Inviting Ireland

Well as the lucky of the Irish would have it we not only got to see all the sights we had planned but the rain held off for the most part and we actually got some beautiful days of sunshine. These last 5 days have flown by quickly and it didn’t help that we’ve both been under the weather, the colder weather doesn’t agree with us! Our main stops were Belfast in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK and Dublin the capital of Ireland. Interestingly you have to switch between currencies from one place to the other yet there is no physical border to cross.

We travelled to Belfast from Glasgow (35 min flight) on an Air Lingus ATR propeller plane, it took me back to my days as a flight attendant doing the short flights in Ontario. Belfast is quite the place, I was impressed by the diversity in architecture with the commitment to keeping the historical nature of the city strong. It was fascinating to see the docks where Titanic was built and the museum was far more elaborate than I had imagined. One of my favourite stops was St.George’s market where we tried the famous Belfast Bap. One of the biggest breakfast sandwich I’ve ever seen! Our adventure continued as we ventured out of Belfast to the Atlantic coast to climb and hike the Glencloy (Game of Thrones Filming Scene), Cushendun Caves, Dark Hedges and the Giant Causeway. If you take a look at the picture of me on the Giant Causeway you may see a little leprechaun sending some luck my way and I also found a dime (my sign that my grandparents are watching over me, I tend to find random dimes) on the rock too! Belfast is a rising star, emerging from years of political issues to take its place as one of my must-see destinations.

After a beautiful 2 hour train ride we arrived in Dublin. A city that feels like a village and is as friendly as an Irish pub. Framed by mountains, centred on a river and edged by a beautiful bay, the city's streets and alleys are filled with vibrant architecture, musicians and historic buildings. Can you believe they have traditional "old man" pubs that claim to be your husband’s daycare centre. You can’t miss out on a visit to Dublin Castle, Temple Bar District, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and The Guinness Distillery just to name a few. Rob found a coffee shop just for him called The Bald Barista so of course we had to try it! We also had a wonderful dinner at The Bank, an elegant bar with live piano music and chandeliers hanging a beautifully decorated salon. We couldn’t leave Ireland without visiting the Cliff of Moher and Galway on the other side of the country. You can get drive the entire width of the country in 2.5 hrs. It was a windy day but we survived the hike up the cliff and had a wonderful time exploring Galway, the original home of the Claddagh rings. We enjoyed exploring the cobbled streets of this beautiful city and bay by foot and enjoyed a wonderful fish chowder. Wish we had at least one more day to wander around and check out some of the neighbourhoods we missed.

Slán (goodbye in Gaelic) Ireland, I now know why my Irish friends are so proud of their roots. Although the weather would be a bit of a challenge for me because no matter when you go, expect rain … I can appreciate why there are so many pubs…you need them to keep dry and warm up! I can honestly say I am so happy I came to Ireland, it is a place to visit not only for its beauty and history, but filled with warm and friendly people who welcome you every time! Can you believe there are only 9 days left?? Hopefully we will get some energy back for the sights of Liverpool and London. Stay tuned! Is that a real live leprechaun chasing me? lol