Well once again, its been quite a while since my last post. The past 2 weeks were mainly spent in Scotland and were close to the best 2 weeks of my trip so far!
Some girls from the trip had told me that I would love Scotland, but as I never really intended on going there and really had no idea what there was to see or do there, I didnt hold high hopes. After leaving Ireland, I was mainly just glad to be staying in one place for more than one night!! It was also good that we would be seeing a familiar face. Kim from Contiki was there and we would be staying at the same hostel.
After another long 8 hour bus ride from Belfast to Scotland, we arrived in Edinburgh. The trip was quite nice really. Its only a short trip from Belfast to the ferry, then 3 hours on the ferry before the remaining 4 hours or so along the coast and inland to Edinburgh. The ferry this time was quite rough. It was our 4th ferry out of our entire trip and this was the worst. It really got rocky, to the point where I almost fell headfirst into the toilet!!
Pulling into Edinburgh we got an extra little suprise. With Kim waiting for us at the station was Ash (also from Contiki, and the girl we had caught up with in Belfast). I automatically knew that we were going to love it. Ash and Kim ran to the door and gave us a big hug and took us up to our hostel. When we got to the hostel we realised what the girls had meant by 'a few stairs to the top'. It was 4 flights up a tight windy staircase, which is hard enough let alone with a 20kg pack!! Lucky for me, Kim kindly offered to carry mine :)
We dropped our bags and went straight down to the Walkabout bar. Its an Aussie bar chain throughout the UK with cheap meals and even cheaper drinks. Plus they play REAL sports!!! Not just soccer. (Now that im out of the UK I feel safe enough to say that, god forbid I ever said anything like that while over there.)
We stayed there a while and caught up on what we had all been up to since contiki. Kim also filled us in a little on what there is to see and do around Edinburgh. After a few drinks we stopped at the local tesco to buy some more drinks and went back to the hostel. We decided to have a bit of a welcoming party that night and go out. Now, we had had a few big nights over our trip, but our first night out in Edinburgh set a new level!! We had such a good time. The next morning, Ash and I both had really sore necks from all of our wonderful dancing... haha. Rocking out to Metalica really can be quite dangerous!!
The next day was a really quiet one, spent recovering from our night out. We started getting to know everyone in the hostel and making some friends. Jason was a friend of Kims, and also from Australia and we got on really well. There was also Dine from Germany who was lovely as well as quite a few others.
Kim was on duty that night to cook dinner for the hostel residents. We went with her to the supermarket, way too early in the morning... and got all the stuff to make 'slow cooked spaghetti' for around 70 people. There were quite a few bags. That was quite a struggle.
Later that evening after dinner (which was amazing) they had fireworks on at the Edinburgh Castle. We all went out to watch and it was really nice. The buildings around edinburgh were split over the older buildings on the south and the more modern north side. Its such a lovely landscape. Its a big city, but kinda has a country town feel to it. It was quickly winning me over. Plus in most other countries, a lot of the time it didnt actually feel like you were overseas. Whereas here, they play bagpipes 24/7 which remind you where you are and it has this special feel about it.
We got an early night that night ready for some sightseeing the next day. Ash, laura and I had a nice relaxed morning before setting out. We started walking the streets looking for the National Museum. We walked for ages trying to read the map and eventually found it, only to realise that its closed for renovation until November!! Then we decided to go and find the castle. We walked back through the centre of town, down to the park. We found a nice sunny spot on the grass and lied down. We put on some good music and just enjoyed the moment. How many times can you say that you were lying on the grass, overlooking a castle, with good friends, listening to good music without a care in the world... It was such a nice feeling. After that we went into the National Gallery and had a look around. There were paintings by Rembrandt and other famous pieces there which was pretty cool to see.
We had decided to have another big night. So went back to our 'local' tesco to get more supplies before heading up to the hostel. We got the crew together and started 'gettiing in the spirit' for another big night out. Jason and Kim wanted to take us to a nightclub which had cheap drinks and good music, so we couldnt be rude and say no...
This was the first night we experienced 'The Hive'. It wasnt an overly big club, but it had 2 seperate rooms which were seperated by the bar. It reminded me a bit of the bomb shelter bar in Switzerland. They really did have cheap drinks and really good music. One room was playing really old stuff, and the other new. But we mainly stuck to the old stuff. Lots of good dancing songs. The walk home that night was what you would call in contiki 'a Merry One'. We walked over Edinburgh bridge singing and dancing. Laura and Jason had decided to go to the casino so they left, meanwhile me and ash stayed back serenading the night workmen with the neighbours theme song. When we got back to the hostel we stayed up cooking midnight snacks waiting for the others to get home. We found vegemite, and as we were all aussie, we were quite excited. So excited in fact that we made vegemite facials!! We painted our faces with the vegemite and sang the vegemite song. Turns out it is actually quite good for your skin!! It was around 6am before anyone made it to bed. Edinburgh was officially now my favorite.
The next day was a complete write off. No one woke up until around 3pm. Then we met in the dining room and just kicked back the rest of the day. It was nice to not have to go anywhere or do anything. Just all hang out.
As we once again didnt achieve much that day we decided to have another big sightseeing day the next day. We went to the walking tour which takes about 3 hours and covers most of the history of Edinburgh. It was so interesting. A lot of the history took place before Australia was even discovered!! We learnt all about the street merchants, crime and punishment, murders, the graveyards etc. We also learnt about Harry Potter, we saw the cafe where the first 2 books were written, and the school which gave JK Rowling the inspiration for Hogwarts. A few of the characters were also named after people buried in the graveyard also.
When the tour finished we went back to the hostel. Two more contiki friends were coming that night to catch up and stay a while, Tim and Tom. We went to get them from the bus station that night and got them settled in. While catching up we also managed to convince another contiki friend, Liam to come the next morning. We were so excited to have so many of us together again. After dinner and drinks at the hostel we decided to take Tim and Tom to experience The Hive. That night was the snow party. They had snow machines which let out foam over everyone and the whole rooms really did look like it had been snowing. It was awesome.
When the club closed we decided that we werent finished partying yet. And we decided to try to all stay up to pick up Liam from the bus station. He arrived at 7.30am so it would be a bit of a mission...
We left the hive then we decided to go to the graveyard. During our walking tour, they had told us about the ghosts that haunt the graveyard at night so we decided to test it out. Along the way we had a few mini adventures. We had our photos taken with some animals, found some free clothes and pillows... by the time we made it to the graveyard we may have actually looked like we were homeless!! We also made a few friends along the way. Edinburgh really is quite social!!
The graveyard was a bit of a letdown. No ghosts!! But we had a look around anyway and had our picture taken with the Bobby statue. Bobby was a dog owned by the old caretaker of the graveyard. When the caretaker died, bobby used to return to the graveyard every day and sit on his owners grave. It went on for nearly 14 years until bobby died. His statue is now a monument out the front of the graveyard and is a well known part of Edinburgh.
After that we decided to go back to the hostel for a snack. Kim had cooked spaghetti for us again as a midnight snack so we all ate some of that. Then we stayed there for a while singing and messing around. We started to get tired so Jason took me and Laura to Castle Hill for sunrise. It was beautiful. It overlooked all of the royal mile, and you could see almost all of Edinburgh. We got there in time for sunrise and it was amazing.
Then we went to get a coffee from Maccas as it was still an hour until Liam would arrive. Sadly I hit the wall while sitting in Maccas though and had to go home to bed. I figure I did well to make it to at least 7am!! Laura went to get Liam and then met us back at the hostel.
Once again, the next day no one achieved a lot. We caught up with Liam a bit and just chilled out. By this point we really felt like locals in Edinburgh and it honestly felt like home. It was really nice.
The next day we did a little bit of shopping and started planning a road trip. Liam, Tim, Tom, Laura and I were wanting to do a tour of the highlands, but as we had left it so late most of the tours were fully booked. So we decided to hire a car. We started organising that and planning where we would go. We would leave the next day and spend 3 days road tripping.
That night the spanish crew at the hostel had a Sangria night as a farewell to one of the girls who was leaving. We stayed there drinking Sangria for a while, then most people decided to go out, but as I would be driving the hire car the next morning I decided I better not drink much that night!! It was the first night I had stayed home while the others went out, but it was a good thing. There were a few big days ahead!!!
Countdown!!!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Trapped in Ireland!!!
The next morning we woke up and got straight to the train station. The next bus to Dublin turned out to be in 5 minutes, but it was so hard to find out where to get tickets, or where to wait as there were no staff. After asking a few people we were pointed in the right direction and got our bus. Driving out of Kilkenny was good as I got to see a lot more of the town than when we were driving in. It looked like a real sports town, there were banners and flags everywhere all saying "good luck Kilkenny boys" and things like that. Seemed to have a good spirit.
Once we got back to Dublin we realised there was no night bus to Edinburgh!! We thought there might still be a later one though so rushed to the Dublin bus station only to be told tickets from Dublin to Edinburgh need to be booked 3 days in advance. I just stared at the guy and probably could have cried. After he saw the look on my face he mentioned the only thing we could do was catch a bus back to Belfast and hope we could get one from there. At this point we just wanted to get out of Ireland!! But at the same time were excited at the thought of heading back to Belfast. While waiting for our bus to Belfast we looked online and realised the only buses would be the next morning and we would need to stay in Belfast a night. That didnt worry us too much as Belfast was our fave spot. We knew where everything was and it kind of felt like home to us.
We got to Belfast around 6.30pm and asked about tickets to Edinburgh, he said the ticket office was closed but was open at 9 in the morning. So we decided to just head back to Paddys Palace, the hostel we had stayed at last time and try to get a room and maybe book our tickets online.
