Friday 25 April 2014

Giant's Causeway - NEW DISCOVERIES

Now we're off to Northern Ireland because the daytour Giant's Causeway takes you there.


Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is located top on Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede.
From where the bus dropped us off to where the bridge is located, it is about 1 km to go. It was not the easiest 1 km I have done in my life because it was very windy that day which made ​​it a little harder.
I wondered why everyone went so slowly and held so tightly to the rope as they walked across the bridge because I thought it looked a little wimp out. But I understood them then when it was my turn to go over the bridge. Because it was so openly at the bridge winds were even stronger there. So I had to hold the ropes too. It was fun to try to walk across a rope bridge that had rushing water below, it was a cool feeling and I do not think I will do something similar again.


After the rope bridge we went to see the rock face known as the Giant's Causeway. There we also walk a little bit to see it and I like to walk so for me it was no problem. But there was also a bus you could get there if you wanted. When I arrived I could not understand that nature has made it because the contours looked unreal out of the rock face. That is fascinating.


On the way back to Dublin, we stayed 1 hour in Belfast to go around and check out a bit.


Thursday 24 April 2014

Connemara - BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT

Today's daytour was to Connemara. The only thing I already knew was that horse breed Connemara comes from there.
When we went in Connemara, they had the magnificent mountains on either side of us. I think it was mostly those who stood out during the tour. It was a very beautiful environment.


The first stop was at Kylemore Abbey. There was a castle that lay in the middle of Connemara. This castle was next to a small lake, which made ​​it look like a fairy tale.


Later we stopped to go for a ride in a fjord. There are a total of two fjords in Ireland. There on the spot waited a boat that would tell you more about the place and, among other things, it was a very good place for mussel farming. So in the water we saw ranks of buoys that thus was the mussel farms.


A little before we met up with the boat, it was a tree that had lots of things on it. Everything from shoes to stuffed animals. People have chosen to hang them in the tree for someone close to them who exepel is sick. By hanging up something that belongs to the sufferer, it should hopefully give him or her strength to get well again.


The last stop was in the town of Galway. We were given 1 hour to walk around and check and I felt during that time that if I go back to Ireland then I'll discover more of Galway because it was a nice town with pavement cafes and small shops along the small streets. The city is right next to the ocean so you can easily take a turn at the water and enjoy the fresh sea air. It is not unusual that there are some festivals and markets there, which I think is fun.


Friday 11 April 2014

Cork and Blarney - BEAUTIFUL DAY

My second daytour was to Cork and Blarney. It is the same meeting place for all who are going off on a daytour with Extreme Ireland. Clock 06:50, we left Dublin behind us and the first attraction was The Rock of Cashel.

We stop in the small village of Cashel, there The Rock of Cashel is located in. The medieval monastery perched high on a hill. The view when you stood at the grave stones of the monastery's north side was incredible. The gravesite was much like a movie, the crows flew around the monastery all the time and sat on both the gravestones and the building, the only thing that was missing was just a bit of darkness and fog.
We got to go in and see what it looked like inside the convent and it was like a mini museum. They had taken care of old stuff so you could see how they lived in the past and even ancient famous works.


The next stop was at Blarney Castle. It is a medieval castle set inside a park. The castle is among others known for The Blarney Stone as according to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). It was really cool to walk around inside the castle and see how it looked. And there were also underground passages that you could crawl into, which was weird and funny at the same time. It was not just the castle that was very nice, but the park was incredibly beautiful. We got 1 hour and 45 minutes there but I had really been able to walk around there in the park all day long.






Last stop was the city of Cork. There we had 2 hours to walk around and check out what the city had to offer in cafes and shops. Cork is one of Ireland's largest cities.

A overall summary of this tour is that I'm very happy and satisfied. The driver might have been able to be a little more entertaining but the places we visited I really liked a lot. Especially Blarney Castle.

Thursday 10 April 2014

Cliffs Of Moher - A GREAT DAY OUT

Now it is time for my first daytour and I feel the urge in my body to get going on an adventure. Since it is the first trip for me and when you should do something you have not done before, I always feel those butterflies in my stomach.

