Mark and Julie had been touring Ireland for a week when they arrived in Dublin and got a glimpse of our summer lives. The first stop was our Thomas Street flat. The high ceilings, funky decorations, and our roommate Gionathon won them over just as they did for us. Mer, Mark, and Julie went to the oldest pub in Ireland (established in 1198!), The Brazen Head, for dinner and storytelling, and then met up with Al at the Auld Dubliner for some traditional Irish music and pints of Guinness. While “the black stuff” was delicious that night, it didn’t come close to the fresh pints we received the next day while touring the Guinness Storehouse. At one time a functioning factory, the pint glass-shaped building now tells of the history, production, and distribution of Guinness as it winds up to the “Gravity Bar,” where every visitor gets a complimentary pint of Guinness and 360-degree views of the Dublin. With some batting of the eyelashes at various bartenders, we also received two huge stacks of Guinness coasters. A week later, Mark found a discarded Guinness pint glass on a dock which was in perfect shape. Apparently we’ve mastered this free souvenir thing!
Mer and her parents visited the famous Kilmanheim Jail and then coasted up to Belfast with Mark driving on the right side for the first time. Meanwhile, Al took a short bus ride (which felt like a lifetime due to the lack of AC) to Belfast, where she reunited with the Laitoses to begin the journey along the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland. What a gorgeous area of the world! The windy drive took us to various scenic areas overlooking cliffs, crashing waves, Scotland, and lonely rock islands. The dramatic sights easily rivaled the Cliffs of Moher in beauty, and we began to understand why they call the Northern Ireland coast the 8th Wonder of the World. We took a hike down to a dramatic waterfall in the Antrim Mountains, and explored the areas of Torr Head, Murloch Bay, and Fair Head, which we got to by trekking through a private sheep farm!
No trip to Northern Ireland is complete without a trip to the Carrick-a-Reede Bridge and the Giant’s Causeway. The Carrick-a-Reede is a rope bridge connecting a cliff to a small island about 20 yards away. It was a really blustery day, and needless to say the bridge was a little scary to walk across! Mer got a good laugh at Al as she waddled her way across very slowly saying “Isn’t this scary? Don’t you think this is scary? It’s kinda windy. I’m a little scared. Are you scared? I’m a little scared” over and over again. The view from the island was worth the fear, and we spent an hour or so taking pictures and videos and napping on the plush grass. We probably wouldn’t have stayed as long, but an English soccer team arrived and further enhanced the view.
The Giant’s Causeway was next: an area of impressive rock formations said to be formed when the Irish giant, Finn McCool, built a road across the sea to fight his rival giant in Scotland. It resulted in interlocking hexagonal stones along the coast, rising in dramatic columns. After all the sightseeing, B&Bs in Carrickfergus and Coleraine provided great beds, cute atmosphere, and delicious breakfast for the tired travelers.
Our last stop before heading back to Dublin was the city of Derry, the only completely walled city left in the British Isles. What the four of us thought would be just a nice medieval town turned out to be the highlight of our whole Northern Ireland excursion! We took two walking tours to learn about all of the city’s rich history from the 105-day siege in the 1600s, which failed to penetrate the city’s walls (giving the city one of its many nicknames, “The Maiden City”), to the more recent Bloody Sunday in the 70s. Derry, or Londonderry if you’re a loyalist to the British Crown, also boasts cobblestone streets, great shopping, cute restaurants, and plenty of pubs. We were definitely sad to leave.
Before Mer and Al resumed their summers in Dublin and Mark and Julie returned to the States, we had one last night in Skerries, a seaside town near Dublin. We found great “craic” (pronounced “crack,” it’s basically Irish for a good time and fun environment) at a local pub/restaurant called “Stoop Your Head” and walked along the town’s beautiful quays. A great last night to our family vacation!
Back in Dublin, we hosted a going-away barbeque for Gionathon. Sadly he left for Italy for a month and is arriving back to our flat only two days after we’ll be back to the States! We’ll definitely miss Gion’s friendship, not to mention his authentic Italian cooking. The flat didn’t feel empty for long, though – two new roommates moved in the next night! Sandra and Pepe are from Valencia, Spain. Pepe will be working on PhD research while Sandra takes English classes (quite a challenge considering it’s a stretch to call what the Irish speak, English.) While we haven’t forged strong friendships with them yet, Al is at least being cured of her involuntary vegetarianism thanks to copious amounts of Spanish chorizo that Pepe brought from home.
A sunny streak of about 3 days have Mer and Al really excited about the coming weeks, which feature visits from Drew, Elek, and BERGIE!!!
Miss you all.
Slainte!
Al & Mer
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