When we were walking to the hostel we laughed how it would be good to see Troy again, the bus driver from our Giants Causeway tour. He was probably one of the funniest guys in ireland we had met. Then, as we were at the corner of the hostel, we was driving out!! He stopped the car just into the road and was looking at me and Laura as if he recognised us, then he pointed and started waving. We ran over to his car and said hello. I told him we had been all around Ireland and his trip was still our favorite!! He was so happy, and we were so suprised he remembered us!! We had done the tour nearly 2 weeks earlier, and he runs tours every day with 50 people or so. It was nice that he remembered who we were and where we were going etc.
When we got to the hostel they told us they had a room, and gave us a twin room for 20 pound. I asked if it was 20 each and she was like, no in total!!! This is why we love Belfast. They knew we had been here the week before and were looking after us :) It was so nice to get some help. They also offered to print bus tickets for us as well. Now we could relax before heading to Scotty. We even got to go back to spuds, our favorite food spot for dinner!! We LOVE Belfast!!!
Now we are having a later night, so that we will sleep on the bus tomorrow. Its an 8 hour trip from here to Scotty and we are starting to get sore backs from all the buses and carrying luggage. It will be so nice to spend a few nights in one place again. Im really excited for Scotland, and cant believe how quickly the trip is going now. Before we know it we will be home!!!
Once we got back to Dublin we realised there was no night bus to Edinburgh!! We thought there might still be a later one though so rushed to the Dublin bus station only to be told tickets from Dublin to Edinburgh need to be booked 3 days in advance. I just stared at the guy and probably could have cried. After he saw the look on my face he mentioned the only thing we could do was catch a bus back to Belfast and hope we could get one from there. At this point we just wanted to get out of Ireland!! But at the same time were excited at the thought of heading back to Belfast. While waiting for our bus to Belfast we looked online and realised the only buses would be the next morning and we would need to stay in Belfast a night. That didnt worry us too much as Belfast was our fave spot. We knew where everything was and it kind of felt like home to us.
We got to Belfast around 6.30pm and asked about tickets to Edinburgh, he said the ticket office was closed but was open at 9 in the morning. So we decided to just head back to Paddys Palace, the hostel we had stayed at last time and try to get a room and maybe book our tickets online.
When we were walking to the hostel we laughed how it would be good to see Troy again, the bus driver from our Giants Causeway tour. He was probably one of the funniest guys in ireland we had met. Then, as we were at the corner of the hostel, we was driving out!! He stopped the car just into the road and was looking at me and Laura as if he recognised us, then he pointed and started waving. We ran over to his car and said hello. I told him we had been all around Ireland and his trip was still our favorite!! He was so happy, and we were so suprised he remembered us!! We had done the tour nearly 2 weeks earlier, and he runs tours every day with 50 people or so. It was nice that he remembered who we were and where we were going etc.
When we got to the hostel they told us they had a room, and gave us a twin room for 20 pound. I asked if it was 20 each and she was like, no in total!!! This is why we love Belfast. They knew we had been here the week before and were looking after us :) It was so nice to get some help. They also offered to print bus tickets for us as well. Now we could relax before heading to Scotty. We even got to go back to spuds, our favorite food spot for dinner!! We LOVE Belfast!!!
Now we are having a later night, so that we will sleep on the bus tomorrow. Its an 8 hour trip from here to Scotty and we are starting to get sore backs from all the buses and carrying luggage. It will be so nice to spend a few nights in one place again. Im really excited for Scotland, and cant believe how quickly the trip is going now. Before we know it we will be home!!!
Road tripping turns ugly... and a trip to Blarney Castle!!
After our night in Cork we had to get up to move the car, as paid parking started early. This is when me and Violeta had another little 'disagreement'. I had said that I would pay for parking for the whole day in an all day car park so we could have a look around. But when I told her you had to leave the keys with the car park man she refused, even though I had already bought a ticket! I said to her that if she wasnt going to leave the car there, then I wasnt paying as it was more than double to park in the street. Also that she can go and fix up the ticket I had just bought. I was starting to get mad... Not off to a good start.
Things just got worse, there are loads of one way streets in Cork, and even though I tried to tell her every time she was going the wrong way, she refused to believe me as the GPS was telling her to go that way. It wasnt until cars would come the other way that she would get confused and panic. I knew where we were but she refused to listen to my directions, so she stopped to ask people. Only problem was she asked for directions to the wrong place. I thought I would mention this 5 minutes later when I realised we were heading in the opposite direction to where we should have been going. This was around the second time me and Laura thought we should do a runner before we ended up in a big pile up. We thought we would give it a little bit longer and see how it went once we were out of the city.
Once we got out of the city it got slightly better. We managed to find the Blarney Castle and straight away we went off on our own. I needed some time out. It was a great place to relax a little. The grounds were enormous! I was most excited though that Hamish and Andy had been there on their tour of Ireland and that Hamish had kissed the Blarney stone too. (In my theory I figured that meant that basically I was kissing Hamish if I kissed the stone... im not crazy at all.)
The castle was about a 10 minute walk into the grounds. It looked just like a castle from a real fairy tale. It sits on top of an 8 metre rock wall. From the north side of the castle it looks so much bigger, as a lot of the ground iin front was excavated. The rocks from the ground were used to build the castle itself. On the north side were the dungeon entrances and where the dog lived. (Guard dog). There were also cave entrances which apparently had little tunnels that led to all of the surrounding towns. Back in the day if the castle was ever in trouble, the occupants could use those tunnels to escape. Although being about 1 metre thick walls, it never really stood any danger.
We entered the castle and started up the 100 stairs to the top. You enter through a basement which used to be used to keep cattle and make butter. Then you go up to the earls bedroom which was one of the bigger rooms, but still quite small. There were also rooms for the 'young ladies'. No one is sure which ladies lived there, but it is thought that 2 of the earls daughters were raised at the castle, and it was those two who lived in that room. There was also a priests room, which is believed to be so as there are no gun holes in the walls and also a section which may have been used as an altar.
There was a huge banquet hall and kitchen, then you reach the top. Stairs normally arent a problem, but these stairwells were so small and cramped. You had to duck down and really watch your feet. You could only fit one person up at a time. But once you reach the top it opens up with amazing views of the whole property including the farms and gardens. The Blarney stone is also at the top of the tower. It looked a bit scary at first, as theirs a big drop, but I realised it must be fairly secure, as even old people were doing it!! So I laid on the ground and slowly leaned back. Theres someone there to hold your waist and lower you down. You actually have to lean back quite a lot to reach the stone itself!! I kissed the stone, then quickly got back up on my feet!! Apparently now I am bestowed with the gift of eloquence!! Laura had her turn then we made our way down the tower.
Once we got down we walked a bit more around the grounds and looked around. It was really relaxing and peaceful. But I was still stressing at the thought of having to get back in the car!! We decided that we wanted to drive to waterford, then maybe further up the coast back towards Dublin. I was happy, as that meant closer to safety!! We got to waterford around 6pm and Violeta went for a walk around town while me and Laura went to the pub. It wasnt until about 7.30 that Violeta got back and then she said we would just go to Kilkenny as it was a bit closer and find somewhere to stay. I was starting to worry again as we had no accomodation booked and things were generally expensive when you book late! If anything is available at all!
We got to Kilkenny around 9.30pm. We went for a walk to find some hostels and it was freezing!!! The first place I asked had rooms, but they were 20 euro a night and you shared with 13 other people!! I would rather sleep in the car than pay that much to have a crap sleep in such a big share room. We kept walking and then realised Violeta had walked off on us. It was about this stage when my 'crazy person' switch went off... I was freezing, it was late, we had nowhere to stay and I was so stressed out and on edge that I was about to flip out!! We went back to the car thinking she may have gone back there. We waited about 45 minutes in the cold deciding how to break into the car and get our things so we could RUN AWAY!!! We decided that we would leave her now and find our own way back so we could go to Scotland.
When she got back to the car we told her we were gonna go our own way, and sadly she was sad that we were going. But I put my foot down and said enough was enough and that we had to go. So there we were, me and Laura and all of our bags standing on a footpath at 10pm wondering what to do and where to go. At this point we knew we had to get a bus back to Dublin, and thought there may be a remote chance that night buses ran. We walked for 10 minutes to get to the 'bus station' which turned out to be just a sign on the side of the road in a backstreet. Then we thought perhaps we could just go to a pub until closing, then go to the train station when it opened. But realised we were too tired to stay up all night. Then we considered sleeping in a park...
In the end we decided to walk to the train station at the other end of town and hope that it was open and we could sleep on the floor in there. About 15 minutes later, we found a pub with accommodation signs out. We asked and they had a private room for 20 euro each. We thought it would be better than a park or station so agreed. Thank god it was a warm, private room with super comfy beds!! We were finally back on our own and able to get some good rest!! It was such a relief.
Things just got worse, there are loads of one way streets in Cork, and even though I tried to tell her every time she was going the wrong way, she refused to believe me as the GPS was telling her to go that way. It wasnt until cars would come the other way that she would get confused and panic. I knew where we were but she refused to listen to my directions, so she stopped to ask people. Only problem was she asked for directions to the wrong place. I thought I would mention this 5 minutes later when I realised we were heading in the opposite direction to where we should have been going. This was around the second time me and Laura thought we should do a runner before we ended up in a big pile up. We thought we would give it a little bit longer and see how it went once we were out of the city.
Once we got out of the city it got slightly better. We managed to find the Blarney Castle and straight away we went off on our own. I needed some time out. It was a great place to relax a little. The grounds were enormous! I was most excited though that Hamish and Andy had been there on their tour of Ireland and that Hamish had kissed the Blarney stone too. (In my theory I figured that meant that basically I was kissing Hamish if I kissed the stone... im not crazy at all.)
The castle was about a 10 minute walk into the grounds. It looked just like a castle from a real fairy tale. It sits on top of an 8 metre rock wall. From the north side of the castle it looks so much bigger, as a lot of the ground iin front was excavated. The rocks from the ground were used to build the castle itself. On the north side were the dungeon entrances and where the dog lived. (Guard dog). There were also cave entrances which apparently had little tunnels that led to all of the surrounding towns. Back in the day if the castle was ever in trouble, the occupants could use those tunnels to escape. Although being about 1 metre thick walls, it never really stood any danger.
We entered the castle and started up the 100 stairs to the top. You enter through a basement which used to be used to keep cattle and make butter. Then you go up to the earls bedroom which was one of the bigger rooms, but still quite small. There were also rooms for the 'young ladies'. No one is sure which ladies lived there, but it is thought that 2 of the earls daughters were raised at the castle, and it was those two who lived in that room. There was also a priests room, which is believed to be so as there are no gun holes in the walls and also a section which may have been used as an altar.
There was a huge banquet hall and kitchen, then you reach the top. Stairs normally arent a problem, but these stairwells were so small and cramped. You had to duck down and really watch your feet. You could only fit one person up at a time. But once you reach the top it opens up with amazing views of the whole property including the farms and gardens. The Blarney stone is also at the top of the tower. It looked a bit scary at first, as theirs a big drop, but I realised it must be fairly secure, as even old people were doing it!! So I laid on the ground and slowly leaned back. Theres someone there to hold your waist and lower you down. You actually have to lean back quite a lot to reach the stone itself!! I kissed the stone, then quickly got back up on my feet!! Apparently now I am bestowed with the gift of eloquence!! Laura had her turn then we made our way down the tower.
Once we got down we walked a bit more around the grounds and looked around. It was really relaxing and peaceful. But I was still stressing at the thought of having to get back in the car!! We decided that we wanted to drive to waterford, then maybe further up the coast back towards Dublin. I was happy, as that meant closer to safety!! We got to waterford around 6pm and Violeta went for a walk around town while me and Laura went to the pub. It wasnt until about 7.30 that Violeta got back and then she said we would just go to Kilkenny as it was a bit closer and find somewhere to stay. I was starting to worry again as we had no accomodation booked and things were generally expensive when you book late! If anything is available at all!
We got to Kilkenny around 9.30pm. We went for a walk to find some hostels and it was freezing!!! The first place I asked had rooms, but they were 20 euro a night and you shared with 13 other people!! I would rather sleep in the car than pay that much to have a crap sleep in such a big share room. We kept walking and then realised Violeta had walked off on us. It was about this stage when my 'crazy person' switch went off... I was freezing, it was late, we had nowhere to stay and I was so stressed out and on edge that I was about to flip out!! We went back to the car thinking she may have gone back there. We waited about 45 minutes in the cold deciding how to break into the car and get our things so we could RUN AWAY!!! We decided that we would leave her now and find our own way back so we could go to Scotland.
When she got back to the car we told her we were gonna go our own way, and sadly she was sad that we were going. But I put my foot down and said enough was enough and that we had to go. So there we were, me and Laura and all of our bags standing on a footpath at 10pm wondering what to do and where to go. At this point we knew we had to get a bus back to Dublin, and thought there may be a remote chance that night buses ran. We walked for 10 minutes to get to the 'bus station' which turned out to be just a sign on the side of the road in a backstreet. Then we thought perhaps we could just go to a pub until closing, then go to the train station when it opened. But realised we were too tired to stay up all night. Then we considered sleeping in a park...
In the end we decided to walk to the train station at the other end of town and hope that it was open and we could sleep on the floor in there. About 15 minutes later, we found a pub with accommodation signs out. We asked and they had a private room for 20 euro each. We thought it would be better than a park or station so agreed. Thank god it was a warm, private room with super comfy beds!! We were finally back on our own and able to get some good rest!! It was such a relief.
The mystical and magical Cliffs of Moher... :)
The next morning we looked at a heap of maps and decided to head towards the Cliffs of Moher. It was a fairly big drive along the coast but looked really pretty. Once we got out of Galway it was really nice. There were big paddocks everywhere with old houses and castle ruins nearly every kilometre!! So much to see. We stopped at a church and then got to Dunguaire Castle. It was the first proper castle I had seen in Ireland. It was awesome. It looked over this little lake and there were swans around and all. It was beautiful. You had to pay to do a tour so we decided to just see it from the outside and save our money for bigger castles. Even without going in, you got a really good feel for what it was like back in the day. It felt like a fairy tale just sitting out the front on the grass!!
After that we were driving along when we saw a sign for another smaller castle off the road. We turned off and went down this little road which led to a small castle that looked a lot like a watchtower. This one was open to the public and free entry. So we walked around inside and went up the little stairway to the top. It had information posters all inside and showed what the rooms were used for etc.
After that we continued on our way. We found a little village with an information centre where we could ask what the best way was to get to the cliffs. We stopped and went inside the store for coffee. Me and Laura found fresh baked breads for 2 euro so we got a loaf for our lunch. It was rosemary and olive flavored, and after one bite we decided we needed more!! So we stocked up on the most amazing fresh bread ive ever had for the rest of the day!!
After we knew where we wanted to head next we took off again for the cliffs. We passed so many cute little villages and towns. There were farmers out on the roads talking to their neighbours and animals everywhere. It was so pretty. It reminded me a lot of southern Victoria. Just slightly prettier...
Once we found the cliffs we made our way up to the walkway. We got split up at first, but by the time we reached the tower at the top of the first cliff we had found each other again. I could see why the cliffs were listed as one of the must do things in Ireland. It was so beautiful!! They were so big, and the different colors in the rock formations were amazing. There were little grassy areas on some cliffs where birds had made nests and some had little caves down the bottom. It was amazing. We stayed at the cliffs for a couple of hours, looked around the information centre which covered the history and also showed photos of other places in southern Ireland. Then we decided we should probably head off soon as it was getting late and once again we had nowhere to stay.
At first we were planning on going to Doolin or a beach town just away from the cliffs, but Violeta wanted to try to reach Limerick. It was around 7pm when we got to Limerick. Violeta then decided that she didnt really like it there so we would keep going and reach Cork. We wouldnt get there til around 9pm, so I suggested we find internet and book accomodation for when we got there. It took a while to find internet, and by this time I was starting to get quite stressed again. It wouldnt have been so bad if it had just been me and Laura, but Violeta would say it will be right, we will find somewhere, but then rely on me and Laura to organise it when we got somewhere. Luckily once again we found somewhere that looked decent fairly close to the city.
We got into Cork almost right on 9pm and thankfully the hostel was easy to find with parking out the front. It was on top of a bar again and it was a New Zealander bar which looked like so much fun. I was talking to a guy down the bottom for a minute and he said to come back down to the bar and we intended to, but we had a few things to do in the room and by the time we got organised we looked pretty feral and it was starting to quiet down in the bar so we just stayed in the room again. We ended up with just a private room which was good.
After that we were driving along when we saw a sign for another smaller castle off the road. We turned off and went down this little road which led to a small castle that looked a lot like a watchtower. This one was open to the public and free entry. So we walked around inside and went up the little stairway to the top. It had information posters all inside and showed what the rooms were used for etc.
After that we continued on our way. We found a little village with an information centre where we could ask what the best way was to get to the cliffs. We stopped and went inside the store for coffee. Me and Laura found fresh baked breads for 2 euro so we got a loaf for our lunch. It was rosemary and olive flavored, and after one bite we decided we needed more!! So we stocked up on the most amazing fresh bread ive ever had for the rest of the day!!
After we knew where we wanted to head next we took off again for the cliffs. We passed so many cute little villages and towns. There were farmers out on the roads talking to their neighbours and animals everywhere. It was so pretty. It reminded me a lot of southern Victoria. Just slightly prettier...
Once we found the cliffs we made our way up to the walkway. We got split up at first, but by the time we reached the tower at the top of the first cliff we had found each other again. I could see why the cliffs were listed as one of the must do things in Ireland. It was so beautiful!! They were so big, and the different colors in the rock formations were amazing. There were little grassy areas on some cliffs where birds had made nests and some had little caves down the bottom. It was amazing. We stayed at the cliffs for a couple of hours, looked around the information centre which covered the history and also showed photos of other places in southern Ireland. Then we decided we should probably head off soon as it was getting late and once again we had nowhere to stay.
At first we were planning on going to Doolin or a beach town just away from the cliffs, but Violeta wanted to try to reach Limerick. It was around 7pm when we got to Limerick. Violeta then decided that she didnt really like it there so we would keep going and reach Cork. We wouldnt get there til around 9pm, so I suggested we find internet and book accomodation for when we got there. It took a while to find internet, and by this time I was starting to get quite stressed again. It wouldnt have been so bad if it had just been me and Laura, but Violeta would say it will be right, we will find somewhere, but then rely on me and Laura to organise it when we got somewhere. Luckily once again we found somewhere that looked decent fairly close to the city.
We got into Cork almost right on 9pm and thankfully the hostel was easy to find with parking out the front. It was on top of a bar again and it was a New Zealander bar which looked like so much fun. I was talking to a guy down the bottom for a minute and he said to come back down to the bar and we intended to, but we had a few things to do in the room and by the time we got organised we looked pretty feral and it was starting to quiet down in the bar so we just stayed in the room again. We ended up with just a private room which was good.
The road trip begins...
The next morning after we all checked out we had to get to the airport to collect the car. It was a bit of a mission, we had to catch a public bus which normally isnt a problem, the problem was that we had enormous amounts of luggage between us trying to squish into seats. We were worn out by the time we got to the airport!! Violeta collected her car and then we set off. We had decided to try to get to Galway first for a night. It seemed a straight forward drive, however Violeta didnt want to go through toll booths. Therefore we had to keep getting off the motorway driving miles out of the way just to skip the tolls. (In turn probably costing her double the petrol in the long run). It was a bit frustrating, but it was her car and we were only along for the ride so I kept quiet. I was navigating her using her GPS, which spoke to me in Spanish, then when I would try to tell her where to go she wouldnt understand. This resulted in a few very close calls at roundabouts and intersections. It was around this point that we realised maybe it wasnt such a good idea to hitch a ride with a stranger that wasnt used to driving on the other side of the road...
We went through a few nice smaller towns and saw a lot of the countryside. We eventually made it to Galway. We stopped at a few little milk bars on the drive and everyone in the country towns were so welcoming and friendly. It was really nice!!
Once we got to Galway it got stressful again. Driving through cities with lots of one way streets and intersections felt like roulette. It was only a matter of time before we had an accident. I started to just close my eyes... haha. We found a parking area and walked up to the information centre which conveniently had closed only 5 minutes earlier. We could see a hostel just up the street so we walked up and asked if they had cheap rooms. The guy responded with a laugh and said, "No, not cheap" then went on to tell us it was nearly 25 euro per person for a shared room. We decided we could probably find better so went to find an internet cafe.
We looked up hostel world and found a few cheaper hostels so walked to the closest one which had a 8 person mixed dorm available. It was getting late so we took it and then had to go and find the car and move it closer. We walked down a street towards the car park and realised we were in the middle of a funeral procession. I started to freak out and didnt know where to go or what to do, and just as I started to panic, the pallbearers walked out with the coffin right in front of me. I was surrounded by people crying and the coffin!!! I quickly turned around and ran away. I couldnt believe they were just in the middle of a random street full of shops!! Was quite awkard!!
Once we got the car parked close and all our bags out we got to go and freshen up a bit. When we got back to the room 3 other people had arrived and they started talking when I realised they were Autralian! They were the first aussies I had come across for a while so we got talking for a while. They were all really nice and gave us a few travelling tips. Then we decided to head into town and see what Galway had to offer. At first it looked like everything was closed and quiet. But as we walked further we could hear music and see lights. We got to the main street and it was this awesome bustling little street with fairy lights over the shop fronts, bands on in all the bars, buskers on the footpath and cobblestone paths. It was so pretty!! We wandered around there for a little while down to the water and then stopped in a pub on our way back. They had a band that was playing a mix of irish and spanish music. It was good because Violeta knew the spanish music and she was entertained too so we could get a beer!! (But just one to share, were on a budget!!)
After that we were pretty tired. It had been a really big day and it was really taking it out of us! We headed back to the hostel and had an early night. We didnt know what the next day would bring so wanted to be alert!! haha. Two more people turned up in our room at 2am and turned the lights on, had a chat and settled in. It was another really restless sleep.
We went through a few nice smaller towns and saw a lot of the countryside. We eventually made it to Galway. We stopped at a few little milk bars on the drive and everyone in the country towns were so welcoming and friendly. It was really nice!!
Once we got to Galway it got stressful again. Driving through cities with lots of one way streets and intersections felt like roulette. It was only a matter of time before we had an accident. I started to just close my eyes... haha. We found a parking area and walked up to the information centre which conveniently had closed only 5 minutes earlier. We could see a hostel just up the street so we walked up and asked if they had cheap rooms. The guy responded with a laugh and said, "No, not cheap" then went on to tell us it was nearly 25 euro per person for a shared room. We decided we could probably find better so went to find an internet cafe.
We looked up hostel world and found a few cheaper hostels so walked to the closest one which had a 8 person mixed dorm available. It was getting late so we took it and then had to go and find the car and move it closer. We walked down a street towards the car park and realised we were in the middle of a funeral procession. I started to freak out and didnt know where to go or what to do, and just as I started to panic, the pallbearers walked out with the coffin right in front of me. I was surrounded by people crying and the coffin!!! I quickly turned around and ran away. I couldnt believe they were just in the middle of a random street full of shops!! Was quite awkard!!
Once we got the car parked close and all our bags out we got to go and freshen up a bit. When we got back to the room 3 other people had arrived and they started talking when I realised they were Autralian! They were the first aussies I had come across for a while so we got talking for a while. They were all really nice and gave us a few travelling tips. Then we decided to head into town and see what Galway had to offer. At first it looked like everything was closed and quiet. But as we walked further we could hear music and see lights. We got to the main street and it was this awesome bustling little street with fairy lights over the shop fronts, bands on in all the bars, buskers on the footpath and cobblestone paths. It was so pretty!! We wandered around there for a little while down to the water and then stopped in a pub on our way back. They had a band that was playing a mix of irish and spanish music. It was good because Violeta knew the spanish music and she was entertained too so we could get a beer!! (But just one to share, were on a budget!!)
