On the Road

On our last morning in Dublin we took a local double decker bus. We weren't quite sure where we were going so we stayed downstairs. We were off to pick up the rental car.

We were given a lovely new Skoda 4-door sedan with a trunk (boot) big enough to sleep in (not as yet tested). Now driving a new car - well, new as in different to your own - always has a learning curve involved: the clutch is different, the brakes are different, the widgets and doodads are in different places...like the indicators. All this to say that I was indicating with the windscreen wipers for a while. Jolene got her navigator cap on and after one wrong turn, we were off to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland!

We didn't want to go by way of Belfast, which is the usual way to go, instead we headed towards a little town called Armagh that I had seen mentioned on a travel program. Apparently it has a great public library.

There are no borders to cross and the country side didn't really change all that much, but after driving for about an hour we were no longer in the Republic of Ireland; we were now in the United Kingdom.

We arrived in Armagh without mishap at around lunchtime. We parked and walked to the

tourist information centre to get a map and some directions. The chap there told us that the library was closed between  12 and 2 so we decided that this was a good time to have lunch. We bought some extra fixings at the local supermarket to extend the left over veggies and hummus we already had and then headed to a park we had seen indicated...oh did I mention that it was yet another glorious day? The park it turns out, had the ruins of an old Friary that was founded in 1263. So we ate our lunch with the bones of centuries past.

When we were done we meandered our way through to the top of the hill to the Public Library.

It's an unassuming building built in the late 18th century - not particulary old in these parts. We needed to buzz to gain entry. We entered through a large door and climbed up the stairs as directed by the voice at the door. This small library has books from the 17th and 18th century as well as illuminated manuscripts, books printed using hand carved wooden blocks, to the first edition of Gulliver's Travels with revision notes in the margins by Jonathan Swift. This is an incredible place for anyone who appreciates the written word.

But onwards and upwards!

As we continued on our way we noticed that almost all of the towns had flags everywhere. Union Jack  flags. We remarked on it because we thought it was a little curious, but just thought that they were particularly patriotic in these parts.

This night we were staying in a proper tavern/B&B in a tiny hamlet near the Giant's Causeway. When we arrived they told us that although breakfast was included, they did not serve dinner there but if we went to the small town we had passed on the way in, we would certainly find something there.

We freshened up and off we went . Again, we saw British flags flying as we entered the town. We parked in a lot at the edge of town. Behind the parking lot there was a large field, and in the back of the field there was a very large stack of palettes, wood, and even a couple of old couches. It was well over 3 metres high. On top was the Irish flag. Hmmmm. We began to feel a little uneasy.

We both needed some cash so we went to the ATM. Jolene went first and when I went. The ATM ate my card and wouldn't return it...and then it had the gall to tell me to take it gracefully! This evening was not going well.

As this was a small village our options for restaurants was rather limited. So we chose the one that had a vegetarian option available. We had to walk through a courtyard full of people in the middle of some kind of celebration. Young, old, seemed like a good part of the town was there. They were well on their way to getting smashed. By this point we had figured out that this was some sort of British holiday and it had something to do with a battle with the Irish. I tried to ask some questions of the waiter, but he was evasive. Yes there was a bonfire tonight, but it was going to be quite late, midnight. Yes, it was a holiday - no more details. He seemed uncomfortable talking about it.

During dinner we could hear the people in the courtyard below singing.

The Battle of the Boyne was fought between the Jacobites and William III (William of Orange) in 1690...and lost by Irish/Scottish forces. Folks in Northern Ireland that belong to the Orange Order celebrate heartily this victory. There have been riots in Belfast on this day in the past. We picked the perfect day to go to Northern Ireland.