Category Archives: Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

June 17, 2013 · 10:01 pm

Two days in Dublin

Rosslare beach

Turns out Rosslare is more than just a ferry port – who knew? I had to wait around for the train this morning so took a drive down to the real town and beach. It’s quite cute and one of the nicest beaches I’ve seen in Ireland; and to think I’ve been here twice and wasn’t even going to look around – one of those hidden treasures people always talk about.

Ahhhh, bliss!!! Back on a train with nothing to do but sit back and relax while heading up to Dublin and a five or ten minute walk to my hostel.

Staying anywhere but Temple Bar was out of the question, Barnacles Temple House is where I ended up for 2 nights – in a single room though, I’m way to old to enjoy sharing.

The Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin

I’m also becoming a pro at ticking one thing off my to do list on the afternoon I arrive, so dumped my gear and headed off to find Trinity College and the Old Library. Got a bargain too, because there was only half an hour left until closing, the entry fee was half price – saved a whole £4.50!!. As I wasn’t that interested in the Book of Kells, I was happy with that. I don’t get tired of seeing the different architecture of these lovely old buildings, and the books – you can smell them, it’s divine! They have cabinets down the middle of the room with a selection of items from the library, the inks display really grabbed my attention but I had plenty of time to have a squiz at all of them. I was so tempted downstairs in the shop to buy something but managed to curb myself!!

Found a nice pub in Temple Bar for dinner and listened to the music for a while before heading back to the hostel where I joined the other nerds and caught up on blogging – well, not caught up, but put in some time writing!

Rosslare could be a tad windy I think

Rosslare

Old Guinness ad

Who’d want to be a spinner? Found in a pub in Dublin

And the organ grinders had to sleep in the wash house!

Great food and music

The Long Room at the Old Library, Dublin

The Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin

Inks display at the Old Library

At Trinity College Dublin

Another skylight, Barnacles Tempe House, Dublin

16th May 2013

Guinness vat

I really didn’t feel like sightseeing today, but couldn’t bring myself to not see as much as I could in my short stay, so braved the cold and rain to find the nearest hop on hop off bus stop. Everywhere and everyone rates the Guinness Storehouse tour as one of the top attractions here so that’s where I spent the next couple of hours. It was interesting, looks like they’ve essentially gutted the inside of the building but left interesting features and machinery intact. The circular seventh floor is pretty neat with a round bar in the centre of the room with 6 big Guinness taps and glass windows all around for a great view of the city. Your entry fee gives you access to the whole place and a pint of Guinness. It’s not that popular a drink at home and I was absolutely amazed at the number of people lining up for their free pint – my ticket still has the free drink stub attached!

It really was a miserable day so I stayed on the bus until we arrived back in the city and then just wandered back to the hostel for an early night – put earplugs in and slept like a log.

The 7th floor bar at the Guiness Storehouse, Dublin

Guinness Storehouse

At the Storehouse in Dublin

Vintage at Guinness Storehouse

Now that’s a lot of barley

Water, 8 million litres a day from the Wicklow Mountains

Bottle display at the Storehouse

And miles of merchandise at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin

The 7th floor bar at the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

River Liffey in Dublin

Music in the Temple Bar, Dublin

Iconic Temple Bar, Dublin

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Filed under Ireland, Mid-life travel, Northern Ireland, Travel

Tagged as Dublin, Guinness Storehouse, Rosslare, Temple Bar, Trinity College

June 17, 2013 · 7:40 am

Last day driving and getting out of Belfast

14th May 2013

Titanic centre Belfast and original Harland &Wolff building

There were only two of us for the walking tour around the Titanic site this morning, a young Austrian, Julia and myself, an Australian, Julie – coincidence huh?. I wouldn’t be surprised if the guide was trying to get us to quit, she asked us about three times if we were sure we wanted to continue and be wet through by the time we finished an hour later. It was fairly miserable, cold, windy and wet, but she wasn’t getting rid of either of us that easily. This is when I actually got to see the drawing offices, they’ve been empty for more than 20 years now apparently. It’s quite sad to hear about the glory days of places like this and then see them lying idle and deserted. The tour was totally captivating, well worth the £9 fee – and it only drizzled a little!!

