Marjorie Claire's Emerald Isle Blog: Adventures in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland suits me well

Stevie, Brittany, and I had booked a tour of Giant's Causeway, the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, and Derry that was supposed to leave at 8:30. We woke up at 7:30 so that we could check out and hopefully get some of the free full English breakfast we were promised. The hostel was divided into two apartment buildings which were next to each other, each with multiple bedrooms and one with the front desk. We were in the building without the front desk so at 7:50 we went to the other apartment to check-out. We rang the bell and William did not come to the door. We stood there trying to get in by ringing the bell, knocking, calling William's cell phone, and even yelling through the mail slot for about 20 minutes and then we had to go catch our tour. There were three other women that could not get in either and were going to continue pounding on the door.

My driver's license was in a safe at the front desk but we assumed Willy was in a whiskey induced coma (remember that when we left him he was drinking a new bottle of whiskey alone) and the plan was to just pick up my ID and pay for the room. We walked over to Paddy's Palace Hostel which was only about ten minutes away. I went into the hostel and they told me that the tour was leaving at 9:30, not 8:30, and that the website was wrong. This worked out for us because we were sure that by this time William would have answered the door and I could get my ID and pay for the room.

We walked back to the hostel and no one was waiting outside, a good sign. We rang the doorbell and the three Australian women who were outside answered it, not William. Another guest had let them in and good ol' Whiskey Willy was still nowhere to be found. People were waiting in the lobby and discussing what to do. And what does one do when people are getting anxious and angry? Make breakfast.

I was promised a full Irish breakfast and I was going to get it, even if the chef was nowhere to be found. I went into the kitchen and got to work making toast for the hungry crowd. I made about ten slices of toast and served those along with jam and marmalade to the group of people gathered in the lobby. Brittany then came in the kitchen and we whipped up some scrambled eggs for Stevie and us. Unfortunately we had to get to the tour or you had better believe that I would be taking orders and feeding the masses. Due to shortage of time, toast would have to do.

We got to Paddy's Palace for the second time and got on the minibus for our all-day tour. Our guide was Troy from a small town in Northern Ireland. He, like most the Irish people, enjoyed telling stories and making jokes. Our first stop was the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. The rope bridge is twenty meters high and was used by fishermen to lay nets on another island just off the shore. It cost a steep 4.90 GBP to cross it but we figured that this was a once in a lifetime thing and it was worth it.

The bridge itself was not the scary unless the person behind you was jumping and then I got a little nervous. The rope bridge was interesting but the views with the sunshine on my shoulders was the crown jewel. While we were lounging in the sun we also had a little photo shoot, and I love a good glamour shot.

We headed back to the bus and it was off to the Giant's Causeway, which is a geologic formation that looks like hexagonal stepping stones. When the lava cooled it formed columns and the waves have broken them down to varying heights as you'll see in the pictures.

That is of course the scientific explanation. The Irish explanation involves the giant Finn McCool. Legend goes that Finn heard that there was a beautiful female giant in Scotland. Finn didn't have anyone to love in Ireland and therefore built a path between Ireland and Scotland to meet his lady love. He went over to Scotland and fell in love with Eda and she returned with him to Ireland to live.

Eda was promised to another giant in Scotland who was out fighting the English at the time. When he returned to his town and found that Eda wasn't there he got angry and asked Finn for a duel for Eda's heart. He was a very skilled fighter and Finn would stand no chance against him. Finn told Eda what was going on and she said "Lovey, don't worry I have a plan. First, when he arrives I will tell him that you are out on a run around Ireland and you will be back in ten minutes. That way he will think you are a fit giant. Then I will serve him scones that are really rocks and they will break his teeth. While I am doing this you sneak into the bedroom and put a blanket over yourself and make a noise. I will tell him that this is our baby and then he will think you are a magical giant and will not want to fight you."

The day came for the duel and they began the plan. When the Scottish giant arrived Eda told him that Finn was dong a lap around Ireland and would be back in ten minutes. The Scottish giant thought that Finn must be a very fit giant if he could make it around the island in ten minutes. Next Eda served him the rock-scones and he broke his teeth. Eda said that the scones were prepared just the way "her Finny" liked. Next they heard a noise from the bedroom and Eda said that way their baby. The other giant asked if he could have a look and Eda said sure, but just from the hall because the baby was sleeping. The other giant took one look at the "baby" and ran because if the baby was this big imagine how big Finn was going to be. He ran down Finn's causeway breaking it up as he went and Finn and Eda lived happily ever after.

Now for the pictures!

This is my Celtic princess pose that I bust out when I feel particularly close to my homeland.

After checking out the causeway we went back up to the top of the hill for lunch at a hotel. I got the chicken tenders and garlic chips and they were bland and probably the worst food I have had since being here. I was not a happy camper. My pants were also very wet because I accidentally rolled into a pool of water whilst sunbathing on the causeway and that was causing me slight discomfort.

Our next stop was the town of Derry or Londonderry. If you are protestant you call it Londonderry, if you are Catholic you call it Derry, and if you don't want to show which religion you are you call it Stroke City. Derry is a walled city with 17th century walls surrounding it. There are still conflicts in Derry regarding the Troubles but there is hope that things are getting better. We wandered around the town a little, bought some jewelry from a lady selling it from a stand on the street, and then went to the mall to grab some iced coffee. Of course, once we were in the mall shopping ensued and Brittany and Stevie left Derry with new shoes.

One the way home William, our MIA hostel owner, called us and I was relieved to hear that he was alive. He said our stay at the hostel was on him and that we could swing by any time to pick up my ID. The mystery remained: where was he this morning?

We got back to Belfast and while Stevie went to go get some dinner Brittany and I went to go pick up my ID. As soon as we got there I beelined for the washroom and left Brittany to get the details from Willy. Turns out he wasn't around that morning because he was in jail, do not pass go, do not collect 200 British pounds!

Storytime! So a girl staying at the hostel brought a guy back with her which is a no-no. William kicked them out and she started screaming, which caused the neighbors to call the police. When the police came William (who I am sure was fairly drunk) explained to them what happened and they understood but it is protocol to run someone's name through the system when making a call. When the police ran William's name it showed that he had an unpaid traffic violation and they brought him to the big house until noon the next day. William claims that he paid it and plans on suing the state. I was pretty psyched we got to stay in Belfast for free.

We got to the bus station in time to catch the eight o'clock bus back to Dublin. Stevie got out some more Sterlings (the currency used in Northern Ireland) so we could pay for the bus but then they said that they only use euros which was frustrating. One the bus the guy sitting in front of me (Franklin) told me that it looked like I had Celtic descent. I told him I was an O'Connell and he said that was a very Irish name and urged me to look up Daniel O'Connell, the Emancipator.

Highlights of Belfast: