Lots to share about, Derry, the only completely walled city in the world, but alas, it is New Year's Eve and Steven and I have some pubs to visit. Two posts tomorrow, I promise.
Happy New Year's Eve to everyone. I love you Rob, Melissa and Trevor.
England 2012
London
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Ireland Dec 30th County Antrim
We said our bittersweet goodbyes to Mrs. Barron in Carrickfergus, and made the short drive to Carrickfergus Castle. This castle was built in 1130 and has seen much fighting. (See photos). The tour of the structure was a bit cheesy with the fake British soldiers and all, but I managed to get some great photos of canons and weapons for Trevor.
We then headed up the rugged eastern coast of the Irish Sea toward the jagged rocks of the Giant’s Causeway. These rock formations jut out into the sea and are found nowhere else on earth “The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (4.8 km) northeast of the town of Bushmills,” (yes the whiskey distillery is there). The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 meters (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 meters thick in places” (see photos). The causeway was Steven’s number two spot in Ireland to see. We arrived on the farthest north shore of the island and made our way down the very steep, wet, and windy road to the rock floor below. The power of the surf pounding the shoreline could be felt in the rocks beneath our feet. The wind, rain and desolate shoreline gave the impression of being on the very ends of the earth. Mom even made the walk with us, which was no easy feat.
After our world’s end adventure, we stopped at a little restaurant in the town of Bushmill, and had a little lunch of fish and chips (of course) and hit the road again for the drive to our night’s logging. It is very obvious to us that the folks up here in this part of the island are far less friendly and more reserved that the Irish in the south. Though I very much want to see the politically fueled town of Derry; it will be nice to cross back over the border into the Republic of Ireland in two days. On the drive up, Steven and I realized there were no longer any rock walls separating the fields like in Ireland. The fields whooshing past our car windows were lined with scrubs. Then it came to us; Mrs. Barron (lovely women from our last B&B), had explained to us that the land in the north is “heavy soil.” She meant the land is too hard for plowing so it is used for the gazing of: cattle, sheep and lamb. Because the fields are not being planted, there is no clearing of the rocks that make the infamous Irish walls. We felt very proud of ourselves for figuring this out. Hahaha.
Our arrival at the B&B for tonight was challenging even with the use of our handy GPS. There are no words to describe the road, sign and layout of the houses here. (Right Rob?). We are staying in the town of Coleraine tonight, about 25 KM from our next destination, Derry. The house was the birth place of the famous illustrator, Hugh Thomas. Thomas illustrated novels for Austen and Dickens during his career. Cool huh?? http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/Breezemount-House-Coleraine-P4248. (photos on blog too).
Steven and I were given access to the laundry by the very lovely night manager of the house. We have to walk through the giant kitchen to get there (can you say scene from the movie “The Shining.” No really! Well I have been writing this in Steven’s living room, yes living room (because we are the only three guests in the giant house with fourteen guest room). A bit creepy I must say. :0 (Notice: lovely, bit) yep its catchy.
We then headed up the rugged eastern coast of the Irish Sea toward the jagged rocks of the Giant’s Causeway. These rock formations jut out into the sea and are found nowhere else on earth “The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (4.8 km) northeast of the town of Bushmills,” (yes the whiskey distillery is there). The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 meters (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 meters thick in places” (see photos). The causeway was Steven’s number two spot in Ireland to see. We arrived on the farthest north shore of the island and made our way down the very steep, wet, and windy road to the rock floor below. The power of the surf pounding the shoreline could be felt in the rocks beneath our feet. The wind, rain and desolate shoreline gave the impression of being on the very ends of the earth. Mom even made the walk with us, which was no easy feat.
After our world’s end adventure, we stopped at a little restaurant in the town of Bushmill, and had a little lunch of fish and chips (of course) and hit the road again for the drive to our night’s logging. It is very obvious to us that the folks up here in this part of the island are far less friendly and more reserved that the Irish in the south. Though I very much want to see the politically fueled town of Derry; it will be nice to cross back over the border into the Republic of Ireland in two days. On the drive up, Steven and I realized there were no longer any rock walls separating the fields like in Ireland. The fields whooshing past our car windows were lined with scrubs. Then it came to us; Mrs. Barron (lovely women from our last B&B), had explained to us that the land in the north is “heavy soil.” She meant the land is too hard for plowing so it is used for the gazing of: cattle, sheep and lamb. Because the fields are not being planted, there is no clearing of the rocks that make the infamous Irish walls. We felt very proud of ourselves for figuring this out. Hahaha.
Our arrival at the B&B for tonight was challenging even with the use of our handy GPS. There are no words to describe the road, sign and layout of the houses here. (Right Rob?). We are staying in the town of Coleraine tonight, about 25 KM from our next destination, Derry. The house was the birth place of the famous illustrator, Hugh Thomas. Thomas illustrated novels for Austen and Dickens during his career. Cool huh?? http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/Breezemount-House-Coleraine-P4248. (photos on blog too).
Steven and I were given access to the laundry by the very lovely night manager of the house. We have to walk through the giant kitchen to get there (can you say scene from the movie “The Shining.” No really! Well I have been writing this in Steven’s living room, yes living room (because we are the only three guests in the giant house with fourteen guest room). A bit creepy I must say. :0 (Notice: lovely, bit) yep its catchy.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Ireland 29th of December: Belfast
The morning begins:
The three of us go down to breakfast in this beautiful (Steven swears it is haunted) B&B, we are enjoying our food, looking out at the wind blowing in from across Belfast harbor, when another couple come in and are seated at the next table. Greetings are exchanged and the conversation turns to our plans for the day. The man asks, “Where are you going while here?” I reply, “we plan to spend two days discovering Belfast, and the we will head up to Derry.” The man’s demeanor and body language visibly changes and he corrects me, “it is Londonderry, not Derry and we are very proud of that!” A little Irish history for everyone; Derry is the name used by the Irish for this town, and Londonderry is the name used by the Northern Irish paramilitary. Come to find out, the town we are staying in is a hot bed for British loyalists, Carrickfergus. We soon find out that he and his wife are from Manchester and they are adamantly against a free Ireland. He went on to criticize, American, the EU, France and generally everyone other than the British, lovely guy. Lol Awkward.
Steven and I head into Belfast to spend the day and mom stays at the B&B to read and watch the ships coming in and out of the harbor. Steven and I decide we will take the quick 30 minute tour the main spots and then after we get our bearings we will walk around a bit. The bus tour begins and the tour guide begins his speech.
The tour begins: “This building was built in 1980, giving the IRA a new shiny target to bomb.” Ok, perhaps, the tour was not a good idea. We jump off the bus and have a great lunch in a basement pub of soup and munchies, beer and tea and then head out on foot. We get lost, in the best possible way near the wall murals (see photos) that are painted in the Irish part of town proclaiming pride for their cause. The rain was cold and near constant, but it did not matter, the city was alive and vibrant. The tensions between the two factions are very much alive, in spite of the picture painted to the world.
The Irish and North Irish neighborhoods are separated by “Peace Walls,” there are fourteen in all and the stark contrast between the two is shocking. The Irish sides of the walls are lined with burned out buildings and run down homes, the other side well maintained homes with gardens. There remains in effect, even today, post cease fire, a 10:00pm curfew. The gates are locked and not opened until 6:00am.
Some facts I was not aware of: Northern Ireland was bombed constantly throughout the blitz. The Germans did not bomb the republic of Ireland because they remained a neutral nation. There are only a few pre- war buildings standing in Belfast, a sad fact. The North Irish adhered to the blackout rules of lights as in London, however, the Irish did not, and this made it very easy for the Germans, from the air, to determine where the border of Northern Ireland lay for bombings.
The last stop of our day was to a cemetery, where Giuseppe Conlon is buried. Some history: “the Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven (Conlon was one) were two sets of people whose convictions in English courts for the Guildford pub bombings in the 1970s were eventually quashed. The Guildford Four were convicted of bombings carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), and the Maguire Seven were convicted of handling explosives found during the investigation into the bombings. Both groups' convictions were declared "unsafe and unsatisfactory" and reversed after they had served time in prison,” the most famous being Giuseppe Conlon, (The father in the movie, “In the Name of the Father”). This was the one site Steven had to see before leaving Ireland. Well calling it a day. Tomorrow we head up the farthest northern point of Ireland, “can you say COLD?”
Night everyone
The three of us go down to breakfast in this beautiful (Steven swears it is haunted) B&B, we are enjoying our food, looking out at the wind blowing in from across Belfast harbor, when another couple come in and are seated at the next table. Greetings are exchanged and the conversation turns to our plans for the day. The man asks, “Where are you going while here?” I reply, “we plan to spend two days discovering Belfast, and the we will head up to Derry.” The man’s demeanor and body language visibly changes and he corrects me, “it is Londonderry, not Derry and we are very proud of that!” A little Irish history for everyone; Derry is the name used by the Irish for this town, and Londonderry is the name used by the Northern Irish paramilitary. Come to find out, the town we are staying in is a hot bed for British loyalists, Carrickfergus. We soon find out that he and his wife are from Manchester and they are adamantly against a free Ireland. He went on to criticize, American, the EU, France and generally everyone other than the British, lovely guy. Lol Awkward.
Steven and I head into Belfast to spend the day and mom stays at the B&B to read and watch the ships coming in and out of the harbor. Steven and I decide we will take the quick 30 minute tour the main spots and then after we get our bearings we will walk around a bit. The bus tour begins and the tour guide begins his speech.
The tour begins: “This building was built in 1980, giving the IRA a new shiny target to bomb.” Ok, perhaps, the tour was not a good idea. We jump off the bus and have a great lunch in a basement pub of soup and munchies, beer and tea and then head out on foot. We get lost, in the best possible way near the wall murals (see photos) that are painted in the Irish part of town proclaiming pride for their cause. The rain was cold and near constant, but it did not matter, the city was alive and vibrant. The tensions between the two factions are very much alive, in spite of the picture painted to the world.
The Irish and North Irish neighborhoods are separated by “Peace Walls,” there are fourteen in all and the stark contrast between the two is shocking. The Irish sides of the walls are lined with burned out buildings and run down homes, the other side well maintained homes with gardens. There remains in effect, even today, post cease fire, a 10:00pm curfew. The gates are locked and not opened until 6:00am.
Some facts I was not aware of: Northern Ireland was bombed constantly throughout the blitz. The Germans did not bomb the republic of Ireland because they remained a neutral nation. There are only a few pre- war buildings standing in Belfast, a sad fact. The North Irish adhered to the blackout rules of lights as in London, however, the Irish did not, and this made it very easy for the Germans, from the air, to determine where the border of Northern Ireland lay for bombings.
The last stop of our day was to a cemetery, where Giuseppe Conlon is buried. Some history: “the Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven (Conlon was one) were two sets of people whose convictions in English courts for the Guildford pub bombings in the 1970s were eventually quashed. The Guildford Four were convicted of bombings carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), and the Maguire Seven were convicted of handling explosives found during the investigation into the bombings. Both groups' convictions were declared "unsafe and unsatisfactory" and reversed after they had served time in prison,” the most famous being Giuseppe Conlon, (The father in the movie, “In the Name of the Father”). This was the one site Steven had to see before leaving Ireland. Well calling it a day. Tomorrow we head up the farthest northern point of Ireland, “can you say COLD?”
Night everyone
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Ireland 28th Outside of Belfast
We began the day with a lovely coastal drive along the Irish Sea. The sun was coming up all the while the rain was falling (see photo of rainbow). We stopped at a spot along the coast known as “Bloody Bridge,” the bridge is the spot where the British executed and threw 50 IRA fighters off the bridge into the sea in 1934. The wind coming off the sea felt like ice bullets slicing through my heavy wool coat. There were several people walking dogs along the cliffs, the owners seemed impervious to the cold, all the while the dogs appeared to be wishing for a sudden death. (Picture “Toto” walking along a step cliff with 40 mile an hour winds blowing).
We stopped for lunch in the small seaside town of Newcastle, County Down. Northern Ireland consists of six northern counties with their allegiance still with Great Britain. (Awkward) Mom finally found a bowl of Irish stew and we all gazed at the sea throughout lunch. On the drive to the next B&B just outside of Belfast, we came across an IRA sign “No Surrender” (see photos).
As we made our way north there were many British flags displayed on power poles. They were tattered and suffering under the power of the winds, however, their obvious purpose, defiance, was not lessoned by their appearance. If nothing, they represented the stubbornness of the north to not allow a unified Ireland. They were, I must say, a pretty powerful sight.
We checked into our haunted house, I mean B&B that overlooks the sea. It is old, big and looks like something from a horror movie for sure. (See photo). We ate fish and chips and drank our first Guinness with dinner.
Tomorrow we will see all the political spots in Belfast. We spend two days here and then head up north to The Devil’s Causeway and the invincible town of Derry.
Hello to everyone and love to my kids and husband
Friday, December 23, 2011
Ireland 2011
Hello All!!!
I'm off to Ireland with my mother and brother. We will drive around the entire island in 14 days.
Our flight leaves at 6:00am (yes 6:00am) on December 26!!!!
Merry Christmas!
I'm off to Ireland with my mother and brother. We will drive around the entire island in 14 days.
Our flight leaves at 6:00am (yes 6:00am) on December 26!!!!
Merry Christmas!
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