To my dismay no pictures were allowed in the Long Library either. I had carried my camera around for three days thinking we were going to make it to Trinity College everyday and never making it. Then, once we were there, no photos. Screw that, I thought. So I snuck a few. Not that the security was strict, people were snapping and flashing away and all that happened were threats of being thrown out. Alas, my photo:
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The Long Library contains 200,000 books, some of which are the oldest in the world
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| From Ireland |
Molly Malone statue in Dublin...
In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
She was a fishmonger and sure it was no wonder
For so were her father and mother before
And they both wheeled their barrows through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
She died of a fever and no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
After Trinity College we set out to find Dublin's tourism office (yes, they have a dedicated building for the tourists) for information on train tickets. Our information led us to the train station, which we walked to, on the other side of the city. Lauren went in and checked on the tickets while Philip and I waited outside. She came back with the same exact information we got from the tourism office: to order them online. On our way back to the hostel we stopped at an internet cafe and ordered our tickets. We then went back, picked up our luggage, found Alicia, and walked all the way back to the train station to pick up our tickets and wait.
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On the way to the train station
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Train station
We were supposed to sit together but two ladies who were in Dublin for the day took two of our spots so we sat across the aisle from each other. Finally, once we found our places, we were on our way North to Belfast.
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| From Ireland |
The eery mist still hadn't gone away.
The ladies on the train warned us about being careful in Belfast. Almost like it was like we were going directly into an active war zone. Once in Belfast we had to switch trains and withdraw some UK currency from the ATM. Then we were to make our way to Jordanstown, about 30 minutes from the central Belfast station. It was getting dark by the time we arrived, and Caitlin was nowhere in sight. So there we were, without a phone, or a phone number to call for that matter, four Americans in a deserted train stop.
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Fortunately Caitlin did show up about 5 minutes later (though it felt like 15) and we were off on our mile long hike to campus (ok, maybe it wasn't that long, but it was really far when you have so much to carry).
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| From Ireland |
Lauren and Caitlin
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WTF are bollards?!
Dinner that night was to be had from a grocery store that was about three stops on the tram back towards Belfast. We did find some goodies, though, some fresh delicious blackberries and other things that we had planned on cooking once we got back to Caitlin's dorm. Fortunately, since we were starving again, we found a Pizza Hut. Now, before you say anything, yes, I am against eating at chain restaurants when you're in new places, and no, I do not normally like Pizza Hut. BUT! This was a totally Irish-ised version of Pizza Hut (they even had Banoffee pie for dessert!) and it was delicous! Not just because we were starving, but this was literally better than some of the local restaurants I've been to. I don't remember what all we ordered, but it was enough and I think we had leftovers.
Once we were back we had to figure out our sleeping arrangement. We were staying in Belfast for two nights and for the second night Philip and Alicia were supposed to have one of Caitlin's friend's rooms but tonight... it was all five of us in a tiny room. So the sleeping arrangement was as follows:
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Lauren and I on the single bed (far left), Philip and Alicia on the air mattress on the floor, and Caitlin on the couch (that we hauled in from the common area... we were sure her Indian floormates wouldn't mind).
Oh, and I'd like to add that we couldn't shut the door if the air mattress was down.
What to do in Northern Ireland? Well... it's a bit complicated. Northern Ireland, whether it's because the war has pushed tourists away or because the war is still going on, is not especially hospital or inclined to capitalize on the tourist market. In fact, there's an entirely different energy about Northern Ireland as opposed to the Republic. Everyone keeps to themselves, no one seems very happy. And since we were there for only one full day, we wanted to make the most of it. So we found the Paddywagon Tour Bus Company. It takes you to all the hotspots in the North like Giant's Causeway, Derry/Londonderry, Ballycastle, and the like. The Tourbus leaves from one two locations in Belfast, one was close to the train station. At I believe 9 am. So we set our alarms for about 6:30 so everyone would have time to get up and get ready and eat breakfast before we set out on the 45 minute train ride for the tour.
Well.... that didn't happen. We woke up late, someone's alarm didn't go off. Someone woke up at 7 (I think it might've been me) and there was a fierce panic for a moment before Caitlin offered to call us a cab which would be faster. The cab company told her they could be there in about 10 minutes to pick us up so we agreed and there was a mad scramble for everyone to get ready. We made it in about 15 which pissed off the cab driver for having to wait 5 minutes. So we ended up getting to our stop at about 8. To illustrate our mood I give you Lauren:
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This is Lauren after a late night, really early morning, 10 minutes to get ready, and having to wait for the Paddywagon Tour.
The icing on the cake? The Paddywagon Tour was late. How late? About an hour. So we ended up sitting around in the cold Belfast morning, with no shops open except a drug store that finally decided to open around 9, for what ended up being close to two hours.
Once we finally hopped on we were off to the Northern Coast!
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St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast
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| From Ireland |
Eye of Belfast (like the Eye of London)
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| From Ireland |
It really wasn't hurricane force winds that day, but it apparently gets like that a lot because that's how all the trees and bushes grew. This was on the north coast in Antrim near the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge.
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| From Ireland |
More in Antrim
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| From Ireland |
"And out there to my right is Sheep's Island. The same family has owned grazing rights to that island for three hundred years. But what I want to know, is how the feck to you get a cow up there?" -Our Tourguide. (Off into the distance you can see a tiny island through the haze towards the left. I could see his point about the cows).
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This was a castle ruin from... I believe the 12th century. This is all that's left of it.
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Giant's Causeway. The legend goes that the giant Fin Barr was in love with another giant in Scotland so he tried to build a bridge to get to her across the Irish Sea.
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Giant's Causeway
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Dunluce Castle (pronounced Dun-loosh). I believe it was in the 1600s that the castle's kitchen fell off into the ocean, killing 7 servants.
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Derry Quay (like from the song... From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay and from Galway to Dublin town, no maid I've seen like the sweet Coleen that I met in the County Down....)
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| From Ireland |
Derry was the most unfortuate, depressing, unhappy town I've ever been to. All of the north felt like that, actually. But Derry was the worse. I was so glad to be back in the republic where they don't have the political issues like that. There's no way I would want to be lost in this city at night.
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The famous murals of Derry. Our bus driver had actually marched in one of the civil rights marches when he was young. I believe it was in the early '70s... 71 or 72 maybe. But I also want to say it was Bloody Sunday. There's a boy on one of the murals wearing a gas mask who was 9 at the time and his brother is married to our bus driver's sister.
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| From Ireland |
Memorial to the Bloody Sunday victims
Watch this.
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There was a peace agreement that was never completely reached between the Protestants and Catholics. This statue symbolizes that... one is Protestant and the other Catholic. They have outstretched arms but they never touch.
After Derry we headed back to Belfast, then on to Jordanstown to the dorms. After dinner (which took bloody forever because her Indian floormates took over the stove) Caitlin, Alicia, and Lauren all went out to the pubs but Philip and I stayed in, unfortunately we were in seperate dorms and I would've been locked out if I tried to go find him (I had no idea where to start) and he didn't know I stayed too. To be honest, I didn't really feel safe to go out in Belfast.
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| From Ireland |
Caitlin, Alicia, and Lauren (fun fact: Caitlin is Guy Fieri's cousin).
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