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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Visit Passage Tombs co. Meath Ireland

Visit Passage Tombs co. Meath Ireland

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

CORK AND BLARNEY

Our journey to Cork started at 6:50 when we met on the cosy bus. Our driver Joey amused us all the time with Irish songs, stories and different comments. Maybe a leprechaun was tickling him all the time?

After a short coffee break we stopped at The Rock of Cashel where we had 40 minutes to discover it. It is really breathtaking building, where you can see St. Patrick's cross, Hall of Vicars, Cormac’s chapel, Celtic Cathedral and the round tower.

At 12:30 we came to Blarney castle which is surrounded with beautiful gardens. Castle is very big and it gives you good opportunity to discover it. It has many rooms and of course famous stone. I kissed it and received Gift of the Gab. I also didn't forget about the caves under it. After 1hour and 40 minutes we went to Cork.

In Cork we spent an hour and a half. I visited The English Market where I bought something to eat and went to Saint Finbar's Gothic Cathedral. I decided to enter although I don't like to pay entrance fee for churches. I wanted to visit also St. Anne's Church but I didn't have time anymore. I'll visit it next time. It's good to leave a reason to come back again.

                                     

It was 7pm and we came back in Dublin - right on time. I'll remember this day for the castles and singing Joey :)  www.irishdaytours.ie

BELFAST

At 8am, not so early in the morning, we met on the bus for Belfast. Around two hours later we came in Belfast where we stopped to see "The Peace Wall". We made some nice pictures of graffiti where each tells its own story. Of course we had to sign our own name on it as well. Then we continued our way to the Republican Museum. After all the stories we heard on the way to Belfast this was the strongest one, because we could also see prison artefacts and prisoner’s handy craft.

We went to visit Harland and Wolf shipyard where is also the museum dedicated to famous Titanic. Then we had an hour and a half to visit city centre, City Hall and Belfast Christmas Market where we could see and buy various things.

Our next stop was Downpatrick where we visited St. Patrick's grave, Down Cathedral and Saint Patrick Centre where we saw a short film about his life. We stopped also in Dundrum, where an amazing Norman Castle from 13th century is located. We climbed on its tower and enjoyed the really great view.

Last stop was at The Mourne Mountains where our guide showed us gravity hill, which is a very perplexing thing to see.

Tired from a long and interesting day we came back at 7pm, where we all went our own direction.

www.irishdaytours.ie

GIANT’S CAUSEWAY

This tour started already at 6:30 am, so we all came still quite sleepy. Our driver introduced himself and told us the itinerary for the day. After a long drive we came in Northern-  Ireland, where we had our first coffee break.

 Next stop was at Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which was unfortunately closed because of too strong wind. We decided to go to take a look at it anyway and we didn’t regret it. The bridge is magnificent. I still wanted to go over it, even though the wind was too strong!

Then we finally arrived to Giant’s Causeway, where I spent all the time we had to take pictures. I know that nature is amazing, but it still amazes me.

On the way to Belfast we had a quick stop at Dunluce Castle for pictures. When we arrived we had an hour to explore Belfast city. Most of us visited Belfast Christmas Market and tried out some goodies.

After two hours of driving we came back in Dublin at 7:45 pm. A trip was amazing, even though it was a long day with strong wind. I would say this is one of the “must see” tours.

CELTIC TOUR BLOG: Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, Loughcrew tombs, Drogheda

After a nice chilly bike ride from Clontarf we arrived at St. Andrews church a bit before 8 am. Our tour guide Jim welcomed us and shortly there-after we departed from Dublin for our first stop at the Hill of Tara, where the Irish High Kings have had their ritual gatherings. Just next to the place one can see a tree with decorations which point out a still living superstition among the Irish people, called a fairy tree.

At Trim Castle we got to know that cleaning your masters ass after… wasn’t hardest job in medieval times. Our tour guide at the castle welcomed us in the full metal jacket of a medieval soldier!  Only his chain mail weighs 22 kg already!

From the site of the ancient passage tombs of Loughcrew we have enjoyed a beautiful view on abandoned potato fields which lied on neighbouring hills.

On the way to Drogheda we stopped at Slane Castle for a picture. Within the castle there is a place where since the early 80’s famous rock concerts are being held. 

Our last stop was Drogheda where we got to know more about Oliver Plunkett and the infamous Crommwell’s Irish campaign of 1649.

It was a short day out, but full of historical sites. 

Cork-Blarney-Cashel Tour

This past weekend I went on a tour with Extreme Ireland to Cork, Blarney & Cashel. Instead of going during the week like I will be in the upcoming months, I took this trip with my group. Usually we go in the order that the title states but because of a cruise ship coming in, we switched things up a bit to have less traffic.

First, we went to Blarney Castle to enjoy the view and kiss the Blarney Stone. In Ireland, it is rumoured that if you kiss the Blarney Stone you will be given the gift of gab! Anyone who knows me is already certain I have the gift, but it couldn’t hurt to try, right? Besides, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that I wouldn’t pass up! We got to wander through the castle and up the very small staircase to get to the stone, so we made sure to make use of the time by taking lots of pictures of the surrounding landscape. After finally kissing the stone and getting my picture taken, we exited the building and went to the gardens to see all of the pretty flowers. In this garden, they also had several dangerous plants, but we were careful to stay away. All in all, we stayed at Blarney Castle for about two hours and it was a wonderful experience 

                

Next up was Cork! We stayed there for a couple hours and had lunch at the lovely English Market. For those of you who are not familiar with the English Market, it is a lovely airy market. There are several stalls throughout the old building with different delicacies and wonderful foods. At the top, there is a little cafe, which is where we had lunch. Even though the food was quite simple, it was absolutely divine and refuelled us for the next leg of our journey.

Our last stop of the day included a visit to the Rock of Cashel, or St. Patrick’s Rock. It is said that St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave and the rock landed in Cashel. The cathedral, chapel, and high crosses there were absolutely lovely and we enjoyed the short time we were there. The weather was not as agreeable though so we were glad to be on our way home and back to the city centre. We had a wonderful day with Extreme Ireland and absolutely loved our driver!

         

Belfast Tour

This past Thursday I visited Belfast with Extreme Ireland. That’s right. Instead of going to our office, which by the way is next to the Guinness Storehouse, I got to go on one of our trips through Ireland. I get to take pictures and wander around these wonderful places we visit and I get to call it work.

First we travelled to Belfast City and drove through some of the city to see The Peace Wall, which shows the famous murals, and learn more about the history and rift between the two sides. We also went to the Republican Museum and learned about the struggles and people involved throughout Belfast’s history. After, we drove through the city and saw the birth of The Titanic, the “unsinkable” ship, which is located in the Belfast dockyards, had lunch in the city, and had some time to meander through the pretty streets. It was an interesting city and I loved learning more it.

      

                         

Next we visited Downpatrick, which is the burial grounds of St. Patrick. In the old days, people used to take a handful of dirt from his grave when they were moving to America because they thought it would bring them luck. But after a while, so much of what covered him disappeared, they had to put a rock on top and add a tombstone. We also went to the Downpatrick Visitors’ Centre, which is the only visitors centre that is open year-round.

                         

After leaving Downpatrick, we travelled along the Mourn Mountains and visited the beautiful Dundrum Castle. The views were gorgeous and it was surreal to imagine how the people used to live back then. I’m not sure I could handle it! We had wonderful weather when travelling to several of the places on our tour and  it was tons of fun to learn about the history of each special place we visited. I would definitely go back!