently the blarney stone has been ranked as the world's most unhygienic tourist attraction - not hard to see why! It's only slightly terrifying to place your safety into the hands of an old man who is holding you by the ankles. Ok, so there are also iron bars in place, but you don't see those when you're dangling there, you just see how very, very far it is to the ground below!
After a further wander around the gardens it was time to board the bus for the final leg of our trip for that day. We were to spend the night in Killarney, and it wasn't a great distance between the castle and our destination. There was a bit of a tour dinner that night, so the whole group trudged across town to a pub for a noisy meal. After that we all trudged up the street to a local pub that had some traditional Irish music. We were there for quite a few hours before eventually wandering back to the hostel to get some sleep, ready for another big day.

The first Irish Guiness of the trip!

The Emerald Isle

A few weeks after our weekend in Belgium, Tamara and I were off again, this time for a week in Ireland. We'd booked ourselves on a tour that would take us around both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The tour meant staying in hostels - something I'd only done once before, in Belgium. I wasn't looking forward to that part of the trip, but at least I had a seasoned pro with me. To be honest, I can't see myself staying in a hostel again if I can help it!

We flew out on the Sunday, arriving in beautiful, sunny Dublin. After breezing through immigration (and then waiting forever for Tamara - having dual citizenship is awesome :P), we made our way out of the airport and over to the big green Paddywagon bus, which would take us to Paddy's Palace, where we spent our first night. Our tour was to begin there the next day. I'd pre-booked the hostel, only to find out on arrival that they didn't have our booking. Of course. Luckily though they got us into another room, only and 8-bed instead of 4, so they refunded the money.

That drama over, we headed down the street for lunch and a little exploring. We were staying around the corner from the spire - known, amongst other things, as the Stiffy on the Liffey. Trust the Irish to tell it like it is! Other names for it include the Rod to God, the Binge Syringe, the Erection at the Intersection and a few others. I snapped off a couple of quick photos, picked up a sub from Quiznos, and then we continued down O'Connell Street. We had a map with us, and decided we wanted a photo of Little Britain Street, so headed for that. From there it was pretty simple. We were a short walk away from the Jameson's Distillery, so when in Ireland...

We didn't want to do the tour, but we did settle into the comfy leather chairs at the bar for a drink. Keeping in mind that I hadn't had a drink for over two years at this point, it only took one - very slowly sipped - drink to make me feel a bit of a buzz. Tamara thought this was hilarious, and laughed at me over it for the rest of the week!

We left the distillery and then headed back towards the centre of town. The weather was still glorious - sunshine and happiness! We wandered along the side of the River Liffey (unable to escape Essex no matter which country we were in), past another of Dublin's fine memorials, the Tart with the Cart, known more formally as Molly Malone. She too has other names - the Flirt in the Skirt, the Dolley with the Trolley, and the Dish with the Fish, along with a few more. Standing beside Ms Malone was a guy in a giant leprachaun costume. We also saw him at the end of the week, which I'd find somewhat odd, but hey, it's Ireland.

Just up the street from the Tart is a park. We decided to join in with the rest of Dublin and cob a squat and partake in a bit of people watching. It was awesome to sit in the sun and not have to think about how much work I wasn't doing and all the other dramas that were going on at the time. Eventually thought, like all good things, the time came to move along. The sun was starting to go down and it was a bit too cool in to sit in the shade. We soon warmed up though. Tamara, on one of her previosu trips to Dublin, had been to a restaurant called Luigi Malones. She had a vague memory of where it was, and wanted to go there again. Turns out she didn't really know where it was, and we walked all over Dublin, on both sides of the river, before giving up just near the Temple Bar region, and of course stumbling straight into it.

The food there was sooooooooooo good. We made early plans to go back there for dinner on our last night, just so that we could try more of the menu. Just thinking about it makes me want to go there now! By the time dinner was finished with, we decided to head back to the hostel as we had an early start the next morning. It was certainly a great start to the trip.