Day 9: Northern Ireland + Giant's Causeway

Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7  |  Day 8  |  Day 9
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On Friday, we booked another Paddywagon bus tour up to Northern Ireland. I had never been to Northern Ireland before, so now I can officially say I've been to every country in the British Isles! Our bus driver Paul was a pleasant Irish gentleman who, as we learned, has been to Charlotte and has friends who live in the Ballantyne area. Such a small world!

Anywho, we journeyed up from Dublin into Northern Ireland. Stop #1 was the Dark Hedges - aka the famous Kingsroad in Game of Thrones. Traveling up to the northern-most tip of the country, we then stopped at the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge and paid the £10 to walk across it. Heights don't usually phase me too much, but it was nerve wracking to walk across a rope bridge that bounced up and down, swung side to side, and could supposedly only support the weight of 8 people at a time 🙃

The highlight of the tour was the Giant's Causeway, which is this collection of geometric, hexagonal, naturally-formed rocks that are stacked together like puzzle pieces. It was surreal. Scientists say it was formed by flows of lava from ancient volcanos cooling as they contacted the sea. I prefer to believe the legend of the giant Finn McCool. We walked along the lower beach coastline, up the mountain, and looped back along the higher cliff pathway. Our last stop was in Belfast city center for an hour. We wandered the streets and visited their awesomely-designed mall, Victoria Square, before heading back to Dublin.

The next morning, we took the shuttle bus to the airport, made it through about 2 hours of security check points, and flew back home from Dublin - New York - Charlotte.

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So that just about covers the great McLendon expedition! This was the best adventure ever. I'm so grateful Steven and I could experience it together. We had surprisingly great weather, explored castles, witnessed breathtaking scenery, and experienced things that will only happen once in a lifetime (for us, at least). 10/10 would recommend you visit if you ever get a chance. Thanks for following along, friends. And until next time... have a wee pint for me :)

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Travel tips: 

• Ireland ≠ Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland is part of the UK and uses the pound sterling; Ireland is NOT part of the UK and uses the euro. For now, you don't need a passport to travel between the two countries, and there is no physical wall between the two (at least, not anymore). However, the border between Northern Ireland & Ireland is a major point of contention in the Brexit plans. In a few months, after the UK leaves the EU, traveling between the two countries may require a visa or a passport checkpoint. If you plan to travel there soon, keep an eye on the news and make sure you have what you need.
• Just Google it: Planning, researching, and booking a trip like this takes time. We didn't use a travel agent. I felt comfortable doing everything on our own because I had lived overseas before, and had a decent idea of how things worked in the UK. Check prices on hotels and flights every day because they change so frequently. If you don't know something, just Google it or email customer service. You can do this!

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway - these wild stones are 100% naturally formed

Hiking along the upper cliffs of the Giant's Causeway

How is this real life?

Steven's panorama skillz make me feel like an adventurer

Day 8: Travel Day

Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7  |  Day 8  |  Day 9

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Thursday was mostly uneventful. We checked out of our Edinburgh hotel in the morning and spent a few hours wandering around before our 7:30pm flight back to Dublin. To fill the time, we visited the National Museum of Scotland (where our New Year's Eve dinner reservations were). This time the museum was open and we had a chance to walk around. I remembered from last time it was one of the best museums I had ever visited - and I was once again reminded of why! They had exhibitions from art to science to natural history to and everything in between. So many interactive exhibits for kids and adults alike. My college degree is in art management, so I can understand and appreciate the time and effort it takes to put together a museum of such a high caliber.

We ate lunch at Nando's, which I frequently visited while in England. They're most known for their spicy chicken and corn on the cob. Nando's was right next to Greyfriar's Kirk too - a graveyard that inspired many of JK Rowling's character names in the Harry Potter series. The graves of Thomas Riddle and William McGonnagal were surrounded with tour groups of Potterheads with their wands and scarves and robes.

It finally came time to head to the Edinburgh airport. We hopped across the pond back to Dublin, walked to our hotel next to the airport, and crashed for the night.

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Dublin accommodations: 

Maldron Hotel, Dublin Airport
2 nights

About a 10 minute walk from the airport + free shuttle services to both terminals. Convenient to stay for a night or two when you're flying in/out of Dublin, but not a great option if you plan to stay longer; it's about a 30 minute bus ride to the city center. Fancy lobby area and a tad pricey restaurant/bar. The rooms were fine and had everything you'd need. Hairdryer was already in the room, unlike having to borrow one from reception at the previous two Travelodge hotels. We booked a queen room but were given two twin beds instead - but we rolled them together and had a sleepover.

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Travel tips: 

• Presence > pics: Photos help us remember and re-live past experiences. But, sometimes it's best to put the camera down and be present in the moment. DO snap the pic to freeze the moment in time. Then, put your phone back in your pocket, and take in what's happening around you. Make an effort to look up, down, and all around at your surroundings. If you don't, you may miss out on something amazing that's happening just outside your camera frame. 
• Snacks on snacks on snacks: When traveling, you don't always have time to sit down at a restaurant at your usual meal times. That's why we ate our weight in Clif bars on this trip. Thankfully, there are no TSA regulations for the amount of snacks you can bring on a plane. So fill up your backpack, jacket pockets, and suitcase with energy or protein bars to eat on the go - you'll be glad you did! 

National Museum of Scotland 😍

The grave of Tom Riddle

Royal Mile - until next time, Edinburgh 💖

Day 7: Scottish Highlands + Loch Ness

Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7  |  Day 8  |  Day 9

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Today's bus tour with the Hairy Coo bus company around the Scottish Highlands and Look Ness was lovely. We saw some highland cows (or "hairy coos" as our driver called them) and highland ponies on the way up.