The Thanksgiving Statue, Belfast

I felt bad not having seen anything of Belfast so caught the hop on hop off bus and did a circuit before I left – and learnt more about the troubles in Northern Ireland in that hour than I’ve ever known before. Once again my lack of knowledge left me feeling rather ignorant – I had never known what the fighting and fuss was all about, or even who was fighting for what. I also learnt that the Peace Walls in Belfast have stood longer than the Berlin Wall, and judging by current events, they won’t be coming down any time in the near future either.

It was all very well choosing somewhere to stay based on the ease of navigating my way there, but I didn’t give a thought to finding my way back out again, so when I got in the car to head off and realized this fact, I just about lost the plot. You know the classic scene where someone is banging their head on the steering wheel and wailing about some major catastrophe? Well, I was just about there – but, instead I just drove off and hoped for the best – oh, I also kept my eyes peeled for signs too. You wouldn’t believe it, but, I soon found signs that actually read, “THE SOUTH” and “THE WEST” – wootwoot!!

Gorgeous facade, Belfast

Who’d have thought driving from Belfast to Rosslare would take so long, it doesn’t look far on the map but took me four or five hours – huge drive over here! I’m so pleased to be car-less when I go back to Dublin, it was bad enough trying to bypass it let alone drive through it. I did my normal trick when I got to the little village of Tagoat near Rosslare, had to ask where the B&B was; the old guy at the pub came outside with me and pointed back the way I had come and across the road, on the side of the hill was Coral Gables B&B – in plain sight if you were coming from the ferry, not so much from the way I’d come. Well, that’s my story, anyway, hahehehe. I was the only guest there that night so took myself out to the lounge and had a fine old time cutting up brochures and sticking bits and pieces in my journal – you couldn’t really call it scrapbooking but it’s the closest thing I’ve got at the moment.

Murals everywhere in Belfast

No mans land in Belfast

Peace walls in Belfast

Ireland at it’s mysterious best

One of my last drive-by shootings

Interesting bridge on the way south

The main roads are so wide, you can almost overtake without going in other lane

Smalled house in the city?

Memorial in Belfast

Titanic sign

Queens University Belfast

One of the many political murals around Belfast

Part of the Peace Walls in Belfast, they have stood longer than the Berlin Wall

Thought these signs were for a photo op – turns out they’re speed camera signs, ooops!!

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Filed under Mid-life travel, Northern Ireland, Travel

Tagged as Belfast, Northern Ireland, older female solo traveller, solo travel, Titanic, Troubles

June 13, 2013 · 7:32 am

Yay, a good day in Northern Ireland!

13th May 2013

With a bit of backtracking again this morning I got out of Derry and headed in the right direction to see the Giants Causeway. Came across a sign for the Giants Causeway Scenic Route, yeah, I’ll take that, better than staying on the highway. Then I kept passing these little signs about some road being closed between certain times but didn’t take too much notice until I came to a bloody road-block – WTF again! I cannot believe the trouble I am having with getting from A to B at the moment. Okay, turn around and head back to where I’d seen a couple of vans turn off earlier and go that way; oops, I’ve gone from small road to even smaller one, but it’s too narrow and wet to turn around so I keep going and eventually come out somewhere near where I’d turned originally. One day I am going to learn, look it all up properly, take notes and follow the damn directions, don’t take detours – one day………

Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland

I didn’t realize but the Giants Causeway is under the National Trust and classified by Unesco so there’s a massive visitors centre and car park quite a way from the site with all the whizz bang facilities. Shop, cafe, interactive displays, guided tours, audio tours and buses to ferry you back and forth if you wish. I got my audio guide and headed down on foot, at times I almost got blown along, the wind was ferocious. It really is well worth a visit and they present their tours and information in a very original and entertaining way. The mythical story of how the causeway came to be is much more fun than the scientific facts, guess that’s to be expected though. I thought I’d only be there maybe half an hour or so but dragged myself away after a few hours to face the road again.

Finally I used some common sense when booking a place to stay; as probably my only sightseeing in Belfast will be the docks where the Titanic was built, I looked for something around that area. See, my thinking was that it should be well signed, because they now call it the Titanic Quarter. Yay, I was right for once, big signs all the way and straight to the hotel with no dramas, even had time to take in the big new centre this afternoon as it stays open until 7 at night.

