Firenze 2006-2007

Ireland Trip

The day after I got into Florence, I headed out to Ireland. I just couldn’t get enough travel so I decided to kinda retrace my steps and fly about 1500 miles back to the states. Before leaving Florence, I bought a Carta Verde- green card (not like those in the states but a discount card for rail tickets), and then I was off to Pisa as I was to leave from there later that day.
(Me about to leave the villa)
After the hour or so train ride that I’ve taken many times I was in Pisa Because I had several hours before I needed to be at the airport to check in, I decided to take my traditional hour and a half tour of the city. I have thought for a long time that Pisa is overrated, and this trip reconfirmed that. I walked into the city center which took about fifteen minutes, spend an hour or so looking around there at the leaning tour, duomo and baptistery before eating a quick lunch and heading back to the station to get the train to the airport.
(The Duomo and Leaning tower of Pisa)
After checking in and waiting for a bit, I was on the plane to Ireland. A short flight later, I was on the ground in Dublin and headed to the city center on a bus. The bus dropped my off at Connelly street, and from there the hostel’s directions advised me to take a bus to the hostel, but I decided to walk. After eating dinner I headed off looking for my hostel. I had a map but didn’t really use it. I went north on Connelly street and at the head of the street, I decided to stop in a pub to ask directions. This would be a common occurrence during my trip. I frequently stopped into pubs to ask for directions and to have a pint. After having a beer and obtaining directions, I went back in the opposite direction and walked for about 45 minutes, asking directions several times before finally finding the hostel. It turns out that had I gone the right way, I would not have had to turn at all, just follow a pretty twisted street a very long way. I checked into the hostel and freshened up a bit and then went back out to another pub and to use the internet for a minute. After that I returned to the hostel to head to bed.
(The St. James' Gate Brewery)
I woke up at about 9 the next morning, had a quick breakfast of toast and coffee in the hostel and then walked right around the corner, literally to the Guinness Storehouse. I was there when it opened at 9:30 like I had planned because I thought it would be very crowded later in the day. I paid my entry fee, got a souvenir and a token to exchange for my pint and was off exploring the museum. I learned all about the ingredients, the process and the history of the stout and about how it was marketed and sold world wide. After going through about 6 floors of various exhibits, I made it to the top of the plant and to the bar. I exchanged my token for a pint and enjoyed it while taking in the view of the city from above. The bar at the top of the storehouse is surrounded in windows so there is a full view of the city. I even saw a rainbow from there, a real Irish rainbow, and I got my picture taken, at the Guinness storehouse, with a pint, with a rainbow in the background. It was pretty cool.
(Me with the pint of Guinness at the Storehoure bar, with Dublin in the background, and a faintly visibly rainbow in the upperlefthand corner)
From the storehouse, I walked back into town, had lunch near the river and then was off to Trinity College to see the grounds and the Book of Kells. I got lost along the way, so I stopped by another pub, had a beer and talked to the bartender a bit and was on my way with directions and advice on what to see. I saw the Book of Kells which was pretty impressive and saw all the history associated with it in the exhibits and then headed out onto the grounds. After walking around the grounds for a bit, I headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral which was only a short way away. I paused in the grounds outside the church for a break and then had a look around. After that, I went to the banks of the Liffey river and walked down the river bank to the port of Dublin to have a look around. After returning from the excursion, I stopped for dinner at a Subway, for a somewhat healthy meal, stopped by the famous Temple bar for a pint, and then went to the hostel.
(St. Patrick's Cathedral)
After resting for a bit at the hostel, I went to the pub nearby to see the Euro ‘08 qualifier between Ireland and Germany. I watched the match between the favorite Germany and Ireland in the pub with about 100 locals who were passionate about every second of the game. Ireland played very well, but lost 1-0 which was a respectable, and not unexpected result for the Irish. The fans at the pub seemed happy enough about the game, and after talking football with a guy sitting near me, I went back to the hostel and went to bed.
The next day was when I had planned to make my trip up to Belfast, but the train I wanted to catch was due to leave at about 14:30, so I had all morning and a bit of the afternoon to look around Dublin. I went to Dublin Castle first and had a look around there, didn’t get to go inside anything as it was Sunday and most everything was closed at this point in the morning. From there I decided to head to St. Stephen’s greens, a pretty large park. I walked around there a bit, saw the various statues, including those of Art Guinness and James Joyce, and was about to sit down to relax for a bit, it started to rain. I thought at this point that it was time for me to get lunch and head to the station cause both would be sheltered, so that’s what I did. I ate, and bought my ticket and then waited in the station for a bit to catch the train up to Belfast. The train was much nicer that those in Italy, but the ticket price reflected that added luxury. I enjoyed the scenery that included the coastline and traditional Irish hills and green pastures during the two and a half hour train ride. I got to Belfast mid afternoon and walked from the station in the general direction of the city center and my hostel. I had a quick look around the city center and then went to the hostel. This hostel was much nicer than the one I stayed in while I was in Dublin. I went to my room and saw that I was the only one in there at the moment so I paused and freshened up before heading back out.
(Queen's University)
I walked a short ways to Queen’s University and saw the grounds there and after looking at all that I could before the sun went down, I had dinner at a pub while listening to some Irish music before heading back to the hostel and bed.
The next morning I went on a semi organized tour to the Causeway Coast. The bus left the hostel at about 10 and headed north along the coast through Larne, stopping for the first time at one of the nine Glens of Northen Ireland. We stopped at Carnlough, a tiny port town with little more than a harbor and several houses. After taking in the town for a few minutes, the bus was off to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. This bridge is a fairly wobbly rope bridge of about 15 meters that connects the main land of Ireland to a small island that salmon fishers use for their work. The bridge hangs over a 80 foot drop off, and sways both with the wind, and then even more so as people walk across it. It was a lot of fun and I got to see some amazing scenery along the mile or so walk from the parking lot to the bridge. We could even see a bit of Scotland from the coast up there
(Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge)
(Another pic of the bridge)
From there, we went to the small town of Bushmills for lunch. Some of you may know that this is the town where Bushmills’ Irish Whiskey is brewed, and the tiny town does indeed house the oldest whiskey distillery in Europe, if not the world. I briefly saw the distillery before going to a pub and having lunch there. After that, it was off to the highlight of the tour, the Giant’s Causeway. Legend has it that an Irish giant named Finn MacCool built the causeway to get to his lover on an island off the coast of Scotland, but it was probably just created by volcanic activity as most geologists believe. Anyway, the causeway is a geological formation of thousands of hexagonal shaped rocks that for something like a peninsula out into the ocean for 200 feet or so. It was really amazing to walk all around the place and see the thousands of rocks and how each are placed together almost like a puzzle. It was fascinating, and after spending quite some time there, I walked further down the path to some view points and then finally, I hiked up the cliff to see the view of the causeway from above
(Giant's Causeway)
(Me at the Causeway)
We left there in the late afternoon and then headed to Dunluce castle, an ancient looking castle on the coast. I don’t really know how old it is, but it looks as if parts of it have fallen into the ocean. It started to rain as we arrived so the visit there which was only due to be about 15 minutes turned into a quick photo opt and then we were on our way back to Belfast. The tour was an amazing, but kinda expensive way to see a lot of the northern coast, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see that area. Once back in Belfast, I got some dinner and then went to the hostel and immediately went to bed.