Our driver Graham was a funny, crazy, yet informative Scottish man who kept the ride interesting. One of our first pit stops was Doune Castle, where they filmed pretty much every castle scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I was over the moon, even though it was closed and we were only there for about 5 minutes.

We then made our way up the Scottish Highlands. Years ago, when I did the highlands bus tour, I told myself that's where I wanted to live if I could retire anywhere in the world. And today I was reminded why. Gorgeous, rugged mountainscapes and lakes (or "lochs") everywhere you turn. I felt my heart ache a bit when we turned the corner into Glencoe - one of the most breathtaking areas of the highlands. No pictures can do it justice. In a weird way, it felt like I was coming home. We had pretty good weather too - partly to mostly cloudy, but not a drop of rain. It was quite cold though, dropping down to the 20's. Plenty of frost on the ground and a bit of snow on the mountaintops.

We then arrived at Loch Ness and took a boat tour around the lake. No Nessie sightings this time, but I still believe (See my blog post from last time if you don't believe).

By the time we left Loch Ness at 3:45pm, it was getting dark again. A couple of short pit stops at the Commando Memorial & in Pitlochery later, we were back in Edinburgh by 8pm.

Tomorrow we'll have a few more hours to kill in the city before our flight back to Dublin. The trip is winding down & we'll be back home soon!

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Travel tips: 

• Souvenir clothing: This is a sheer personal opinion, but I don't buy touristy shirts with big, "GUINNESS STOREHOUSE" or "I HEART NY" or "VISIT EDINBURGH" writing across the chest. When I shop anywhere, even at home, I don't buy clothing with a lot words on it. So I'd hate to buy a souvenir t-shirt somewhere and then never wear it because it's not my style. Instead, I buy stuff that's part of my normal style, that I'd wear every day. I have a black hat from Newcastle, a scarf and jacket from Sunderland, some shoes from Paris, and now a *new* gray toboggan from Dublin. I wear them all the time. And every time I wear them, I think to myself, "I got this in ___." Other people might not know I visited these cool places when I wear the hat, but it reminds me of my trip and warms my heart. 
• Small world: Don't listen to your mom on this one; DO talk to strangers. Find out about them and where they're from. You may find the world is smaller than you thought. For instance, our Ireland bus driver Paul had been to Charlotte and had friends who lived in Ballantyne. In Edinburgh, we ran into a couple wearing an App State hat who, as we soon learned, lived in Raleigh. Years ago in Pisa, I had met some fellow App State students because they were carrying a Harris Teeter bag. And last time in Edinburgh, I met a lady in our hostel who had a house in Blowing Rock. It's a small world, after all. 

The Scottish Highlands - this particular area is where they filmed Skyfall

Two peaks of the "Three Sisters" of Glencoe - no photo will do this place justice

Glencoe - my favorite place in the world with my favorite person in the world

Nessie...? 

Hunting for Nessie on the Loch Ness boat tour

Day 6: Edinburgh Hikes

Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7  |  Day 8  |  Day 9
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Being January 1, we slept in a bit and got a late breakfast in the hotel. Then we walked to a place called Calton Hill, which is a park on top of a big hill. It's at one end of the city and has some cool monuments at the top. It was a popular place to view the fireworks the night before. We had pretty good views of the city, and great weather too.

From Calton Hill you can easily see Arthur's Seat, which is an even bigger hill/mini mountain. We decided to leave Calton Hill and make the hike to the top of Arthur's Seat. Steven is a trooper, but I almost died from exhaustion. My body ain't built for steep, never-ending climbs. But we eventually made it after lots of snacks and breaks! The 360° views we were rewarded with made it all worth it. It was mostly cloudy, but every now and then the sun would poke through and cast a golden light on the side of the mountain.

By 3:30pm the sun was going down. We hiked back down the mountain and made a bee line for the hotel. Everything was aching and we took a much deserved short nap. Then dinner downstairs in the hotel restaurant.

After we got back to our room, we watched the New Year's day specials of Doctor Who and the Great British Bake Off, live on the TV in our room. Two of my favorite shows, and they just happened to be showing new episodes! *Nerd alert*

Tomorrow is our bus tour through the Scottish Highlands and up to Loch Ness. I remember how breathtaking the highlands were when I visited last. Hopefully we'll have decent weather too - and we just might get a glimpse of Nessie.

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Travel Tips: 

• Sunlight: Since the UK is so far north, the amount of sunlight it receives varies drastically between the seasons. In the winter, the sun rises at 8:30am and sets at 4pm. But in the summer, it rises at 6am and sets at 10pm. If you visit in the winter, make sure you do all your outdoor activities while you can still see outside!
• Expect the unexpected: Not everything will go as planned when you travel. You'll get on the wrong train, miss the bus, have a delayed flight, not know how to order food, and question foreign customs/cultures. Don't freak out. The unexpected, while inconvenient at the time, simply adds to your story. Go with the flow. Eat the weird foods you don't recognize. Use charades at the train station when you don't speak their language. Get on the next bus that comes. Ask someone for directions or help. You'll be okay and, believe it or not, you'll be able to laugh at it later. 

Nelson Monument at Calton Hill

I MADE IT PRAISE HIM 🙌

At the top of Arthur's Seat - the castle is just above Steven's shoulder

Dat golden light 😍

Beautiful day for a hike!

Overlooking the eastern side of Edinburgh