Advertisement
Published: February 23rd 2007
Edit Blog Post
Rockin Out with the Paddy Wagon
Me, Jenny and Emily with the marvelous vehicle that transported us along the Antrim Coast I can remember sitting in front of the news when I was younger and watching footage of the troubles in Northern Ireland . . . it was one of those places that blended in with Bosnia and Israel in my consciousness simply because the American media only presented them as places where people get shot. Actually visiting the neighborhoods of Belfast was quite an experience . . . kind of boggles my mind.
Katie, Jenny, Emily and I hopped on a bus from Galway to Belfast this past Friday. It was a seven hour bus ride - surprisingly tolerable except for the presence of a four-year-old terror named Tiffany who decided it would be fun to run up and down the aisle and climb over all the passengers for the duration of the ride. But other than that . . . We got into Belfast around 8 and checked into our hostel - Paddy's Palace. Yes, it does sound like a brothel and we were a little worried we'd be spending 2 nights with Belfast's shadiest. . . but they had breakfast included, so we booked anyway. Thankfully it turned out to be a fine establishment with a helpful staff
Derry
A mural commemorating the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement and a bus tour to the Antrim Coast available. They could benefit from a couple more bathrooms and some better signage outside, but those were pretty minor complaints. Our first stop after checking in was dinner; we wandered back into town and found the most amazing fish and chips ever at a place called Bishops. It was cheap, came with plenty of food for two people, and we didn't even have to pay for condiments . . . what more can you ask for? After our glorious dinner it was time to hit the pubs (of course). We chose the one that you apparently "have to go to" upon visiting Belfast - The Crown. This was a Victorian era pub - straight from the days when women and men weren't allowed to mingle in such establishments, so they even have the original walled-in seats set aside for the women. It was a great atmosphere, but unfortunately they haven't banned smoking in pubs in the UK like they have in Ireland, so we did have to deal with that little factor. I was also greatly amused that Galway's most touristy pub is The King's Head, and Belfast's is the Crown. Just
a little bit of difference . . .
On Saturday we took a day trip out of Belfast, so we saw Derry and a good bit of the Antrim coast. Derry, the home of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights movement, was our first stop. If you're familiar with "Bloody Sunday" - when 14 Catholic/Republican protesters were
shot and killed even though they were participating in a peaceful march - that happened in Derry. Much to Katie (the history buff's) delight we took about an hour walking tour around Derry, seeing the Bogside and other key political sights. The tour was interesting - I felt like I would have gotten a bit more out of it if I was better versed in Irish history . . . not because the tour was confusing, but because I spent the whole time wondering how everything fit together to lead up to the troubles. Thankfully, we just started studying Northern Ireland in the Ethnic Conflict class I'm currently taking, so it's all starting to fit together.
After Derry we stopped by Dunluce Castle for a quick look around . . . it's basically your typical Irish castle ruin, except for the fact
The Giant's Causeway
Here's to nifty rock formations that it's missing the kitchen which fell into the ocean centuries ago. It was a nice stop, but nothing too exciting. After that we hit another highlight - the Giant's Causeway - which was awesome. I'm realizing that the natural beauty on this island never ceases to amaze me. . . after seeing more and more coastline I'm pondering just grabbing a bike and riding around the entire perimeter of this island. It might be a long, cold, windy ride . . . but the sights might be worth it. The Giant's Causeway is a series of really cool rock formations. The rocks are remnants of a bridge connecting Scotland and Ireland; the bridge was destroyed when a Scottish rival of the giant Ulster warrior named Finn MacCool was fleeing back to Scotland. The geological version is pure crap. I suppose rock formations don't sound all that exciting, but it was really fun to walk around and watch the waves come crashing in.
Sunday morning became Belfast sightseeing tour. This basically included the City Hall and the two neighborhoods where the majority of the conflict occurred. We walked around and saw all the murals. The entire atmosphere was really
rather eerie - partially because it was a Sunday morning so the streets were basically empty, partially because it didn't quite sink in that I was basically in the middle of a war zone. The really crazy thing is that the two neighborhoods are so incredibly close together - there can't be more than three blocks between the Protestant/Unionist (Shankill) section and the Catholic/Republic (Falls) section. I just can't fathom living in a major conflict situation and having only a few blocks and a "peace wall" between you and those on the other side. It all boggles my mind. . .
After exploring the two neighborhoods it was time to grab our bus back to Galway. As our luck would have it, Tiffany the Terror returned for the trip home. . . so the bus ride was another test of patience. But overall, I really enjoyed Belfast and the weekend. However, and I admit I'm biased now, every time I visit another city on this island I realize that I picked the best place to study abroad. I'm not saying that to discredit the awesomeness of other Irish/ almost Irish cities . . . I'm just realizing that Ireland
is not the place you come to "see the sights." It's not about the great architecture or the amazing museums . . . all those city things. It's about the beautiful landscapes (which there are tons of) and the atmosphere. Galway just has the atmosphere.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.079s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 12; qc: 57; dbt: 0.0495s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb