Trip to Ireland - Day 5 - Derry, Castles, and Forts..oh my!

My hair has been a mess most days.
Seriously, with the scattered rain, the intense wind, and the humidity - it just has a craziness about it. I actually have been just enjoying it. I don't care and it's nice to NOT have to care. :)

 We drove onto a gorgeous beach yesterday and just walked along the sand. We were the only ones there except for a man and his two dogs. Because of the rain we got the day before there were waterfalls and it had created a small river on the beach. This guy was so sweet and was giving rides across it with his jeep. The Irish hospitality and generosity is everywhere. We, Americans, could learn a few things.

The whole Vagabond group

Random Beach Lookout spot.

The three solo travelers in our group.

We stopped off in the walled city of Derry/Londonderry and did a walking tour to get the history. We also got an in-depth look at the site where Bloody Sunday took place. Lots to take in. Well worth the time though. Beautiful city. I could have spent a lot more time there. 

  

Bloody Sunday Mural taken from newspaper clipping

Beautiful flower garden in downtown Derry/Londonderry

Soup and wheat bread was my lunch most days. Yum!

We went inland and drove across rugged, rocky land. Still green, but different then what we had been seeing. We visited yet another old Neolithic ring fort up on top of a large hill. The view was amazing. We soon saw a storm quickly moving in and we barely made it to the car before it was a downpour. Don't worry though it only lasted 5 minutes and the strong wind blew it off. The whole concept of scattered rain showers has new meaning. The weather has been mostly rainy, but we find ourselves not even noticing or caring anymore. It's just part of this beautiful country and we are embracing it. As our guide says, before we know it we'll be sleepin' in our rain gear.

 

We also visited a castle not far from Donegal. It was pretty spectacular. Out in the middle of no where and overlooking a large loch (lake). It was quite fascinating. My pictures of the castle didn't really turn out, but here are a few of the gardens out back.

Jennifer was so classy and cute!

Heated swimming pool out by the lake.

Half shower walls

I don't know why but a lot of the showers have only half a shower wall. It's in a bath tub, but it has only half a shower door that covers half the length of the tub. Not quite sure about the logic behind that one. Makes for some interesting shower maneuvering so that the water stays in the tub and not all over the floor. If someone knows why only half...please fill me in. :)

Tomorrow we are stopping by a weaver's to see how he makes scarfs and such. We might even get a chance to do a bit of shopping.

Our tour group is becoming quite close and we enjoy each others company quite a lot. Some will be leaving in a few days and that will be sad to see them go. It has been a gift to know them though.

Here's my Irish blessing of the day:

May good luck be your friend
In whatever you do
And may trouble be always
A stranger to you

Trip to Ireland - Day 4 - Giant's Causeway

 

I am in love with Ireland.

I am loving the British/Irish English too. :) I'm getting it from all sides. We have it from our Irish tour guide, Mark (who is fabulous).  I'm also in a car load of Australians and have lots of time to visit with them. I love it. I wish we spoke more like they do. It sounds more proper, intelligent, and charming. :)

 

So the dynamics in my group are interesting. Basically, what has happened is I'm the youngest and I now have 12 people watching out for me and they have all sort of adopted me. I sometimes feel like a little kid, but have had such wonderful conversations with most of them. Last night I spent the evening talking with this couple from Baltimore. They guessed pretty fast I was Mormon since I didn't have any alcohol at dinner. They seem to know a bit about us and respect us. They have really taken a liking to me and I seem to be in a lot of their photos.

We went and saw the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge this morning. It was very windy. I mean...walk sideways just to keep from falling over, windy. Everyone whimped out, so I was the only one to cross the bridge. It was quite sturdy and since I was the only one to do it, the rest took pictures of me. I mean I know these people are in there 50's and up, but most of them are in pretty good shape and are game for a lot of things, especially the Australians. But...they aren't quite as adventurous as maybe I think they should be. :-)

We saw the most amazing rainbow today. We even saw the end of it dip down into the ocean. I've never seen the end of the rainbow before. Quite what you'd expect, but still very cool.

We saw Giant's Causeway and was able to beat most of the tour buses there. It truly was an amazing site. The formations are just incredible! It rained and was very windy so I don't know if pictures turned out, but it was a lot of fun. It was blowing so hard we all couldn't help but just laugh. Ok, well the rest of the group had also had a tour of the whiskey distillery up the street so they were all extra happy. :) We ended up all pretty wet and wind blown, but it was worth it to be able to see that site.

 

 

We also stopped by an old castle called Dunluce. Part of it was quite old, but a lot of it had been restored. It was the first castle we've seen so far. I'm sure it will be the first of many. They are everywhere.

 

We're in a B&B tonight and it's just fabulous. Seriously, I feel like I'm staying in a 4 or 5 star place. Everybody has been so kind and the food is just wonderful. Nothing too fancy, but just warm and wonderful.

Freshly squeezed orange juice, muesli with yogurt and fresh strawberries. 

 

Traveling with a group tour has been interesting. I have enjoyed everything and everyone, don't get me wrong. But I do miss the freedom of pulling off and taking a picture or wandering here or there. While I am enjoying the luxuries of places we're staying, I miss the adventure it is when you get to rough it a bit more. I love eating only what's in your backpack and finding a hidden oasis you stumbled upon because you were wandering. It's been great fun to meet new people and make new friends. I'm excited for what the next few days hold, but I do miss the easy conversations you have with a good travel buddy. It's been good to learn that about myself. There's been a lot of that... Learning who I am when I'm in a foreign country on my own and what I like and don't like. It's been an opportunity I am grateful for.

I seriously can't believe how beautiful it is here. If green wasn't already my favorite color, it sure would be now. The fields dotted with sheep and cows are just breathtaking. Designs are made in the fields because they are separated by bush walls or rock walls. In some ways it is very peaceful here. In other ways you can feel the contention. It's quite interesting.

All of the signs were in English and Gaelic

Trip to Ireland - Day 3 - Vagabond Tours

The Vagatron - Vagabond Tour Vehicle

I was up quite early to make sure I was able to meet my tour group this morning. I made it ok, but it was a bit stressful for a bit. I made sure I caught the bus plenty early, but with traffic to the city centre, it took much longer than I thought. I was a bit flustered and got a bit turned around trying to find the Tourism Centre were I was to meet everybody. When I did find the place no one from the tour was there. I guess they all met at the hotel earlier.

Anyway I found them and got all sorted. Turns out I am the youngest one in the group, probably by at least 25 years. I was quite surprised actually. I have mixed feelings about it, but overall it's been good. The group is half American and half Australian. I already have a few wanting to line me up with their single sons.

We went up into Northern Ireland and it is quite different here. It is beautiful and nice to be out of the big city. We went for a hike first thing up a small mountain where there was a Neolithic tomb at the top. Part of the hike was for our tour guide to access our physical abilities. Most everybody did ok. I think we had maybe 2 or 3 that weren't able to do it. 

View from the top of the hill

The hike was beautiful and with us being so close to sea level, it was so easy to breath. The ground was a bit muddy from a recent storm, but that just added to the fun. The ground is quite spongy due to all of the peat in the soil. Quite a bit different than the rock-filled clay soil we have in Utah. 

Can you tell which are rocks and which are sheep?

Rock and Fushia on the hill side.

Massive Neolithic tomb on of top of the hill

Neolithic tomb opening

Getting into the Neolithic tomb

What humidity, rain, and wind does to my hair

In Belfast, I took a black taxi cab tour around the city. It was very informative and was quite intense really to understand the division between the Catholics and Protestants. It actually is mostly political. We saw the "Peace Wall" and several murals from each side. Quite a sobering tour.

Belfast Black taxi

Mural spells out the word PLAY

Freaky mural where the gun barrel follows you where ever you stand

Mural of the Red Hand of Ulster

One of the gates in the "Peace Wall" in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Peace Wall in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Black Taxi's in front of the "Peace Wall" in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Houses on the other side of the Peace Wall have to protect themselves from Petrol Bombs

Memorial on the Catholic side of the Peace Wall in Belfast

Rubber bullet used by the Garda (police) in Belfast

We're in a hotel tonight on the coast. I can see Scotland from my room window. Its quite a nice place we're staying in, much nicer than anything I would have booked for myself.

The weather has been perfect. It's been warm when it needed to be and wet when we were driving. The Lord truly has been watching out for us.

Hotel in Glens of Atrim in Northern Ireland

 

Boat dock in the sleepy town of Glens of Atrim

Random guy fishing out on a rock

I'm still having fun and can't believe how green and beautiful it is here. My pictures just won't do it justice. I'm quite tired tonight and will head to bed soon. We are going to see Giant's Causeway and Derry tomorrow. It will be a good day, but quite full.