Thanks for following our adventures!! We’ll hope to be back soon!
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Back in the USA.
We’ve landed in O’Hare and are heading back to spend time with family in Buffalo Grove before driving on to Cincinnati tomorrow.
Belfast to Dublin
What a tremendous final two days in Belfast and Dublin! We’re at the Dublin Airport now waiting to board our flight back to Chicago but are taking some time to reflect.
The highlights were an unexpected Disney-style ride summarizing the construction of the massive vessel, a three-sided virtual reality video screen giving us a complete tour of the ship, and screens in front of and below us showing what it would have been like to discover and explore the artifacts at the bottom of the sea.
Afterwards, we briefly visited the S.S. Nomadic, the last remaining vessel of the White Star Line, and Erika and I cued the music.
From Belfast, Kevin drove us an hour south, back into Ireland, to the old and beautiful Monasterboice - an old monastery whose round tower and Celtic crosses are nearly a millennium old.
Kevin then navigated us back to Dublin where we checked into our modern and excellent accommodations at the Marlin Hotel right in the heart of the Temple Bar District.
We were fully encouraged to dig our noses in.
After a few extra whiskey-based cocktails, we trudged (a bit more slowly) back across the river to the Merchant’s Arch Pub, which is famous for its chowder and, apparently, its music and Irish stew-casserole. (Maybe I’m making the last part up but Jenna and I each thought it was EXCELLENT). Also excellent was our musical entertainment for the evening - a wonderful guitarist/singer who began performing right after we arrived and kept us there for hours and hours. We all ended up making requests and engaging with him over the course of the night. He happily relented and played, among other tunes, Danny Boy, Falling Slowly, and Rocky Road to Dublin (which brought the house down!)
This morning, Jenna and Kevin went off in search of souvenirs for their friends and family (y’all are in for some treats!). Erika and Simon went for a walk around central Dublin, Grafton Street, and through St. Stephens Green, where we tailed an adorable puppy (who had a penchant for jumping like a reindeer over small barriers) until basic social norms mandated that we let the pup, and its humans, walk off in peace.
We then stopped for a quick salad, got Simon a rugby jersey (of course ;)), and headed back to the hotel where we met Jenna and Kevin again, and then started the drive to the airport. There, we bade a tearful goodbye to dear Seamus, our trusty Toyota CH-R, and then enjoyed more than a few whiskey samples - only in the Dublin airport would you kill time sampling whisky - while walking slowly through the duty free sections where we purchased some of our favorite whiskeys that we would not be able to find back in the U.S.
We woke up yesterday in our great downtown hotel - One Sussex Place - in central Belfast. We walked to get tasty and filling breakfast bagels and then Kevin drove us to the Titanic Experience - a truly remarkable and unique multi-level sensory museum that took us through the history of Belfast, the construction of the Titanic, its test and maiden voyage, and the sinking. None of us had ever been to a museum this immersive or interactive and it seemed like three hours passed before we blinked an eye!
The highlights were an unexpected Disney-style ride summarizing the construction of the massive vessel, a three-sided virtual reality video screen giving us a complete tour of the ship, and screens in front of and below us showing what it would have been like to discover and explore the artifacts at the bottom of the sea.
Afterwards, we briefly visited the S.S. Nomadic, the last remaining vessel of the White Star Line, and Erika and I cued the music.
From Belfast, Kevin drove us an hour south, back into Ireland, to the old and beautiful Monasterboice - an old monastery whose round tower and Celtic crosses are nearly a millennium old.
Kevin then navigated us back to Dublin where we checked into our modern and excellent accommodations at the Marlin Hotel right in the heart of the Temple Bar District.
After catching our breaths, we walked across the river to the very interesting and generous-pouring Jameson Irish Whiskey Bow St Experience. With the help of very impressive projections and sensory objects as aids, our guide, Eoin, took us through the distilling process and Jameson’s history in Dublin.
We were fully encouraged to dig our noses in.
After a few extra whiskey-based cocktails, we trudged (a bit more slowly) back across the river to the Merchant’s Arch Pub, which is famous for its chowder and, apparently, its music and Irish stew-casserole. (Maybe I’m making the last part up but Jenna and I each thought it was EXCELLENT). Also excellent was our musical entertainment for the evening - a wonderful guitarist/singer who began performing right after we arrived and kept us there for hours and hours. We all ended up making requests and engaging with him over the course of the night. He happily relented and played, among other tunes, Danny Boy, Falling Slowly, and Rocky Road to Dublin (which brought the house down!)
This morning, Jenna and Kevin went off in search of souvenirs for their friends and family (y’all are in for some treats!). Erika and Simon went for a walk around central Dublin, Grafton Street, and through St. Stephens Green, where we tailed an adorable puppy (who had a penchant for jumping like a reindeer over small barriers) until basic social norms mandated that we let the pup, and its humans, walk off in peace.
We then stopped for a quick salad, got Simon a rugby jersey (of course ;)), and headed back to the hotel where we met Jenna and Kevin again, and then started the drive to the airport. There, we bade a tearful goodbye to dear Seamus, our trusty Toyota CH-R, and then enjoyed more than a few whiskey samples - only in the Dublin airport would you kill time sampling whisky - while walking slowly through the duty free sections where we purchased some of our favorite whiskeys that we would not be able to find back in the U.S.
This is a beautiful, hearty, and generous country that we were especially lucky to experience with dear friends. We won’t soon forget the memories we’ve made here together, which is honestly surprising given how much whiskey we happily consumed. We look forward to traveling together again soon and hopefully making it back to Ireland in the future too!
We’ll update y’all again once we land in Chicago. Check back soon!
Friday, December 6, 2019
Donegal to Belfast
We had a day filled with natural wonder and important history today as we made it up (or, technically, across) to Northern Ireland today.
There are two stories for how the unique geological site was formed. Science argues that the stacks were volcanic expulsions formed millions of years ago. Legend, though, tells that the Irish giant built the causeway to chase the Scottish giant back to Scotland, and then the Scottish giant destroyed the causeway on his retreat to Scotland to keep the Irish giant from taking over Scotland. Indeed, the giant legend is supported by the fact that Scotland has some similar hexagonal formations off of its west coast.
Having successfully thawed our toes and fingers and dried our butts, we hopped back in the car for our drive to Belfast. There, we dropped our things at our hotel and then were picked up by our taxi driver, Mark, for a fascinating and sobering tour of the Peace Wall murals located around Belfast that were first built fifty years ago during the Troubles to separate and/or protect the Irish Republican and Protestant Loyalist neighborhoods and residents from violence against one another. Mark gave us a frank, moving, and chilling account of Northern Ireland’s history and the women, men, and communities that have suffered along the way. History is a misnomer, really, because although the violence has gone down considerably since the Good Friday Agreement 21 years ago, there is still clear tension between the Catholic and Protestant factions. Even more tellingly, the peace walls, which were first erected in some regions fifty years ago as temporary efforts to make violence more difficult, remain standing, have increased in size, and more and more miles of wall continue to go up as recently as March of this year. The city and region sit in delicate limbo with the pending Brexit. Efforts at compromise and co-government in Northern Ireland, which had been contemplated by and realized since the Good Friday Agreement, have collapsed. The region has had no parliament or formal government since 2016 due to rising factionalism by the rival leading parties.
In the end, Mark expressed optimism that peace would come to the region and we joined others in signing the original “peace” wall, hoping for the same. Still, candidly, Mark could not say how or when that peace could best be achieved. We are hopeful for all involved that permanent peace comes with no further violence.
We talked Mark’s ear off and asked so many questions that our tour ran over by 45 minutes. We’re grateful for his insight and time!
Finally, at Jenna’s recommendation, we visited one of the city’s oldest and certainly its best decorated pub, the Crowne, and took in its extreme Victorian style.
As we noted previously, it was a bit more difficult than usual to get up and go this morning since we were leaving a castle. Still, the promise of Northern Ireland pulled us away from heated bathroom floors and the like.
