Carrick-a-Rede

That night we heard drumming until very late in the night, but the natives didn't quite make it the 4 miles from the town to the hamlet.

I had no clue about this tradition/holiday and I'm glad that chance made me pick the most out of the way place possible on this particular day. We later learned that there had been bust ups and minor riots in Belfast and other cities.

Over breakfast the proprietor was telling us that it was difficult living between 2 religions - no shit! But nothing bad happened in our little corner - a part from the whole ATM incident, (no worries, have back up). There was a reason I had picked this little out of the way place though...it was right in the middle of 2 very great sites.

The first one we went to visit was Carrick-a-Rede, which means rock in the road. This area used to have a big salmon fishing industry. There was one particular spot that the salmon favoured - it's a small island just off the coast, and when I say just , I mean just. It's like a section of the cliff dropped off in between the main land and this piece of rock leaving it stranded. For over 350 years fishermen in these parts would string up a rope bridge to cross over the chasm to reach the best spot for catching migrating fish. The industry died when the fish stocks were irreparably depleted. Now, thousands come from all over the world to cross the flimsy bridge 30m over the sea to enjoy the fabulous views and wildlife.

It's a very cool place to visit and we were lucky enough to see a single seal basking in the sun dappled sea. The island was loud with the cries of all the sea birds and we were particularly taken with the flying penguins...ok they're actually called razorbills, but seriously, they look like penguins.

Opposite Carrick-a-Rede, there are the Larrybane cliffs. This is the limestone headland  on the west of Larrybane bay. They used to mine the limestone and dolerite here until the early 80's. Much of Glasgow's cobbles come from the stone in these cliffs. Scotland is only about 60 miles out from this area.

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.

Wandering the Streets of Dublin

The next day started out just as beautiful as the last two. The question today was do we go see indoor things that are interesting or do we stay outside? The lovely weather won out.

We made our way up towards the Liffey, which is the river that runs through the city, and then we walked along it. We were going towards the Viking/Medieval area of town.



Christchurch



It is believed that the Vikings settled the area of Dublin in around 840. Imbeded in the sidewalks now are reproductions of artifacts that archeologist found from that period. Near the civic offices there is also a small square that has cobbles in the paved area that form a traditional Viking longhouse.

I must say at this point that it was all overshadowed by the Christchurch church. It is as massive as it is beautiful. We walked around it snapping picture after picture. The price to enter though was a little unpaletable however so we stayed outside. There was an ice cream and coffee seller inside the gates as well and there were many people lounging in the sun, sipping lattes...somehow this, coupled with the hefty entry fee, dimminished the whole mystique of the place.

We moved on.



St. Audoen's - the ruins of the main knave



A little ways more we came across another church (I swear there's one every 50 feet). This was St Audoen's. It wasn't as impressive as the other, but it had a lovely, inviting garden with tall grasses and pretty flowers. We gladly walked through it, if only for a bit of nature in the middle of all the concrete and brick. The path lead us to the entrance of the church...Free entry...hmmmm

We walked in and discovered that this was originally built between 1181 and 1212 (expansion you know). This church has continuously served it's parish for the last 800 years! It still holds services to this day.

Inside it is divided into two parts down it's length. One is the church proper and the other side is a sort of museum. It's in this part that they have excavated a part of the floor so you can see the cobbles of medieval Dublin. The whole place was interesting, because although there was a lot of info on the church itself, there was also lots of facinating information on life in the 12th century, the influence of weathly merchants as well as information on the birth of the guilds - the most interesting being the Barber-Surgeons....scary!

From there we went off down a road at random and ended up at St.Patrick's Cathedral (see every 50 feet!). This was built in 1192 and on the grounds is, allegedly the well where St. Patrick baptised the folks of 5th century Dublin.

- A note on churches: As I mentioned there are heaps of churches here and I'm not noting the demomination, coz to me they're all the same...I know, I know, I'll burn in hell for that...

We weren't there to see the church though, we were there to sit on the grass a while and munch on the lunch that we had brought along with us.

After a wee rest and lunch, we went through the antique shop district. There we saw the most exquisite pieces of fine furniture, clocks, statues and carved wood that made the 'antiques' of Canada and Australia pale by comparison.

