A Traveler's Guide to Ireland - Part 2

Heading West:

(You’re in Western Ireland now, so exchange whatever money you have – your own currency or left over British pounds from Belfast – into Euro)

My friend’s place was in Galway, so we headed back west, passed through Belfast and arrived in Galway. Galway is known as a cultural center in Ireland and there are numerous festivals taking place throughout the year. Depending on what time of the year you visit, you can attend all sorts of fun events. It’s also one of the few places in Ireland where they still speak Irish Gaelic. Also, there is a difference between Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic – the locals who still speak one or the other, just call it Gaelic.

There are museums and theaters to visit and you should but once you’re done with that, head towards the port and find where Cupan Tae is. The title has a squiggly line over the A and it’s pronounced as if you’re saying “Cup and Tea” really fast.

This place has the most awesome tea flavors from all over the world and you can also buy them in bulk. It’s also a nice place for lunch or breakfast because they have sandwiches and the like. Overall, I visited this place every single day I was in Galway and it’s one of my loveliest memories (probably cuz I love good food as much as I like to travel).

Once you’ve had enough tea for one day, take a walk towards the docks and the beach. There are swans swimming nearby which was a first for me, and then… there’s the beach. I don’t know what it is with the beaches in Ireland, but every time I came near one in that country I felt as if I was walking into a dream land. Again… pictures are worth a thousand words.

The River that runs through the city of Galway

Look, a swan (^___^)

My Birthday at the edge of the World – Cliffs of Moher

I was fortunate enough to have two things coinciding with my trip to Ireland. One, my birthday fell in the middle of my visit and two, I got to experience Saint Patrick’s day in Ireland. It’s the same with Guinness; you might hate it while you’re anywhere else but once you try it in Ireland, it makes all the sense in the world. I didn’t hate Saint Patrick’s Day before I went to the Emerald Isle, but I can safely say that I had the proper experience of this celebration in the right place.

So, my birthday is on March 13^th and my (awesome) friend was kind enough to give me a day trip as a birthday present. We joined a tour group leaving Galway and heading southwest – the final destination being the Cliffs of Moher. I unfortunately don’t remember the name of our tour guide but he is easily the funniest person in (at least) Ireland. His tour started with visits to old castles and lakes, and also a fairy’s circle, which consists of a circle formed by trees where it is believed that fairies come at night to discuss the problems that you have mentally left there for them to examine. It’s a very nice spiritual gesture to participate in, even if you don’t believe in that kind of stuff.



The castles we saw were tied to important historical events and even included the stories of some very brave Irish women (yay girl power). In between castles and lakes and old tombs, we were also informed that our tour guide is happily married but would love to get rid of his mother in law, that we could all participate if we felt like it and that all real Irish men always sleep with one eye open because of their feisty Irish wives. He also told us about a festival that takes place in a village that we passed by: all the single girls can find a husband on that day because there’s a matchmaking ceremony going on. So there’s a guy out there for everyone – or, as the tour guide put it, “an old fart with one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel”.




This is an old Irish tomb that we visited during our tour. The cracks on the rocks surrounding it (that are now filled with grass) have been caused by the constant rainfalls in Ireland!!!

As mentioned before, our final destination was the Cliffs of Moher. And this is literally what the edge of the world must look like. The world’s not round, it ends at the Cliffs of Moher and you can certainly verify that when you’re standing on the edge of one of the cliffs, the wind blowing, and the sea waayyyy beneath you. It’s a “if you’re afraid of heights, don’t look down” situation, but totally worth it. You can walk along each cliff as the mountain they’re on goes higher and higher and when you do reach the last one, take a look behind you: you’ll find yourself between air, water and grass and nothing but open land and sea for miles.

So here are some pictures from the Cliffs of Moher!!!



 

P.s There’s a fence made of rock and wood that’s supposed to let you know how close you can get to the cliffs without falling. I would stick near that fence – even if I totally didn’t on that day and got some pretty amazing shots to prove it. Yes, it was a good birthday.

When you get back to Galway and just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, have a drink at any of the local pubs that has live music. You’ll listen to some nice Irish folk songs in Irish Gaelic or in English from local mucisians that might also be students at the University in Galway and you’re totally welcomed to sing along :)

(End of part 2)

*S

A Traveler's Guide to Ireland Part 1

                                        

A Hundred Thousand Welcomes!

Welcome to Ireland!

Gongrats, you made the –right- decision to visit Ireland and you won’t be sorry. It’s a beautiful country, filled with wonderful things to do and see (and it’s not so expensive to do so). So, here’s a small travel guide to the Emerald Isle, based on my experiences of visiting the land of Guinness Beer :P

(And let’s be clear, if you’re under the drinking age of 17 here in Europe, you’re not getting any Guinness or alcohol in general)

Arriving:



The Crown Bar - Belfast, Ireland

You will most likely land in Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland and under British rule. It’s a wonderful place with rich history, one that you should totally explore and learn about if you feel like it. There are buses that can take you from the airport to the train station, and from there you are already in a pretty interesting part of Belfast. The train station is located under or near (depends on how you look at it, either way you won’t get lost) a famous hotel in Belfast – it’s the most bombed hotel in Europe actually. It’s worth looking from the outside just because of its history; otherwise, it’s a perfectly functioning hotel. You can always ask if there are any memorabilia from the bombings in the hotel but there weren’t any when I was there, so just cross the street and enter the Crown Bar for your first Guinness of your trip (you should have a Guinness; even if you don’t really like it, you’ll like it in Ireland and I’m speaking from personal experience).

Keep in mind that you will need to exchange money into British currency and they are really expensive so don’t spend all of your money in the pubs and tourist attractions in Belfast.

Small trivia for those who watch Sons of Anarchy: You can see the hotel I mentioned before when the Sons arrive in Belfast in season 3 (^^)

Waiting for the next train:

You can pretty much go anywhere from Belfast, it’s a central location, but since I was in the north, I decided to head even further in that direction. So, while my friend and I were waiting for the next train to County Antrim we decided to explore the nearby Murals. They are at a walking distance from the Crown Bar, so you won’t get lost. Basically they are drawings on walls and houses depicting the historical turmoil of the past. There are dedications to famous RIRA members and fighters, like Bobby Sands, and various other drawings devoted to Human Rights movements and the like. Near the Murals in Belfast you will find a beautiful Catholic church worth a look.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the Murals. I had trouble picking which ones to upload because there were so many awesome to choose from!

An Amnesty International dedication

We saw a lot of IRA graffiti and drawings along with the other Murals

This wall extended for miles and visitors or residents had written messages of peace on it



One of my favorite dedications to Bobby Sands

The front of the church at the Murals



Ballintoy, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and the Giant’s Causeway:

Once you arrive at County Antrim, you can take a bus to Ballintoy, which is a small village off the coast of Northern Ireland. Talking about your magical scenery: you have miles of green fields that touch the water and once you reach the sea strand, you get more miles of sand and rocks; overall this village looks like it came out of a dream. 



I'd totally wanna live here...

Fun fact: Ballintoy was the location picked for the town of Pyke from the series Game of Thrones so this should give you an idea of what you’ll be seeing. Find the hostel called Sheep Island View; that’s the closest to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. After checking in, you should head straight to the beach for pictures that will remind you of just how awesome this place is. For a city girl like myself, I can safely say that the image of the grass turning into sand turning into water with the occasional rock formations is something that will stay with me for the longest time. Plus, the air in this area is completely different; you haven’t had a breath of fresh air until you visit Ballintoy.

I'd totally wanna live here too...

Depending on how late your plain/train-bus ride was, you can visit the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge on the same day or not. My advice: wait until the next day. First of all, Ballintoy is totally worth exploring at any time of the day (just make sure you can see where you’re going especially if you’re trying to get that one awesome shot near the rocks) and second of all, you should totally end your day of travels with dinner at one of the local restaurants. I forgot what the name of the one my friend and I went to was, but it shouldn’t be hard to find. Just look for the pub down the road that has the statues of two old men on a balcony-looking structure on top of the entrance.

Inside, you can enjoy tea, a traditional Irish stew and the most delicious bread in the world. Then, head back to the Sheep Island View Hostel, enjoy some late night snack that the previous visitors left (it’s the hostel’s policy to share everything they have and visitors follow their example by leaving food that doesn’t go bad and things like plates and utensils for the next people who come, plus the owners are some of the nicest people in the world) and head to bed so you can wake up early.

This is what you wake up to (^^)







Our first stop the next day was the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. In very simple terms, yes, it’s a rope bridge that you get to cross for a small fee. There is someone on each side to guide you through the procedure (i.e. no jumping up and down on the bridge) and once you cross, you can also see the house of one of the last fishermen on that part of the island. I could describe how absolutely beautiful the area is, but I could get tiring. So I’ll let the pictures do my work for me. 

People crossing the bridge

The house of the last fisherman on that island

You also get a great view of Scotland and Rathlin Island (at the most north part of Ireland) from there so again, enjoy the view. There are a lot of people that want to see the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge so arrive early!!!

Now, I didn’t get to visit the Giant’s Causeway due to lack of time, but if you can, you should go. I doubt there’s anything not worth seeing in this part of Ireland anyway…

P.s Ireland’s called the Sheep Island for a reason: 5 million people, and almost 8 million sheep. Take a picture near some sheep – the faces they make while they sit still, deciding if you’re a threat or not, are priceless.

(end of part 1)

*S