The awesomeness of Northern Ireland

After Junior left to Dublin my friend Will arrived from England. Next day we started a road trip and headed up north aiming the Giant's Causeway.

Along the way we checked the Downhill House and the Mussenden Temple ant the cliffs close to the city Castlerock, in the county Londonderry.

"A place of an outstanding beauty"

That is one expects to see in Ireland: a great meadow and sheep.

Such an breathtaking view from the cliffs.

 Now to Bushmills and Giant's Causeway.

Cheers peeps!

In Belfast

Belfast makes a totally different impression from Dublin.

It start with the currency, Northern Ireland (NI) is part of UK and they don't use the Euro, like in the Republic of Ireland.

The city makes also a less traditional impression. Kinda modern, commercial and planed.

The people don't use much of Gaellic in NI as they do in Ireland. One thing is the very same wherever you are on the Island: Irish people are really friendly, real mates, as they normally say.

Some weight seeing spots are the Town Hall, the Queen's Square and the Titanic museum. Pics coming soon.

Now meeting Will and tomorrow heading to the very north of NI. To the Giant's Causeway.

Cheers everyone!

Heading up north to Belfast

Now sitting in the bus and heading up north from Dublin to Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland.

We took the bus in the Dublin Bus Statio (Busáras) close to the Conolly Station in the very centre of Dublin. A single ticket costed 17€ and the journey will take almost 3 hours. There are buses from Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie) leaving every sharp hour every day of week. It makes an obligatory stop at the airport.

Plans for Belfast: sightseeing of course, Titanic museum, and meeting Will an heading further north to the Giant's Causeway. Excitied!

It feels very pleasant to see the green landscape passing by, sun shinning and blue sky.

Oops! Talked too soon. There comes the rain.

Cheers peeps!

Back in Dublin... in an awesome sun shinning day

Landed safe and sound in Dublin and having an amazing sun shinning day.

Met my old bro Junior, made new friends and even got costumised for Halloween. Couldn't be better!

Now off to sightseeing and photographing! Yay!

Lovely afternoon with the sunset from view from the Liffey.

Tomorrow heading to Belfast with bro Junior.

Cheers everyone!

Dublin was great!

Time to leave!

Like always "time passed too fast" and the Easter holidays are over. Loved the young and crazy atmosphere of the town, the "pubs lifestyle" including the Irish music.
I'll definitely miss the beauty of the town and the friendly Irish people. Even the weather meant it good with us.

Cheers everyone!

Irish music in the pub #thisisireland.

The pub lifestyle.

Pubs and the Irish colours are everywhere.

#thisisireland

The Irish colours in the train station.

St. Augustine and St. John Catholic Church.

Delicious Potato soup in the Cafe of the History National Museum.

The place where we stayed, the Abigail's hostel, was ideal. good price, friendly personnel, very central, right at the river Liffey, and a perfect place to get in touch with other travellers. Thumbs up!

Abigail's Hostel reception.

Lounge of the Abigail' Hostel.

Definitely, I'll go back to the land of Molly Malone!

Ireland is rugby: the Aviva Stadium

Once in Ireland one has to try to understand their love for the rugby.
A visit to the brand new Aviva Stadium would help to understand that.

We outside the Aviva Stadium.

How to get there:

With the DART from the Conolly Station (Stáidiun Uí Chonghaile) to the Lansdowne Road Station (Bóthar Lansdún). 3,50 € return ticket.

Aviva Stadium.

The guided tour costs in the stadium costs 10,-€. You can visit the conference rooms, lockers, get informed about the history of the stadium and even step on the pitch.

The pitch.

The pitch.

Aviva Stadium from outside.

One day in Malahide (Mhullach Íde)

With the intention to visit the Malahide castle, we headed early this morning the small town with the same name at the outskirts of Dublin, approx. 18 km.

DART Train living from Dublin.

The trip with the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) the return ticket costed 5,25 and took approx. 30 min. from the Tara Street Station. The most central station where one can take is the Conolly Station. By bus one can reach Malahide with the line 42, which takes around 45 min.

Monastery ruins on the Malahide Castle complex.

The guided tour in the castle costs 12,-& . A park and a huge garden with some greenhouses is also part of the complex.

The Malahide Castle, 800 years in the hands of the family Talbot.

The Malahide Castle viewd from the garden.

Once at the irish coast, in the city Malahide, its worth doing some sightseeing,  eating fish and chips and a walk at the beach. We took the chance.

Walk in the town of Malahide.

The delicious local fish and chips.

And the sea. Such an amazing feeling!

Shore at Malahide.

At the shore at Malahide.

View from Malahide bay.

By the water in Malahide.

The touristic spots in Dublin

The most touristic spots in Dublin are:

The Christ Church Cathedral or, more formally, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

The Christ Church Cathedral.

The Four Courts (1785) at the Liffey River.

The Liffey River.

Statue at the Dublin Castle.

Statue at the Dublin Castle.

The best way of learning a bit about the Trinity College isn't to get a guided tour.
It costs 10€ and includes the entrance to the Old Library, where the Book of Kells can be seen.

Campanile in the Trinity College.

Building of the Trinity complex donated by its most famous student, Bram Stoker.

Old Library in the Trinity College.

Old Library in the Trinity College.

At the Trinity College.

The Statue of Mollie Malone also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City".
"In Dublin's fair city
Where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes
On sweet Mollie Mallone
(..)"

Molly Malone, the Tart with the cart.