Now, there was one place that we did want to visit that was indoors, and that was the National Museum. We headed over to it and just before we got there we had to wade through a pro-life demonstration, complete with dead fetus pictures and shrill slogans.

The museum is absoluetly fantastic. Just the building alone is worth a visit. The displays are also very impressive - including incredibly well preserved bog men. These were found in bogs and most were brutally murdered...a few centuries ago. There were also displays of Viking, Medieval, and Neolithic Ireland. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

When the museum closed, we crossed over to St.Stephen's Green, a massive park established in 1663. It even had a big pond with swans! As we entered I remarked that it looked like a Renoir painting...men and ladies promenading in the park, pond glistening in the late afternoon sun...yes, all very civilised....until the Euro dance music coming from the iphone of a young man ruined it all.

We then circled through Merriton Square (1752) on our way back to the hostel. It was surrounded by typical Irish row houses, now mostly business offices. Inside the park we gave our tired feet a rest and noticed, while sitting there, that there was a very large tree that appeared to be covered in a huge tablecloth. The people scattered about the park basking in the leftovers of a glorious day, didn't seem to notice it. Curious.

Well, it wasn't quite dinner time yet, but we both agreed, as will you no doubt, that it was time for a pint of Bulmers. Fine Irish cider!

Bottoms up!

Newgrange



Newgrange side view



We awoke to another spectacular day in Dublin. Today we were off to Brù na Bóinne to visit Newgrange. Newgrange is one of several neolithic passage tombs. In the distance they look like perferctly rounded hills. The facade of Newgrange (the only one whose exterior has been restored) is made up of white quartz stone that is illuminated when the sun rises. The rest of the mound is grassed over - except for the bottom, which is ringed with 97 greywacky stones (a type of sandstone), each at least 2m long and 1.5m high.
The entrance, which also faces the rising sun has before it an impressive entrance stone that is over 3 metres long and 1.5 meters high. It is covered in carved swirls. Above the entrance is the roof box - it looks almost as big as the entrance, but there is no access to it.

We had to stoop to go through the passage and it was noticeably cooler inside. After walking in only short way, 19m, we arrived at the central burial chamber which had a very high ceiling and 3 alcoves: two on either side of the passage and one directly in front of the passageway. The chamber was rather small and only 15 people were  allowed in at a time.

The last time that humans had used this site for it's intended purpose was over 5000 years ago, it pre-dates the pyramids and Stonehenge. The walls had geometric carvings and tri-swirls which the archeologist figure symbolises Birth, Death, and Re-birth or the afterlife.

Then the guide turned out the lights. It was pitch black. She explained that during the winter solstice, the shortest days and longest nights, the rising sun did more than just illuminate the front of the facade.

Slowly, on the floor in front of us, appeared a sliver of light. It grew until it became a single bright beam that shone straight into the central alcove. This is the purpose of the roof box. The guide explained to us that they only had paltry electric light to simulate the experience, but the true sunlight that shone on those few mornings was a spectacular golden light that penetrated the darkness and managed to light up the entire chamber.

This is truly a remarkable place, built by the first inhabitants of Ireland. How they managed to build sites such as this is mind boggling. Stats to consider: The quartz that is used in the facade came from the Wicklow mountains some 50km south of the site and the greywacky came some 40km north of the site. The life expectancy of these people was about 50 and they calculate that it would have taken them up to 60 years to build - generations.

Dublin

We disembarked from the ship in the mad rush of people and were met with a fabulous warm sunny day! There was a shuttle bus waiting for the 13 foot passengers so we climbed on board. The shuttle made a stop at the terminal where there were big buses waiting. 

There were 3 young French fellows who just wanted to go up into Rosslare village but were unsure if the bus was going there. They asked the bus driver if he was going to the city. He blinked and then said, "What city?" The boys looked quite taken aback clearly not ready for this question. They pointed to the top of the hill where you could make out some houses. "That's a village, not a city! You'll have to walk from here." in his thick Irish accent - Jolene translated for them in Canadian they nodded, grabbed their bags and went on their way.

The driver then stopped at the train station and we were lucky enough to catch the train that was just about to leave. 