(Dunluce Castle)
The next day was my day to explore Belfast. It was supposed to rain all day, so I was surprised to see that it was clear when I woke up. Not knowing how long the semi-clear looking skies would hold up, I decided to head up to Shankill road to see all the monuments and historical murals there. I walked all up and down the road and saw a ton of the murals and noticed all the historical monuments there. After taking pictures there, I headed back to the city center and ate lunch quickly before heading off to St. Anne’s cathedral. I toured the cathedral which was a cross between a church and war memorial to the Irish.
(Signs on Shankill Road)
(Another Mural on Shankill Road)
From there, I walked down the main road in Belfast and looked through the Castle Place mall there briefly. From there I went to the Belfast city hall which was celebrating it’s centennial anniversary this year, so I looked around the grounds and then the exhibition on it’s history before heading to the Belfast Opera house which was undergoing serious renovations to the facade. From there, I saw the Europa hotel which is the most frequently bombed hotel in Europe. I left there pretty quickly and went by the Crown bar, a gorgeous bar that is built entirely of marble in many different colors. After that, I headed back to Queen’s University and saw the botanical gardens there which had closed by the time I got there the other day. After walking around there I went to the University’s Ulster museum which turned out to be something like a natural history museum. There was an exhibition of dinosaurs, geology, animals or Ireland, and mummies, but then there were also exhibitions on Irish art, and Irish participation in wars throughout history. From there, I didn’t really know what to do, so I went to a pub and watched some horse racing there. From there, I went back in the direction of the hostel and decided to go for a walk along the river. I saw the enormous cranes that build ships in the harbor, the same harbor that built the Titanic. On the way back, I saw a movie theater and went to see a movie in English, something that is going to be a rarity in the upcoming months. I saw You, Me, and Dupree as it was the only thing on there that I hadn’t already seen. From there, I went back to the hostel to spend my final night in Ireland.
(Belfast City Hall)
The next morning, I took my time getting ready and then headed out for one last walk through the city center of Belfast before heading to the rail station. I took the train back down to Dublin and got off and immediately went to the boardwalk of the river for lunch. From there it was off to a pub for my last pint in Ireland. After that it was off to the airport and then back to Pisa. The flight was delayed a bit, but that was ok as I knew I was going to have to wait for some time once I got to Pisa for my bus back into Florence. The flight passed without incident, and I made it back to the villa at about 2am. After that it was onto bed and now I’m just here today with the two other students that have already arrived waiting for the main group to get in later today.
In review, I’m really glad that I came early to see Ireland. I had an amazing time there, but it was tough, especially the first day and last day being alone. Traveling alone wore me out, as did carrying around my 12 pound backpack everywhere. It didn’t seem like much during the morning hours but as the day wore on, it got heavier and heavier. I was also worn out because of all the walking I did. I figure I walked an average of 10 miles a day there, and carrying the backpack made it seem that much longer. I’m glad to be back in Florence but also very happy that I made the trip. It’s lunch time here so I’m going to go, but there will be more later as the year officially starts today.

posted by Daniel Williams @ 03:59