TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | MAR 2019 37
were amazing, with hand carved wooden doors and bars, and decorative
metal ceiling tiles. It was like walking back in time!
Before the night was over, we decided to leave a little bit of Savannah
humor behind. First, you need to know that before leaving the states, we
made a quick trip to Walmart to spend the best ninety-seven cents ever
spent. Yep... a pack of googly eyes. Sometime after midnight in the heart
of Belfast, no poster, picture, sign, bartender or friend was safe from
the googly-eyed bandits. The last stop of the night was an all-inclusive
nightclub, where we danced till we couldn’t dance anymore!
Day 3
We were up early again, headed to the Giant’s Causeway. We had no
idea what to expect, other than thinking this was a beautiful drive like
the Tybee causeway. Boy, we were in for a treat!
The Giant’s Causeway is a nationally preserved park on the east coast
of Northern Ireland. We took the self-guided tour that included an audio
player that gave us the tales of the legendary giant, Finn MacCool, as
well as the detailed descriptions of how the 40,000 interlocking hexagon
shaped basalt columns formed over 60 million years ago. These volcanic
rock formations are found in other areas of the world, but the Giant’s
Causeway is the most famous place to experience them. We took the
hike that led us up a couple hundred steps to the most breathtaking
views.
Just a few miles away from the causeway was a quick visit to the
Bushmills Distillery, then on to the town of Derry, but not without a
little drama, as we were involved in a side swiped car accident in a
roundabout. Thankfully everyone was ok and our car was still drivable.
It was just a nuisance for our brave driver, Colleen, to deal with. Ten
minutes after the accident report, we were coasting into the town of
Derry. We checked into to the City Hotel, conveniently located within
two blocks of pub central. Carolyn, Baylie and I scouted out the best pub
to accommodate all of our friends while they finished up their dinner.
We settled in on the Brickworks Pub, dancing jigs to an excellent Irish
duo till it was last call and our whole crew stumbled home in the wee
hours of the morning. The next morning we woke up to some scary news
on the TV to find out that at 11pm the night before, there was a car
bomb explosion only 2 blocks from our hotel. The nearby buildings were
evacuated before the explosion and no one was hurt.
Day 4
We were headed to the small town of Enniskillen. This was planned as
a place to stay that was within a couple hours of the airport, as we would
have to wake and hit the road before dawn. Most of our group was worn
out from the nightlife in Derry ... but not me and my sidekick Carolyn!
We both decided that we will never remember sleeping in Ireland ...
let’s push through, finish strong and continue to experience Northern
Ireland! We hiked a mile into town to find a handful of pubs still open,
and once again we closed each one down till we ended up in one that
was reminiscent of the Rock House, and although they did not accept
American dollars or ANY credit cards, they pointed us to the nearest ATM.
We took that as our cue to hike back to our hotel and call it a night at
2:30am.
Only 3 short hours of sleep and we were up and on our way to the
airport back in Dublin, to catch our flight home.
If you are looking to take a trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, here are
a few tips:
Traveling in a group can get you great rates, but you have to be open
and willing to go with the flow.
Take the overnight flight and sleep on the plane.
When renting a car, don’t skip collision insurance.
If renting a car, make sure someone is willing to drive on the left side
of the road. It can be really tricky.
Pick hotels that are in walking distance of the fun stuff and main
attractions you want to see. You can do and see more without spending
money on transportation and parking.
Double up on the caffeine ... experience everything you can and sleep
when you get home.
Use your visa/mc debit and credit cards for purchases, as your bank
will do the exchange for you and you won’t be left with cash from another
country or stuck without a way to pay. Leave your American Express at
home. Most places don’t accept it.
Don’t leave without googly eyes. The laughter will carry on for weeks.
If you are interested in traveling with us on another adventure, then
let Carolyn or me know, because we’re kicking around planning some
group trips of our own!