Well, some people have been curious as to how my trip went,
so here is an off the cuff review of The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This is a short version of the full review,
which I should have up in a few days. I’m having terrible Guinness withdraws, as there is only one pub in my
town, that serves Guinness. I miss pub
hopping, that was my favorite thing to do in Dublin.
Shannon
I would have to suggest that you not use
distance to visit, or even within a couple of miles. I spent a whole day there, when I landed, and
it was boring. Some of the hotel staff
was snooty, but that is just one person, and I did have a much – much better
experience when I came back through that hotel on Monday. There is simply nothing to do there except
sleep and eat. If you are going to land
at Shannon, I suggest that you rent-a-car and go see some of the local sites,
such as The Cliffs of Moher, Adare Village, Lough Derg, and The Burren in
County Clare. You might as well enjoy
the breathtaking views while in the Shannon Region.
Dublin
OK, the first thing to get used to in
you’d best be prepared to do some walking. I walk five miles a day, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for me. Second thing is that pretty much everybody
hates Americans. Yes, you read that
correctly, everybody hates Americans, so the baseball caps and obnoxious
behavior do not go over that well. Another thing is that not to many people are willing to help you, but
that is the same in any big city. Also,
don’t expect to see an Irish majority in
is a cosmopolitan city, with many races and nationalities. A third of the population would have to be
Asian, not that I have a problem with that, it was just a surprise to me. You also have tourist (ME) from
Irish, I could get by without much anti-American bullshit, but that was simply
not the case. They hate us, and they
have the right to hate who ever they wish to hate.
Perhaps they have good reason to hate us Americans, because
of the Bush presidency. However, let no
country forget the sacrifices that Americans made during World War II. My grandfather, which would be 93 if he were
still alive, had two of his fingers blown off by a German Grenade. Now, I did not sacrifice anything, and I’m
certainly not expecting any special treatment, just genuine human respect, that
I give everyone.
If you want to meet people and make friends, go to the Pubs,
even if you don’t drink, you will still have a grand time. I met some interesting mates from
and
of course. I almost got kicked out of
the Temple Bar, because I had one too many pints and a bloke said some
Anti-American rhetoric. Normally, I
would just blow it off and go on, but that night I had had enough anti-American
crap, and I slammed my hand down on the bar, which you don’t do, and said a few
words back to him and left. Don’t get me
wrong, I love
but it took a while to get used to the Anti-American sentiment. I understand why they are mad, to a certain
extent, but I can’t understand why they have to be an arse to me.
Belfast
First, let me say that
friends there and I did meet an enchanting Northern Irish Woman, while in
colorful city. The people are welcoming
and genuinely kind to everyone, even us Americans, which I needed by the time I
got up there. The woman are beautiful, especially
when the sun shines on the city. However, they are beautiful in
all over the country, but they seem more talkative in
Titanic was built. They also offer a
tour to Giants Causeway, which I recommend anybody taking. Three days is more than enough in the
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How was the “flatley”?
You mean the warm stein of Flatley. It waqs grand. I loved it.
The women were awesome too.