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June 2: We departed Dallas for London-Gatwick. Oh man, I really, really hate planes. But hooray for me for finally getting on one! June 3-4: We began our trip in London, where we visited Hamley's toy store and saw Bombay Dreams. Bombay Dreams was fun, but none of the music was of the sort that sticks in your head afterwards. Hamley's was amazing, and anyone who goes to London should definitely go there. In London, we stayed at a Holiday Inn - Kensington, which was very nice. London was way too expensive for my taste though. My boyfriend had warned me that something that costs $5 in America would cost £5 in London, and boy was he was right. June 5: We flew to Belfast where we were met at the airport by my boyfriend and his father. I was still in a jetlagged daze, but seeing my boyfriend was extraordinary as it always is. We went to the B&B in Belfast first - the Warren House. It was a very nice B&B, and the hostess was a lovely lady. The house used to be owned by Delorean when he had his factory nearby. June 6: We spent the day visiting with my boyfriend and his family. Lovely day. We also got to see the woods behind my boyfriend's house, which probably had some of the prettiest scenes we saw while on our trip. We did get to see a few burning cars and IRA signs too. June 7: We filled up our little SUV and headed to Glenariff National Park in the northwest corner of Northern Ireland. Absolutely beautiful. Like a little fairy land. After the park, we drove along the gorgeous coastline to Portrush, stopping at a few ancient castles along the way. In Portrush, we stayed at the Abercorn Guest House, which was a neat, several story high building. On the news that night, there was mention of a pipe bomb found in Belfast, which terrified my sister. I then had to explain the history of the conflict in Northern Ireland to her.
June 8: We filled up the little SUV again and went to the Giant's Causeway, a collection of amazing rock formations and cliffs. The walk down to the rocks is quite pretty; you get to see some more gorgeous coastline. The rocks themselves are very unique, and they are perfect for sitting on and enjoying the ocean view. After the Causeway, we drove for many hours to the town of Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. A lovely little town, and the B&B, the Ardlenagh View, we stayed at was very nice. It was on a hill, so you could see the ocean, a castle in the distance, and a field full of cows surrounding the house.
June 9: A long drive down to Doolin on the coast. It was my idea to go to Doolin. So as my dad braved the scary, tiny, winding roads to get there, passing by huge tour buses and trucks, I got a fair bit of grief about having chosen to go to this distant, obscure little town. To get to Doolin, you have to pass through The Burren, which is, well, pretty barren. I had read travelogues comparing it to the moon, which is quite accurate. I found it really picturesque, but then again I like bizarre, sparse landscapes. Doolin itself is a tiny town, the sort where there are probably more tourists than residents. There are three pubs, which have traditional Irish music every night. I wasn't able to stay awake for the music, but my parents enjoyed it. We took a long walk along the coast, and the Atlantic Ocean was stunning. I think Doolin was one of the prettiest places we saw, and I would recommend going despite the difficult journey to get there. In Doolin, we stayed at the Dubhlinn House Bed and Breakfast, which was very nice.
June 10: Driving south of Doolin, we stopped at the Cliffs of Moher. They were quite impressive. But, there were an awful lot of tourists, and it was really, really, really windy. Then we continued South through several little picturesque towns, then across the Shannon River on a ferry, and then finally to Killarney. My family and my boyfriend and I split up, and my boyfriend and I went by ourselves to the Muckross Stables B&B, while my family went off to the Valleyview Farmhouse.
June 10-14: My boyfriend and I had a very relaxing time at our B&B in Killarney. We were on foot, which made going the three miles to town rather difficult. But town was full of tourists and overly-priced food, so we didn't spend much time there anyway. The Killarney National Park was incredibly beautiful, and we enjoyed seeing the lake, the abbey, and Muckross House. We spent two nights eating at Molly Darcy's Pub, which was decent and close to our B&B. Our B&B was set on a beautiful, lush bit of land, and there were nice sheep, horses, and a very friendly, sweet sheepdog.
June 15-16: We drove from Killarney to some town I've forgotten the name of, where we stayed before heading back to Belfast for a night. On the way to Belfast, we saw Newgrange. It's an amazing, ancient tomb from 3200 BC. I got claustrophobic when I first entered, and then rushed out feeling pretty embarrassed. But the guide convinced me to go back in. It was truly awesome inside. They do a little demonstration where they turn out the lights, and you get to see what the tomb looks like on the Winter Solstice when a little opening above the entrance allows light to fill the tomb. We spent our last night near Gatwick, where we stayed at the Corner House Hotel. It's a house that has been converted into a little hotel, and we stayed in what used to be the garage.
June 17: Hellish trip back to America. General notes on the trip:
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