When I arrive at the location there the buses go from in the morning, it was not hard to find what bus you would go with because there were people in the place that helped you with that. Since the Cliffs of Moher are one of the most popular tours that go, it did not take long before the bus was filled. Wayne was our driver and guide that was noticed early that he was the kind of man who has the energy from head to toe, even during long days. His mouth was moving more than it was still and some might think it can be a hassle, but he was a real clown so you could not help liking him. That he combined jokes and facts made ​​the whole tour more instructive at the same time as it was entertaining.

On this daytour you are away for about 12 hours and 30 minutes, and of course you have to make more than one restroom visit during this time so they were very good with making sure that it was some stop along the way. It is not just the Cliffs of Moher you gets to see. In the meantime you are on the bus tells Wayne things about the places we went by and then there was also some brief photo stop and some little longer stops when for example, we ate at a pub.

But of course it was the Cliffs of Moher that was the coolest thing to see on this trip, it was after all the main goal. We stayed there for 1 hour and 30 minutes but I would really liked to stay a little longer because the paths on the mountains are long and I wanted to see as much as possible while I wanted to enjoy the magnificent scenery in peace and quiet. If you get the chance to take this kind of tour, I recommend it highly because it's a cool feeling to check on something as unique as nature itself has created.




When it was time to leave Cliffs of Moher was the next stop in the village of Doolin, where we would eat.
After that we saw The Burren which is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe.



Last stop for photography was Corcomroe Abbey which is an early 13th-century Cistercian monastery.



A overall summary of this tour, I will say that I am very satisfied.

Friday 10 January 2014

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

St. Patrick is one of the best known people in Ireland. There's a lot of churches and cathedrals dedicated to him. Also in Dublin and that's the one we wanted to visit - St. Patrick's Cathedral.
I came with my friend Tomaz. We waited for one more friend from Extreme Ireland, Dewald. When we entered the Cathedral we were nicely accepted by our guide Shaun. He's very friendly and very educated and informed about the Cathedral. Of course he told us about the history of cathedral first and then he took us around. He explained the history of each interesting artefact and it's history behind. We could see that he really enjoys in his work. He was explaining with such an enthusiasm that was fun to listening him. One of the funniest stories was about Jonathan Swift who was a dean in this cathedral. He wrote a book "A sermon upon sleeping in Church" and you can imagine to whom was it dedicated to.
He also showed us his grave and after that were accepted by the person who took us to the cathedral tower. We felt really important because lots of people don't have a chance to go there. We were walking in narrow corridors where Jonathan Swift used to walk. We saw all the places under the roof and finally also the tower, from where you have a great view to all the city.
I would like to thank Shaun for a great guiding. St. Patrick's Cathedral is one you have to visit.

Andrej

Friday 13 December 2013

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

St. Patrick is one of the best known people in Ireland. There's a lot of churches and cathedrals dedicated to him. Also in Dublin and that's the one we wanted to visit - St. Patrick's Cathedral.

I came with my friend Tomaz. We waited for one more friend from Extreme Ireland, Dewald. When we entered the Cathedral we were nicely accepted by our guide Shaun. He's very friendly and very educated and informed about the Cathedral. Of course he told us about the history of cathedral first and then he took us around. He explained the history of each interesting artefact and it's history behind. We could see that he really enjoys in his work. He was explaining with such an enthusiasm that was fun to listening him. One of the funniest stories was about Jonathan Swift who was a dean in this cathedral. He wrote a book "A sermon upon sleeping in Church" and you can imagine to whom was it dedicated to.

He also showed us his grave and after that were accepted by the person who took us to the cathedral tower. We felt really important because lots of people don't have a chance to go there. We were walking in narrow corridors where Jonathan Swift used to walk. We saw all the places under the roof and finally also the tower, from where you have a great view to all the city.

I would like to thank Shaun for a great guiding. St. Patrick's Cathedral is one you have to visit.


Andrej