Entrance to the Titanic Centre, Belfast

Now, if you have even the slightest interest in the story of the Titanic, this is one excellent place to go. I’m always a bit skeptical when they put these big visitor centers in, but this one is something else. I would go so far as to say it’s the best of this type of thing I’ve ever visited. There are nine different galleries that take you from conception to the aftermath and if you go to Belfast, do not miss it. I absolutely loved it and am coming back tomorrow for a walking tour around the dock area for more of all things Titanic.

So, two successful visits in one day – in Ireland, no less – maybe my luck has made a turn for the better; fingers crossed!

More brooding Irish countryside

View on the way to Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland

Head of the giants dog on hill in background at Giants Causeway

Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland

View along the coast near Giants Causeway, Northern Island

3000 men a day came through these gates when the Titanic was being built

Shipyard projected onto walls of Titanic centre in Belfast

Harland and Wolff drawing office, present day, after years of neglect

Titanic Quarter, Belfast

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Filed under Mid-life travel, Northern Ireland, Travel

Tagged as Belfast, Giants Causeway, Ireland, Titanic

June 12, 2013 · 10:40 pm

Derry and the crazy drunk guy

12th May 2013

After driving over the same bridge and back three times, I stopped and worked out from google maps that I had come in the opposite side of the river to what I thought! Fuck, I’m sick of trying to navigate without maps of towns or a GPS!!!! Sorry, but it is soooooo frustrating and then when I did find the correct street name I couldn’t find the actual place. So, one frantic sounding phone call to the owner, and she said she’d be with me in a few minutes. You wouldn’t believe it but I was actually less than 10 meters from the place and didn’t know it. Turns out she was having bathroom troubles so I stayed in her sisters B&B next door! Oh, by the way, I’m in Londonderry, or Derry, as it’s often called by those who live here.

Cannon along the Walls of Derry, Londonderry

Went for a walk along the top of the old walls of Derry for a bit then called in to a pub recommended by the B&B owner and listened to some great Irish music for a while before heading back to catch up on some journaling. I even spent some time sketching the band, and then regretted it, because after a while I realized they were looking at me strangely – my habit of checking what I’m drawing every few seconds must have looked pretty strange. Or maybe they thought I was just having a good perve!!

I’d not long dropped off to sleep than I woke up to some guy knocking on the front door of the B&B, calling out to Mick to let him in. He just kept knocking and yelling, then he started banging and swearing, I was a bit scared because the owners weren’t on-site and I didn’t know how many other people were there. Then I heard someone talking to him but he just kept yelling. All I could think was, oh crap, everyone at home will say I shouldn’t have come to Northern Ireland and I haven’t seen Europe yet! A while later I heard some other people come along and they, along with the drunk guy, came inside and stumbled upstairs – I dead set had my head under the blankets but straining to hear what was happening. Then, such an anticlimax, they must have gone to their rooms, doors banged and peace descended!

If I’d been a bit braver I would have banged a few doors myself in the morning to wake them all, but thought better of it. So, the big topic at breakfast amongst the oldies (and I’m including myself here), was the nocturnal happenings – and none of us were any the wiser when I left than we’d been last night. But it just goes to show I guess that staying in reputable places and areas is not necessarily going to keep the crazies or drunks away.

Donegal Castle Ireland

I just realized, I was so peeved about my navigation problems when I started writing this that I haven’t said anything about my day before then. A few people have told me that Donegal is a lovely place, so I made sure to go through there today. I didn’t have a very good look around, (it was raining again), but I did pay to go through the Donegal Castle. Parts of it were kind of cute but some parts looked out of character, like they were too new or something. Not that I particularly cared, I was out of the car and out of the rain – what more could I ask for.

Abbey Hotel restaurant, Donegal

It was Mother’s Day at home today so I decided to treat myself to lunch at a gorgeous old fashioned restaurant in the centre of the town; The Market House Restaurant at the Abbey Hotel. I’d have to say, it was one of the best meals I’ve had for ages, roast with all the trimmings – even a Yorkshire pudding. and a huge selection of desserts to choose from afterwards.

Sometime during the day I had spotted another great ruin in the middle of a paddock, and couldn’t resist doing a U-turn to try and get a photo – I ended up having to do three u-turns, park up a side track and run across a busy highway – but I got the photos. Sometimes, when I look at them later, I think no-one will believe the colours are really that vivid, but the greens are truly so, so bright.