2/17/08

Giant's Causeway Day! 

The plan was to get a train to Coleraine and call Andy Brown taxi to take us to my favorite place in the world, but when we got back to the hostel to pick up my coat, we noticed a big bus outside that said something about Causeway Tours. Randy looked into it and we decided that for ₤20, it really couldn't be beat. We hopped on the "mini-coach" (in the tour insdustry in the USA, 56-pax = full-sized, but I guess you have to be a double-decker in the UK to get that status?) and off we went.

THE TRIP THERE

BUSHMILLS

Mini-Coach Tours takes the scenic route with commentary and photo stops along the Antrim Coast and Causeway roads, and since we have never done this drive/ride, it was a nice thing to see new scenery. The whole coast is beautiful. 

We stopped in the village of Bushmills for the optional tour of the whiskey distillery and after years of visiting this place for a shot of whiskey and some Bushmills cheesecake, Randy and I finally gave in and took the tour. I'm glad we did because the grounds are vast, and unlike the Jameson or Guinness tours, you really get to see (and smell) a more alive and working distillery on the tour. Bushmills has been distilling and bottling in this location since 1608--Happy 400th!

GIANT'S CAUSEWAY

We could not have asked for better weather at the Causeway. It was so sunny and beautiful I even had to lose the sweater and scarf some of the time. 

Of course, I had to check in on my retirement home fixer-upper, and I was a little perturbed to find that some hooligans had left some souvenirs:

We climbed on the rocks, hiked around the cliffs, went up the steep shepherd's walk staircase, and generally had a great time taking in the scenery which the photos will never do justice. (I even ma

de it all the way out to the water Melanie!)

On the way home, we took naps and after returning to Belfast, we hit the nearest Tesco, opting to cook our own stuff in the hostel's kitchen--a night of dinner in complete with ginger snaps and tea and reading and talking and a little tv completed day 4 of our vacation.

PS

I forgot to mention that our Belfast friend Pete Wilson aka Duke Special (who is in LA to play an Irish Oscars party while we're here) picked up the Best Irish Male award at the Meteor Awards (like our Grammys?) on the 15th! Congratulations Peter. He was on the cover of this copy of the Belfast Telegraph we bought to read on the way up to the Causeway:

2/16/08

After we got settled into our room, we met up with our friends the Orrs, who I've forgotten to take pictures of so you will just have to take our word for it that they are a very good looking family--Stephen, Clare, and baby Martha had us to their house for a fantastic dinner and drinks, and we talked about life and music until about 1:00am when we took a cab back to the hostel. Zzzzz.

Day 3 - February 16

Today, we went to Wetherspoons for our first Ulster fry of the trip--bacon, eggs, fried soda bread, fried potatoes, sausage, baked beans, cooked mushroom & tomato all for ₤1.99. Usually this is a big thing for us, but the place was understaffed, the internet was down, and the food was kind of cold. We were disappointed...but we were full.

After a nice walk around the town, we headed to the Crown Bar. This place has been around since 1826 and has remained unchanged since the late 1800's when a group of Italian craftsmen added beautiful tiling and mirrors to the decor. It's a gorgeous place to have a drink and we met Sammy Horner there for a few. We've known Sammy for years via the internet and mutual friends in music circles but we've never managed to be in the same town at the same time. Again, we forgot to take pictures of Sammy, but we snapped a couple of the bar before he arrived.

BAD NEWS!!!

Unfortunately, on our way back from the bar, Randy noticed that his backpack was unzipped and his  WALLET HAD BEEN LOST! 

Since no one has yet turned it in, we can only assume that it has been stolen with his credit cards and a significant amount of cash inside. I think it's safe to say the drinks were (unintentionally) on us at the Crown tonight! We spent the next hour calling credit card companies to cancel them.

Our hostel had no rooms left and the city was practically sold out, but luckily our friends the Hatches who we were meeting for dinner had just been to check out the new Ikea here in Belfast and bought an air mattress. They kindly offered their room to us saying they needed to try out the new purchase for themselves. Liars! Thanks Jon & Amy. 