The Irish countryside is very different from the Australian countryside - big surprise - and I'm sure that you will all be astounded when I tell you that it's very, very green!! 

We enjoyed the train ride that pretty much stayed on the coast and stopped at lovely little towns and villages along the way. 



The Temple Bar neighbourhood at night



We got into Dublin at peak hour and quickly found our way to the hostel, which is very central. We checked in dropped off our stuff and asked about the nearest grocery store. This was located in the famous Temple Bar district. We did a quick shop and then it was time for a wander and a pint! 

Now, because beautiful days are rare in Ireland EVERYONE was out having a pint on the terraces! We finally decided to grab a pint inside and 

On the Ferry

Once we were on board we found our room, put our stuff away and then went to check out the rest of the ship. 

There were only 13 foot passengers coming on board, but we quickly realised that this was a popular way for families to travel with their cars. The place was full of kids!! It makes sense though when we thought about it. We were on the 3rd deck and on the 4th deck there were 2 bars, a small place selling sandwiches and pizzas, and one big restaurant at the front of the ship. Everywhere people were settling in for the night ahead - choosing the best and more comfortable spots. Three such passengers we had noticed as we boarded, they had set up their air mattresses, mats and sleeping bags in the alcove created by sweeping staircases on either side of them. Clearly they had done this before.

We wandered up to the 2nd and 1st decks to say farewell to Cherbourg. On the top deck the wind was quite blustery and chilly...and there were people setting up for the night there as well. Jolene and I were quite glad that we had a room, with proper beds and a bathroom with a shower! 

Cherbourg has what is believed to be the second largest harbour in the world (second only to the one in Qatar). It was quite impressive to see the massive harbour walls pass. As we hit the English Channel proper and the ship began to pick up speed it became even colder. Again, Jolene and I thanked our lucky stars that we had chosen to take a cabin...and then we thought about the second ferry ride that we would take to leave Ireland. We had no such luxury...we were going to be those people setting up for the night in whatever spot we could find. The only slight consolation was that instead of 17 hours, we would only be on board for 4 hours...not so bad, even though that was just 4 hours of a 24 hour bus extravaganza from Dublin to Paris. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We hung out in our fabulously appointed room until an announcement told us that the restaurant was closing in 20 minutes. We hurried down and there was no one left waiting in the giant queue that had been there only 1 hour prior. We sat right at the front window of the ship and watched the water drift by and the sun setting. Fantastic.

I highly recommend ferry crossings! It was great fun, we slept well and were able to take a shower when we got up so we were fresh to start the next leg of the journey.

----PS I'm having problems uploading photos, but whenever I can I will ------

Finding the Ferry

I left Saint Malo with a bit of a heavy heart, as happens when leaving family. It may have been 30 years since I last saw them, but it was like I had been there all along and there was a sense of belonging that one usually gets with family...or life long friends.

I was on the way to meet one of my oldest friends, Jolene, to catch the ferry to Rosslare, Ireland. We met when we were 12 and I don't think there's anyone that knows me better.

When I got off the train it was 3:20pm. The ferry didn't board until 6:15pm. Loads of time! Jolene and I consulted a nearby map and saw that the port was very nearby - and we could we could see the Celtic Link Ferry just there. Easy. 

We decided to see if we could find a grocery store to pick up some food for the 17 hour journey. Alas it was Sunday and this was France. Nothing but florists were open. Florists...really??

We revised the plan and decided to do a recon mission of the ferry terminal. We were going to check it out and then find a bite to eat. Naturally we walked toward the ferry which was next to a stately building that looked like a classic big train station. This must be the terminal, non? It was a museum with a massive submarine out front. And a huge fence topped with barbed wire between us and the ferry. We asked directions and off we went following the white barbed fence looking for a long low grey building.

Jolene and I haven't seen each other in 7 years so as we walked caught up, laughed and it was like it had only been a week since I had seen her. An hour later we looked at each other and said, "Does this bleeding fence ever end???" Our Ferry was getting smaller and smaller behind us and the white fence continued on and on. The sun was shining, the day was hot and our packs were not getting any lighter.

A kilometer and a half later there was a break in the fence and a pedestrian walkway to a long low grey building. We made it!!!