As I mentioned in the last post, the idea to blog daily was a good thought but in reality it wasn't practical. I will wrap things up with this post, I hope you all have enjoyed the little glimpse into our journey!
We left off from Galway and Kylemore Abbey, from there we traveled to Derry but made a pit stop in Donegal Town to visit the Donegal Castle. This particular castle has ties to the O'Neill surname that is the origin of O'Neal so this stop was particularly neat! Not much of what you see in the pictures is original as much of that structure was destroyed but has been partially rebuilt.
We asked for a lunch recommendation and The Blueberry Tea Room did not disappoint. Quintessential small town cafe is the only way to describe this perfect little lunch spot, from the furnishings to the prompt service it was perfect from start to finish, the food wasn't too shabby either! If ever in the area I highly recommend you stop in for sandwich, scone, or perfect Americano!
From Donegal we headed east for Derry. Upon arrival to our hotel we had our second "Houston we have a problem moment", we got stuck in the parking deck, not literally stuck but traffic jam stuck! We pulled into the deck opening which serves as the entrance and exit, imagine that! We soon realized that the clearance was not enough for the van to pass, while coming to this resolution a line formed behind us from the one way alley waiting to enter the deck. This is one of the instances where the generosity of the Irish people came in handy, not only did they not have a problem with backing out of the deck (they really didn't have a choice) but there were 3 ambulance personnel who were instantly in the street directing traffic to help everyone out and give us space to back out and regroup. It was highly stressful for me but our driver remained calm and collected, or so he says! This picture obviously doesn't depict the whole situation but hopefully you'll get a laugh out of it!
If you're wondering, all the cars in the picture were a result of our misfortune!
Derry was really a stop over point for us, we didn't have any particular things planned for this stop so we used it as a regroup and recharge stop. It is a partially walled city which is now a tourist attraction with lots of history, we walked the wall and took in the sights before a great dinner at a cool little pizza shop and then called it a night!
From Derry we departed for Belfast the next morning! We had a very aggressive itinerary but definitely made the most of our time, we hit two biggies on the drive to Belfast. We visited Dunluce Castle and The Giant's Casueway, both offered more breathtaking views and were a nice break in the monotony of driving!
Time is a valuable commodity and in some stops we simply didn't have enough, Belfast was one of those instances. The Titanic Museum was very content heavy and didn't allow us much time to tour the city but it was definitely one of our "big ticket" items and was packed full of history. I apologize for not taking more pictures but I got caught up in the moment and really didn't think about it.
From Belfast we caught a quick flight to Edinburgh which unbeknownst to me would become my favorite stop on the trip!
The Air BNB in Edinburgh was also my favorite place that we stayed, it was in the city center and had the best view by far!
The majority of our time in Edinburgh was "free time", the only thing we had on our list was the Edinburgh Castle which was by far the best we visited and of course finding someone to watch Alabama Football! The game was quite difficult to find but I finally prevailed and found a Pub that would allow us to reserve a table. The morning of I received an email from the manager that I needed to call him regarding my booking, the news was not good. It turned out they would not be able to show they game but he had already found us another venue, booked us a table, and sent me an email with directions and details. If that alone doesn't make you fall in love with the generosity of the culture there I am not sure what will.
On our first full day in Edinburgh we took a scenic drive to St. Andrews, I checked in on FB and joked that an important golf something takes place there every year and I know that I made at least a few people jealous. I can't deny that it's a beautiful town with picturesque views! We got permission to step onto the course and take pics which was pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie!
We toured St. Andrews Castle and Cathedral
On the way back to the van we just walked around the city and took in the sights. I did take this one picture of the stone paved street that I love, it sums up the trip in a unique way. It's full of history, green, and beautiful in its own way. It's hard to imagine what this one section of street has endured over the years.
The Farmer's Market was such a neat surprise, quaint and obviously full of wonderful finds! We came home with some amazing infused olive oil and some of the best cheese I have ever eaten! I thought we would be able to order it online, but they only ship to the UK, I guess we will have to savor every last curd!
We were luck enough to be there during the weekend which brings this wonderful little downtown market that was separate from the Farmer's Market. Our Air BNB was right on GrassMarket Square which is the location for many festivals and the market I mentioned above.
The Edinburgh Castle was the backdrop we got to view from our balcony during our stay and I couldn't have picked a better view from which to end the trip! The tour of the castle was as grand as you can imagine, what is not pictured is the Crown Jewels which were heavily guarded!
Y'all know we weren't going to miss the kickoff to football season! A huge shout out to Chris for going above and beyond to hook us up!
This was literally the trip of a lifetime, new friendships were formed, memories were made, and it will be cherished forever. I am so thankful that I am afforded the pleasure of traveling, it was an eyeopening adventure into this grand world we inhabit. We did a lot of driving and a lot of walking, 132,534 steps according to Apple Watch which equals roughly 66 miles and every single step was worth it! If offered the opportunity to take such a trip just say "YES" and sort the details out later, I promise you won't be disappointed.