After a few hours on the road this morning, we made it to the Giant’s Causeway Visitors’ Center. We drove through rain the whole time so we knew we could face some on the hike to the actual formations. Eschewing the “nearby” on-site parking, we parked 0.1 miles away at the train station and saved over $42. No joke. To her credit, even the kind woman at the Center could not, in good conscience, recommend that we park on-site.
Feeling smart, our smug faces then spent the rest of the hike to the causeway feeling extra proud of ourselves since the rain appeared to have subsided. We reached the unique formations and started climbing on them and taking pictures.
There are two stories for how the unique geological site was formed. Science argues that the stacks were volcanic expulsions formed millions of years ago. Legend, though, tells that the Irish giant built the causeway to chase the Scottish giant back to Scotland, and then the Scottish giant destroyed the causeway on his retreat to Scotland to keep the Irish giant from taking over Scotland. Indeed, the giant legend is supported by the fact that Scotland has some similar hexagonal formations off of its west coast.
After seeing the uncanny hexagonal precision and surprisingly uniform size and spacing of most of the individual causeway stones, I’m in the giant story camp. Still, while pondering the legend, the rain and wind returned with a vengeance and wiped the smug off our faces. Erika still rebelled in her own way as we kept climbing around.
After some time with the sideways rain, we resolved to retreat to our car and hiked back to the train station before driving into town and warming up with a tasty lunch and hot beverages inside the warm (important above all things) Copper Kettle restaurant.
Having successfully thawed our toes and fingers and dried our butts, we hopped back in the car for our drive to Belfast. There, we dropped our things at our hotel and then were picked up by our taxi driver, Mark, for a fascinating and sobering tour of the Peace Wall murals located around Belfast that were first built fifty years ago during the Troubles to separate and/or protect the Irish Republican and Protestant Loyalist neighborhoods and residents from violence against one another. Mark gave us a frank, moving, and chilling account of Northern Ireland’s history and the women, men, and communities that have suffered along the way. History is a misnomer, really, because although the violence has gone down considerably since the Good Friday Agreement 21 years ago, there is still clear tension between the Catholic and Protestant factions. Even more tellingly, the peace walls, which were first erected in some regions fifty years ago as temporary efforts to make violence more difficult, remain standing, have increased in size, and more and more miles of wall continue to go up as recently as March of this year. The city and region sit in delicate limbo with the pending Brexit. Efforts at compromise and co-government in Northern Ireland, which had been contemplated by and realized since the Good Friday Agreement, have collapsed. The region has had no parliament or formal government since 2016 due to rising factionalism by the rival leading parties.
In the end, Mark expressed optimism that peace would come to the region and we joined others in signing the original “peace” wall, hoping for the same. Still, candidly, Mark could not say how or when that peace could best be achieved. We are hopeful for all involved that permanent peace comes with no further violence.
We talked Mark’s ear off and asked so many questions that our tour ran over by 45 minutes. We’re grateful for his insight and time!
We kept the conversation going among our traveling party as we enjoyed dinner, all while under the careful watch of this strange, strange picture. What did the waiter on the right do to upset EVERYONE ELSE in the picture??
Finally, at Jenna’s recommendation, we visited one of the city’s oldest and certainly its best decorated pub, the Crowne, and took in its extreme Victorian style.
Check back soon as we learn more in Belfast and then head back to Dublin tomorrow.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Sligo to Donegal
Today started with weather-based audibles and ended with us enjoying the most remarkable hotel we’ve ever stayed at.
We started with a delicious breakfast at our lovely bed and breakfast, the Yeats Lodge in Drumcliff. We were also pleased to learn more about the history of the property and the animals on site, including the friendly but alert watch-donkey, from its owner.
Unfortunately (although we were due for it after enjoying such great weather), the Irish clouds opened up and rained out our planned hike up Benbulben. Simon was the driver all day today, which was ideal since it was our shortest driving day! Instead, we visited the Belleek Pottery Factory and learned about the beautiful and impressive pottery making craft. The video alone made my hands cramp up just thinking about all of that fateful, manual work.
Since the roof of the castle’s manor house has long collapsed, and the rain was still coming down with abandon, we popped into the Olde Castle Pub to dry off and warm up.
After that, we stopped by the Donegal Craft Village and spoke for a while with a talented artist who creates stunning landscapes using wool and felt as her paints.