2/17/08

Our room at the Belfast International Youth Hostel is modest but nice. We have a double bed and our own bathroom this first night, and a great view of the city from it. Someone hung a large Incredible Hulk doll from the street light near our room so it feels like he is watching over us and protecting us.

The shower in our room has no curtain or walls. It's just right there with a sloping floor. At first, we weren't too sure about that, but it actually works great. European efficiency:

2/14-15/08 Dublin

This is the longest travel day we've ever had! Because of the time difference, two days have run together.

Our awesome friends the Moritzes got up at 4:30am to get us to the airport to catch a flight to Chicago. They even found us a free place to park our car for two weeks!

CHICAGO-MUNICH

From Chicago, it was on to Munich, where I caught a quick nap on the freaky Europcar couch, and our delayed AerLingus flight to Dublin got us in on Valentine's Day at 3pm. Good reviews for Lufthansa who took us as far as Munich. Not sure what First Class could have gotten that we didn't, except for extra legroom, which is actually a pretty good thing.

O'Hare Terminal C

Munich Airport - Naptime!

Bus #748 to Dublin, Wood Quay Stop:

Our apartment here in Dublin is nice, but the service is very compulsory and there are no toiletries or amenities (except internet which we are grateful for). It's close to Christchurch Cathedral which we may check out tomorrow before heading to Belfast.

We picked up our favorites--Dubliner cheddar cheese, tea, and brown wheat bread like they only make here in Ireland and took a nap to sleep off the jetlag.

Since we're in the Temple Bar area where things stay loud until the wee hours, we decided to join the crowds and head out around 11pm for a drink. We chose the Brazen Head-- Ireland's oldest pub, with a history dating back to 1198.

It's a great little place and was packed to the gills with a traditional Irish music session going on. We pushed our way to the front for the last two songs and a couple from Londonderry/Donegal area offered us seats at their table.

Shortly thereafter while Randy was preoccupied at the bar, a man who didn't speak English pulled me up to the front for a dance and we found ourselves the center of attention. I am a terrible dancer and there was no saving me! Fortunately, there was no camera handy.

Collum, Theresa, Randall (as Randy goes by here since his name has other implications in this culture), and I shot the breeze until the bar closed. Collum implored us to vote for Hillary. Yeah. That'll happen--not! Boy, do they love the Clintons here in Ireland--like a second coming of the Kennedys.

Our new friends had been married 24 years, with five children and were fixing up a flat here in Dublin to sell. I had a great time talking with Theresa & I don't think Randy & Collum had a break in their conversation. The pub cultlure of Ireland just can't be beat!

Now, we're back to the apartment where I now sit blogging. I have booked us a last minute room at the Belfast International Youth Hostel for tomorrow. Our youth may have left us, but a strong cup of tea and a weak dollar have led us to believe otherwise, at least temporarily.

Day 2 - Dublin to Belfast

After a quick breakfast, we walked outside to beautiful weather and headed to Christ Church Cathedral. Parts of this building date back to 1030, and there is an ancient crypt in the basement. Creepy! We toured the sanctuary and the treasury in the crypt. Two of my favorite things were this memorial from a father to his musician son in the Musicians Corner:

It reads…

In a vault near this place lie the remains of Richard Woodward, Mus:D: Late Organist of this Church, Vicar Choral of St. Patrick’s Cathedral And Preceptor to the Children of two Choirs DUBLIN His Love of Harmony Equally refined his Taste And regulated his Heart And While it gave Melody To his Voice and Compositions, Added a Consonant Sweetness To his Temper and Conversation So that He lived Eminently Distinguished In his publick Profession And died Universally Lamented For his private Virtues Nove 22 AD 1777 in the 34th year of his Age To the Memory OF whose Final Duty and Affection His Afflicated Father Dedicates this last sad Testimony OF PARENTAL LOVE

That seems like success as a musician to me!

And…while no pictures were allowed, there was a gaudy gold communion set gifted to the church by King William III in the basement।