Haegeles' Ireland 2022
Life is like a puzzle.
The more you travel,
The more you understand.
Then the more you understand,
The better the pieces fit together.
Myths, legends and the GIANT'S CAUSEWAY
bizarre
curious
intriguing
spectacular
DAY 12: THE ANTRIM COAST
Thursday
Aug 25, 2022
Mostly Sunny, 64°
A DAY THAT SPANS THE CENTURIES...
sláinte
Slainte to Shirley and Paul
Shirley and Paul arrived in Ireland from their farm in Champaign, Illinois. Previously, Shirley had planned a trip for the two of them to visit 3 European countries. "I knew I could never do that again," she says. When sharing this at a party someone told them about Rick Steves and here they are enjoying their 4th tour.
Look how relaxed Shirley appears. She sure is enjoying having someone else do all that travel planning.
ONLY OUR RIVERS RUN FREE
Written in 1965 by a 17-year-old Micky MacConnell and recorded by Christy Moore. The song laments the bondage of colonialism and the suffering caused to all sides during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Day 13: Belfast and the Titanic
Friday
Aug 26, 2022
Cloudy, 63°
A THOUGHT PROVOKING DAY...
ITHE GO MAITH | Eat Well
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Bushmills Market Square, great salads for lunch.
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Enjoy a pint in a snug at The Crown
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A group meal at the Europa with traditional music and dancing following
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Sawers for freshly made sandwiches and salads
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Drinks in the Europa bar
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Our farewell dinner at CoCo's & best meal of the trip
IRMIRT GO MAITH | Play Well
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Climb over ancient pillars of the Giant's Causeway
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Visit the castle-crowned crag of Dunluce Castle
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Allow Belfast murals to provoke reflection
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Inscribe a message on the Peace Wall
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View dazzling stained glass in Belfast City Hall
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Soak up history at the fascinating Titanic Experience
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Discover the role of Ulster Scotts in Belfast
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Learn from a locally guided Belfast walking tour
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Enjoy an evening of music and dance provided by Pascal
We slept two nights in the heart of Belfast at Europa Hotel Belfast on Great Victoria St., conveniently located right around the corner from the bus stop for those heading to Dublin Airport on the final day.
Day 14: BELFAST, DUBLIN, PHILLY
Saturday
Aug 27, 2022
Fair Skies, 68°
It's here. Our last day in this welcoming and beautiful country. We leisurely enjoy our final breakfast with several new friends who also don't have early flights, after which we all say our final good-byes. Then we pack up and catch the 2 hour bus ride to Dublin for our 3:30 pm flight home to Philadelphia. It's Saturday, traffic is light and the airport not very crowded so there's time to chill before boarding. Then it's planes, trains, and automobiles until exhausted, we collapse into our own bed and sleep soundly while dreaming of our Irish adventures.
A BITTERSWEET DAY...
Before leaving we had time to visit Belfast City Hall
A self-guided journey of Belfast’s incredible history and City Hall's beautiful architecture. One of the most memorable features of the City Hall tour are the detailed stained glass windows depicting Belfast's historic events and famous people.
Not as Catholics or Protestants
Not as Nationalists of Unionists
But as Belfast workers standing together
Get Your Irish On
DRINKING TEAL LIKE A LOCAL
For tea lovers, Ireland is heaven. Back home, tea drinkers are kind-of like second class citizens as it's just assumed everyone wants coffee, so getting tea takes a bit of effort. But not so in Ireland. The Irish are the second largest consumers of tea - first is Turkey - so tea is readily available. But even better, Irish hotels have electric kettles in the rooms making it possible to fix your own hot cup of tea without the taste of bitter old coffees interfering with your pleasure.
And the color! The color of Barry's is rich with tints of amber, it's beautiful. Somehow that makes it taste extra special.
Becky enjoyed tea with every breakfast and after most dinners. It's served in a tea pot with two tea bags! She likes her tea unadorned, while the Irish usually add cream. Irish tea is a black tea, a few popular brands to look for are Bewley's, Lyons and Barry's.
A TRAVEL TIP: Compression bags! RS calls them Flat Packs and they are awesome. Not only do they help with organization, but they help you travel 'smaller.' Simply pack, squeeze the air out, and toss in the luggage. We use them on all of our trips.
"Until next time, keep on travelin'." - Rick Steves
And we will keep traveling. We tuned into Rick's Festival of Europe - "a virtual travel extravaganza" - in January 2023. The festival was an awesome distraction from our dreary winter and gave us inspiration for future travels. Our 2023 plans will whisk us off to Greece in May. Then we need to decide which is next...we LOVED the Village Italy tour and would certainly hop on the plane for The Best of Tuscany, but the beauty of the Adriatic Coast is tempting us too. Will we pick Best of the Adriatic or Best of Tuscany? How will we ever decide? The good news is, we can do both!
Yes, yes and yes!