We even found a large collection of photographs being displayed in the basement bar that had been taken by an Irish priest over 40+ years, including one taken during the priest’s fortunately brief voyage on the Titanic! We finished the night off with a delicious dinner at the Castle’s restaurant and then great music in the gallery bar. Erika and Kevin unwittingly won the best-matched and most stylish pair.
We’re finding it quite difficult to leave this remarkable place but waiting for us next is the Giant’s Causeway on the way to Belfast. See you soon!
Unfortunately (although we were due for it after enjoying such great weather), the Irish clouds opened up and rained out our planned hike up Benbulben. Simon was the driver all day today, which was ideal since it was our shortest driving day! Instead, we visited the Belleek Pottery Factory and learned about the beautiful and impressive pottery making craft. The video alone made my hands cramp up just thinking about all of that fateful, manual work.
In the early afternoon, we drove into Donegal town and toured Donegal Castle, learning about how the castle changed and expanded from the 15th to 17th centuries.
Since the roof of the castle’s manor house has long collapsed, and the rain was still coming down with abandon, we popped into the Olde Castle Pub to dry off and warm up.
After that, we stopped by the Donegal Craft Village and spoke for a while with a talented artist who creates stunning landscapes using wool and felt as her paints.
We then decided that after visiting so many castles in Ireland, it was high time for us to stay in one. Bless the glorious off-season, which allows millennials like us to dip our toes into ridiculous luxury. We headed over to our hotel - the Lough Eske Castle, which is an authentic castle that has existed in various states since the 1600s. We started with a long walk around the castle grounds and then cleaned ourselves off and classed ourselves up for a night in the castle. This was, undoubtedly, the most unique and thought-out place in which we’ve ever had the privilege to stay. It’s the first place we have stayed with its own helipad (except for a hospital) and the bathroom floors are also heated and we have no idea how.
We even found a large collection of photographs being displayed in the basement bar that had been taken by an Irish priest over 40+ years, including one taken during the priest’s fortunately brief voyage on the Titanic! We finished the night off with a delicious dinner at the Castle’s restaurant and then great music in the gallery bar. Erika and Kevin unwittingly won the best-matched and most stylish pair.
We’re finding it quite difficult to leave this remarkable place but waiting for us next is the Giant’s Causeway on the way to Belfast. See you soon!
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Galway to Sligo
We covered a great bit of ground today, took in some of Ireland’s natural beauty, and learned more about the country’s history.
We had a slightly later start this morning, which served two purposes. First, we could get a little more rest after last night’s, ahem, revelries. Second, it allowed us to make it to Builín Blasta Cafe & Bakery for a delicious brunch with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.
During the long drive, we had a few stops for beautiful views of Lough Inagh.
Finally, we made it to Carrowkeel - a massive, 2,600 year old, megalithic cemetery just in time as the sun was setting and began our hike up to the massive and ancient passage cairns. I’ve been told that I am not to write about how treacherous the hike was or some in our group would get in trouble. Everything was wonderful and easy!!
We began today with a great view from our services apartment in Galway.
We had a slightly later start this morning, which served two purposes. First, we could get a little more rest after last night’s, ahem, revelries. Second, it allowed us to make it to Builín Blasta Cafe & Bakery for a delicious brunch with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.
We left with a takeaway carrot cake and continued on to Connemara National Park where we stopped at the Padraig Pearse cottage and historical site. Our fantastic guide there, Daire, told us about the significance of the site, Pearse’s role in the Easter 1916 uprising, and the overall movement for Irish independence past, present, and future. We talked each others’ ears off before we realized we were running late to get to our next stop.
During the long drive, we had a few stops for beautiful views of Lough Inagh.
Finally, we made it to Carrowkeel - a massive, 2,600 year old, megalithic cemetery just in time as the sun was setting and began our hike up to the massive and ancient passage cairns. I’ve been told that I am not to write about how treacherous the hike was or some in our group would get in trouble. Everything was wonderful and easy!!
In reality, the hike was a lot of fun and Jenna regaled us with the history of the site as we climbed from our rental car, Seamus, and then returned down after seeing the impressive tombs.
