Day 11 – August 13th, Wednesday
We started out the day getting breakfast at the hotel before heading across the street to pick up our tickets and get on the train. It was a little disappointing to leave Dublin since we were settling in to a routine. But, it was time to head to Belfast and continue on our journey.
The train took us to Belfast Central, where we had to change trains to head over to Botanic Station. Otherwise the walk to the hostel would have been 30-45 minutes and carrying luggage, that was not an option. The Belfast International Youth Hostel was an interesting place. The workers were nice, though not very personable. The bathrooms were the strangest thing though. As usual we had our private room with ensuite bath, but the toilet, sink and shower were all in the same 8×8 room. The showerhead was opposite the toilet, with no divider or curtain. So, if you weren’t careful when you took a shower, everything would end up wet.
Once we were checked in we decided to walk up to the Titanic Exhibit and did the whole experience. Knowing what I know now though, I probably would have skipped the tour. While it did have some educational and interesting aspects to it, I knew most of the information already.
On the walk back we stopped a few place to window shop and take a few pictures, but otherwise Belfast was a bust. There was very little historic feel to the city, though that isn’t surprising considing how badly the city has been damaged over the decades from bombings, wars and civil unrest. The most interesting thing that we noticed was the way the streets and neighborhoods had a definitive allegiance to religion. Some had a more Irish feel to the them while most proudly flew the Union Jack. Then you had the Catholic and Protestant flags differentiating the areas. It was mildly unsettling and at one point I felt it necessary to remove my green Ireland ballcap I had gotten to cover my sunburned head.
That evening to we took a walk to see a little more of the city and stopped at Lavery’s for dinner. The food was decent, on par with most of the restaurants in Ireland. The dessert was amazing though. Just a simple brownie sundae but it just had that great European flavor.
After dinner we went back to the hostel so that I could do some laundry. Jessica went to bed early while I spent time in the common area playing on my phone and messaging with Jessy.
Day 12 – August 14th, Thursday
The next morning I took a few things to the Post Office and shipped them home. I was tired of lugging around extra shoes and clothes that I wasn’t wearing, and decided to send a few souvenirs home also. Afterwards we walked up to the Budget Car Rental place to picked up our new car. This one did not have the auto-shut off feature, and the GPS actually worked. But by this time Jessica was an expert at driving and since we would only be driving for two days it just made more sense for her to drive.
From Belfast we headed north toward Giant’s Causeway. We made one stop at the Dark Hedges to take some pictures. This area has been used in several films and TV shows including Game of Thrones. Boiled down to its simplest, it’s just a road lined with beech trees however it is very beautiful.
Continuing north we finally made it to Giant’s Causeway which was almost as breathtaking as the Cliffs of Moher. We decided to take the guided tour which was educational and fun to learn about the history of the area and how the Causeway was formed. I do wish that we had been able to get there much earlier in the day so we would have enjoyed it without as many people around. But it was still a spectacular site.
I had hoped to be able to make it to Bushmills and to Dunluce Castle however I think Jessica was castled-out and the tour of the Causeway was a little longer than planned. So, we headed west to Carrick-a-Rede bridge, one of the things high on Jessica’s list of things to see.
Carrick-a-Rede bridge is a rope and slat bridge that spans a roughly 65 ft gap between the main land and Carrickarede Island with the water and rocks 98 ft below you. The pictures make it look much more scary than it actually is. The bridge is narrow, and they send people to and from the island in single-file groups. And they typically rush people quickly enough that the height and motion of the bridge goes almost unnoticed. I think Jessica was a bit disappointed, but the scenery was nice, though maybe not worth the wait in line.
From the bridge we continued west and south along the coast to make it to the haunted castle that Jessica had booked for us. The views were beautiful and roads were much better, though the east coast does not compare to the west coast in terms of beauty.
We arrived at Ballygally Castle in the early evening and had our first meal of the day. Though the snacks we got at the Causeway and the bridge were good, a nice meal was definitely needed. After dinner we walked around the castle and read the plaques regarding the hauntings and then walked the grounds of the hotel until it was dark.
As luck would have it there happened to be a band playing in the hotel lounge. And while it wasn’t all traditional Irish music, it was not American rock which was a welcome change. We had a few drinks, listened to some music, talk with random people and Jessica danced a little and the band even sang her Happy Birthday. Fun was had by all.
One side note about the hotel, while it wasn’t a spectacular hotel, it was very nice and the grounds and garden were very pretty. They had a nice iron gazebo that would make a beautiful spot to get engaged. It was surprising to have that thought cross my mind, especially after the last few years, even if it was more of a general thought than one of a particular person when it happened.
Day 13 – August 15th, Friday
Breakfast was served in the hotel and offered the typical Irish selections. After eating we walked the grounds a little more before heading back to Belfast to drop off the rental car. From there it was a “short” (5 minute, carrying luggage) walk to the train station. Once on the train it was a long and fairly boring ride from Belfast to Dublin, and from Dublin to Galway.
Arriving in Galway we walked to the hostel, getting there just in time for the wheels on my suitcase to break. This forced me to go shopping for a new suitcase at the TK Maxx. Unfortunately I had to a buy a larger one, but it seems to be better quality and will hopefully last a bit longer than one trip. After taking the new bag to the hostel we set out again, this time in search of food and fun.
Galway was much more lively that any other city we had stayed in, aside from Dublin. The main street was full of people, street performers, and open shops (which was rare). We spent some time shopping a little before starting a real quest for food. A lot of places were already packed with long waits or boring menus or lame entertainment. We finally settled on The Spanish Arch, mostly because they had a live band playing Irish music. After dinner and a few drinks we made our way back to the hostel, stopping for gifts and to people watch along the way.
When we finally made it back to the hostel we made our way out back and sat at a picnic table smoking and talking. It was one of the only times my cousin and I really bonded in our adult lives. We talked about completely random things like work, family, and past relationships. It was a really nice night.
Day 14 – August 16th, Saturday
Exploring Galway didn’t take as much time as anticipated. Granted we probably missed a lot of stuff. At this point I think we were both tired and didn’t feel like going on a long quest. We started the day wandering around the city and ended up along the water front. We possibly passed the Spanish Arch without realizing what it was we were seeing. Everything seemed to be closed for breakfast, or was too busy, until we happened upon a McDonald’s. This was our first “American” food since we arrive in Ireland. The menu was limited compared to home but the food to was very familiar. We made our way back towards the city center once we had eaten and started shopping. We found a nice jewelry store, walked the open air market a couple times for trinkets, and bought some chocolate. It only early afternoon when we decided we had been walking long enough and were ready to leave. If there had been more time, I think we might have tried to make it to Connemara for a tour of the area. Maybe next time.
We hopped on the train after grabbing our luggage from the hostel and headed south to Sixmilebridge. Sixmilebridge is a tiny village with an unmanned, platform station. When we arrive I called a cab to come get us and take us back to Shannon. There we check in to the Park Inn hotel, walked across to the airport so Jessica could figure out what she would need to do in the morning, and then went back to the hotel for dinner and drinks.
It was a little strange knowing that Jessica would be leaving the next day, and I would be on my own for next 12 days. I just prayed things would work out as I had planned and that there wouldn’t be too many hiccups along the way.