Belfast and I got off on the wrong foot, perhaps long before someone decided to help themselves to my wallet. I remember my Dad driving my brothers and sisters and I through West Belfast. I was scared. Men holding machines guns through the streets, barbed wire and a great line dividing two neighborhoods and faiths had me spooked. I remember those screeches of “Dad! No!”. My knowledge of “The Troubles” was not that extensive at 13 but I knew the area wasn’t where the tourists went to hang out. Today that has changed. West Belfast is now somewhat of a tourist attraction. You can take taxi Continue Reading
Just One Please
“Are you looking for inspiration?” he said. I nodded as he gave my passport a beating with a green stamp. “Well, good luck.” I wasn’t exactly sure what border control had in mind. Was it a good “good luck” or one more of sarcasm? It quickly didn’t matter as my days in Ireland came and went. After spending a month in the country traveling solo, I am now a firm believer in taking a trip alone, however big or small. While the customs agent was referring to my occupation as a writer, for me, the inspiration I was looking for was not just for my job but also for myself. Solo travel can only make Continue Reading
The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland Wishes You Were Here
Like a game of Tetris gone horribly wrong, in the distance, I can see the rubble. A beast has torn through the landscape. A bomb has gone off and now children are using the remains as their playground of skipping stones. On top of the mismatched pieces of land, tourists stand, propping up their cameras to get the perfect shot of this stretch of land gone wrong. The Giant’s Causeway is Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated on the Causeway Coast. When you first descend on this giant, you too will be mistaken as the ancients were. However this landscape is not man-made Continue Reading
Olfactory Gold in Ireland
I have never been someone with “the nose”. I can’t break down scents to know exactly what types of flowers fill them. I couldn’t tell you one flower from the next. However, I do know when a scent is for me. Our noses are incredibly choosey when it comes to scents. It is perhaps one area of life where you will find those people who never have opinions forming absolute thoughts on certain scents. It either works with the chemistry of your body or it causes a ruffling of the nose. Scents are about as strange and absolute as some landscapes can be. Driving through County Clare, I found myself Continue Reading
Galway, Ireland Wishes You Were Here
Parades and crowds are not my pint of Guinness, you might say. The pushing, the shoving, cameras in your face, drunk men getting right up to your nose saying, “How are YYYOOOOOOUUUUUU doing?” tends to annoy me more than charm me. I arrived in Galway the day before Saint Patrick’s Day. I decided to get my sightseeing in for the day as I knew March 17th would be the day for people watching. Instantly I was charmed by Galway and its small town feel. It doesn’t overwhelm you like a big city, but it is also incredibly lively. It could be due to the fact that it is a major university town. You Continue Reading
Blarney, Ireland Wishes You Were Here
I was somewhat apprehensive to head to the Blarney Castle in Blarney, just north of Cork. In case you have been living under a rock, or stone rather, Blarney is known for its castle and probably the most loved piece of stone in the world for all of the kisses it receives, the Blarney Stone. On top of the 15th century Blarney Castle, you will find that famous stone. If you kiss it, you supposedly will receive the gift of gab, the present of eloquent nonsense. Elizabeth I, out of frustration and annoyance, supposedly coined the term blarney over Lord Blarney’s ability to chatter endlessly Continue Reading
The Irish Spirit at Number 31 in Dublin
“You have arrived at your destination”, my GPS Susan keeps uttering. However, I would miss the only number I was looking for, 31 to be exact. I continued down my first “Irish lane” experience, where a wall sits dangerously close to your left and cars cram in on the right. You have nowhere to go but straight until you meet the regrettable dead-end. At the end of my dead-end were two saviors. Jesus doesn’t wear simple clothing. In Dublin, he wears a nice suit. Two gentlemen in suits kindly help me out of my pickle of a first driving experience in Ireland. Fresh off the boat, I know I probably Continue Reading