Finally, we drove through Sligo and on to our bed and breakfast. We finished the evening with a tasty Italian dinner (we know - same flag, different colors) and great conversation with Jenna and Kevin. Check back soon for more updates!
Killarney to Galway
We started the day experiencing culture and climbing a castle, had a long and windy hike in the middle, and finished with impressive singalongs in a packed pub.
We had an early start in Killarney and left under cover of darkness so that we could make it to all of our stops today. First on the list after gassing up was Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. The castle is a large and remarkably well preserved and original castle from the 1300s that has seen expansions and battles over its many years. We climbed up and down nearly all of the castle’s chambers and spiral staircases and enjoyed the brilliant views from the roof.
Pleasantly, since we’re deep in the off-season, we were one of the only small groups of visitors to the castle and the folk park. The park has dozens of buildings that are either replicas or, more often, were simply relocated from their original locations to showcase life in various roles and statuses in Ireland from the 18th and 19th centuries. Praise the off-season! We walked around leisurely and had our fill of Irish living history.
After a little time, though, the fact that we were the ONLY four people walking around a miniature complete town started to unnerve us a little - Stepford / Twilight Zone style. Rue the off-season! We left the park around lunch before we could be made permanent additions. We stopped for a short traveling lunch and then continued on to the Burren and the famed Cliffs of Moher. The pictures certainly do not do these windy wonders justice!! We were trekking around for hours as Jenna led us on a six km hike to Hags Head at the far western tip of the cliffs. Don’t worry, moms (and Simon’s work colleagues)! We didn’t stray too close to the edges!!
After we made it to Hags Head, we hightailed it back another 6km to return to our noble steed, Seamus - parked near the visitors’ center, before the few hours of sunlight we got each day ran out. We did, however, pause to get a brilliant view of the sun wrestling the clouds as it set behind us.
Kevin then navigated some of the narrowest and windiest roads we’ve seen yet and got us safely to Galway where we checked into our lodging for the night and then hit the town of Galway for some delicious fish and chips (or chicken and chips if you’re into that sort of thing) at McDonagh’s. Finally, it was time for some traditional Irish music and a pint at Tig Coili.
We ended our night several hours later, voices weary, at Taafes, where we tried to join in but mostly just watched Galway’s residents sing and cry and sing some more in revelry to the greatest Irish drinking songs and ballads. What a blast of a night. The craic here was great!
Pleasantly, since we’re deep in the off-season, we were one of the only small groups of visitors to the castle and the folk park. The park has dozens of buildings that are either replicas or, more often, were simply relocated from their original locations to showcase life in various roles and statuses in Ireland from the 18th and 19th centuries. Praise the off-season! We walked around leisurely and had our fill of Irish living history.
After a little time, though, the fact that we were the ONLY four people walking around a miniature complete town started to unnerve us a little - Stepford / Twilight Zone style. Rue the off-season! We left the park around lunch before we could be made permanent additions. We stopped for a short traveling lunch and then continued on to the Burren and the famed Cliffs of Moher. The pictures certainly do not do these windy wonders justice!! We were trekking around for hours as Jenna led us on a six km hike to Hags Head at the far western tip of the cliffs. Don’t worry, moms (and Simon’s work colleagues)! We didn’t stray too close to the edges!!
After we made it to Hags Head, we hightailed it back another 6km to return to our noble steed, Seamus - parked near the visitors’ center, before the few hours of sunlight we got each day ran out. We did, however, pause to get a brilliant view of the sun wrestling the clouds as it set behind us.
Kevin then navigated some of the narrowest and windiest roads we’ve seen yet and got us safely to Galway where we checked into our lodging for the night and then hit the town of Galway for some delicious fish and chips (or chicken and chips if you’re into that sort of thing) at McDonagh’s. Finally, it was time for some traditional Irish music and a pint at Tig Coili.
We ended our night several hours later, voices weary, at Taafes, where we tried to join in but mostly just watched Galway’s residents sing and cry and sing some more in revelry to the greatest Irish drinking songs and ballads. What a blast of a night. The craic here was great!
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