Tag: Ireland

Hot Whiskey

Hot Whiskey

So when I went to Ireland, I not only fell in love with the country, the scenery and the people, but I also fell in love with a Hot Whiskey or a Hot Toddy as it is also called. And if you haven’t had one 

Ireland, Part 4

Ireland, Part 4

This is the final installment of my Ireland trip. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 for a recap! Day 9: Naiomi and I got up early on Day 9 and headed to Dublin. We dropped off our car at the airport 

Ireland, Part 3: Belfast

Ireland, Part 3: Belfast

For a recap on Ireland Parts 1 & 2, check it out here and here!

Naiomi and I at the Peace Wall.
Naiomi and I at the Peace Wall.

Day 7: After staying up until 6am the night before for New Year’s, it was a little rough waking up and hitting the road at 10am. But with a four hour drive ahead of us, we wanted to make it on the road at a decent hour to make it to Belfast before dark. This was the dreariest drive the whole trip since it rained consistently the whole way. To top it off, by the time we got to our hotel in Belfast, we were exhausted and starving. Not the best combination for the scenario in which we were about to walk into.

The government building across from our hotel.
The government building across from our hotel.
St. Anne's Cathedral
St. Anne’s Cathedral

We booked our hotel in Belfast based on one of our travel books. It also received excellent reviews on Trip Advisor so we thought we would be walking into a cozy, warm hotel. Wrong! First, the area in which the hotel was located was sketch. There was graffiti all over and it had the look of being worn and dirty. Second, our hotel was dirty. The walls were dirty, I didn’t want to sit on the bed and in order to turn the light on for longer than 3 minutes, we needed to place a hotel key in the slot. My cousin best described is a Motel 6 from the 1980s.

Cool building in Belfast.
Cool building in Belfast.

This was the first and only time on the trip when I thought, I want to go home. I’m sure it was a combination of a lack of sleep, a lack of food and the depressing weather, but we needed to get out. After 15 minutes in the room, in which we booked a room at another hotel in the city, we grabbed our bags and left. Since we had already checked in, we needed to pay for the night but we didn’t care. We just wanted to get out! Our next hotel, Ten Square, was great! We checked in, ate dinner and went to bed early. Belfast, was not off to a great start and we were hoping the following day would be much better.

Belfast definitely redeemed itself!

Belfast
Belfast

Day 8: We started the next morning with a tour of the Crumlin Road Jail. A Victorian-era jail that was only just closed in 1996, this jail had an underground tunnel that ran from the jail to the court house across the street. The court house across the street is now dilapidated and falling apart but we were able to go in the tunnel. Erie… This tour was great albeit slightly terrifying!

Crumlin Road Jail. The black & white makes it seem more eerie...
Crumlin Road Jail. The black & white makes it seem more eerie…
The underground tunnel at the jail.
The underground tunnel at the jail.
My mug shot...
My mug shot…

The second tour we took was a Black Taxi Cab Tour. This was probably the highlight of the trip! It was AMAZING! The tour is a cab ride through the Protestant and Catholic sides of the city. Ireland gained it’s independence in the 1920s but the rift between the Protestant and Catholics still exists today. Although there is a period of peace, there is a gate in the city that still closes every night at 10pm between the two sides. This tour also takes you to the famous murals of each side and the memorial gardens. I am not giving this tour justice but it was incredible! The history geek in me really came out and I even bought a book about the troubles to read on the plane.

One of the murals on the Black Taxi Cab Tour.
One of the murals on the Protestant side.
Another mural.
Another mural.
A mural on the Catholic side.
A mural on the Catholic side.
The peace wall in Belfast.
The peace wall in Belfast.
A memorial garden on the Protestant side.
A memorial garden on the Protestant side.

After the tour, we went to the Titanic Museum. The Titanic was built in Belfast and museum goes through the history of the building, the history of Belfast, the timeline of the ship and it’s sinking and it even follows certain passengers throughout the exhibits. The museum was incredibly crowded but it’s an amazing history of the Titanic!

The Titanic Museum
The Titanic Museum
The place where the Titanic was built!
The place where the Titanic was built!

We ended our last night in Belfast having dinner with Naiomi’s cousin and her family that she hasn’t seen in 24 years! At the end of the day, and at the end of the trip, Belfast turned out to be one of the highlights. If you are ever in Ireland, don’t miss out on Belfast!

Wall of murals.
Wall of murals.
Cranes used for Titanic shipbuilding.
Cranes used for Titanic shipbuilding.

Monday is the last installment of my Ireland trip. Check back for pics of Dublin and a trip wrap up!

Sláinte!

-Kelly

 

Ireland, Part 2

Ireland, Part 2

For a recap of Ireland days 1-4, check it out here! Then read parts 3 (Belfast) and 4 (Dublin) next! Day 5: We got up early from Killarney and headed to The Cliffs of Moher, the number one thing on my list to see in 

Ireland, Part 1

Ireland, Part 1

Cheers! I’m baaaack 🙂 Thank you, Steph, for holding down the fort and posting some amazing recipes! I was jealous that I could not make this Jalapeño Popper Dip for New Years. It’s seriously my favorite so if you haven’t done so yet, make it soon!