After that we were pretty tired. It had been a really big day and it was really taking it out of us! We headed back to the hostel and had an early night. We didnt know what the next day would bring so wanted to be alert!! haha. Two more people turned up in our room at 2am and turned the lights on, had a chat and settled in. It was another really restless sleep.
Welcome to Dublin...
We had to wait an hour at the bus station for our bus, our luggage seems to be growing and growing each day!! Im pretty sure that we may need to send more home again before we get back. The buses around Ireland are a bit different. The drivers are pretty tough nuts. They dont take crap from anyone haha. Plus there are no little extras on the buses like wifi or reclining seats. They are very old school.
The bus got into Dublin and we had no idea where we were or where our hostel was. There was no wifi at the station so I had to use the compass on my phone and the basic map out of my Europe book to find our way. We were about 10 blocks away, but it was a nice walk along the river. We got to our hostel and the guy who checked us in was so helpful. He was asking us what we were planning on doing while in Dublin and where else in Ireland we were going to go. He showed us where everything was in the hostel an then he even carried Lauras suitcase up the 2 flights of stairs!!
When we got to the room we were the only ones there at first. There was one other bag in the room but the person wasnt there so we made the most of it while we could. Got ourselves all settled in and organised. Then we went downstairs to the common room to have a look around. The hostel was such a cute little place. It was an old recording studio and had murals on all the walls and it reminded me a bit of that bar in Belfast with all the posters everwhere.
There were a few people down there. As it was a saturday night people were dressed up and ready to go out having some pre drinks. We thought we might go for a walk and buy some drinks as one of the guys said its much better to do that, the bars in Dublin charge double what they do everywhere else. So we went for a walk and got some drinks. When we got back to the Hostel there werent many people left, so we though we might just have a few quiet drinks there and then have a big day the next.
When we got back to the room there were a fair few peoples bags there by then. It was going to be a full night. We got ourselves into bed ready for our first night in the dorm, but I dont think anything could have prepared us. It was worse than being in a hospital. Lights were coming on and off all through the night, people were talking, some people got home at 3am and continued the party in our room, then someones alarm was going off at 4.30am for them to go on a tour!! It was horrible and we woke up feeling worse than when we had gone to bed.
We decided to get out and do some sightseeing that day. We bought tickets for the hop on-hop off bus. We had done one in London and it was a great way to see all the main attractions, but it didnt take long for us to realise Dublin didnt really have quite as many sights. It was good, we saw Trinity College, Pheonix Park, The Guniness Factory, Kilmainham Gaol, Temple Bar and a few other things but it was a bit sleepy. We got back to the starting point of the tour and had a walk up the main street. We looked through a few shops and then decided to find a bar that would play the MotoGP that night for us. It was harder than we thought. There were loads of pubs, but every one of them have soccer on every screen!! And I was too terrified to ask any to turn that over, they take it very serious here.
In our travels we came across the leprechaun museum. We had seen it advertised so thought we would check it out. When we got in a guide gave us some history about leprechauns in literature etc and told us what was inside the museum. We were left to make our own way through most of the museum before meeting up with him towards the end. In the museum was a giants room where everything was oversized. We took photos of us with all the furniture and then met back up with the guide. He told us some folk tales and stories which was pretty good. I love all of the stories in Ireland. Its so good.
After we left the museum it was getting late and we still hadnt found anywhere to was the MotoGP. In the end we went back to the bar underneath our hostel and they said they would be happy to play it for us!! We were so excited, sitting in and Irish pub, drinking Irish beer with Irish music in the background.... watching MotoGP!!!! (We wont talk about the race itself though, that wasnt good).
After that we decided it was too expensive to stay at the bar so we went back to the hostel and had a few more quiet ones there. I was beginning to miss the party nights and social side of Contiki. Our second night in Dublin was a Sunday and most of the fun people had checked out. There was mainly older people left who were all playing computer games!!! We only stayed downstairs for a little while before going back up to our room. When we got back up we were the only ones there. It was good to have the room quiet again. There was still one bag there, but that was a french girl who was out on a tour until late.
After a little while a lady from Spain arrived. Her name was Violeta and she was on 2 weeks holidays. We told her that we were planning on going to Spain and we got talking for ages all about where she lived and what spain was like. Her english was a bit broken but ok to understand. She said that not a lot of people in Spain speak english well so now we are starting to worry about when we get there!!
We decided the next day that we would take her with us on the hop-on hop-off bus as you get a 48 hour ticket, then we could help show her where everything was.
The next day after breakfast we all got ready to go on the bus. We were going to try to do the other route from the one we did the day before but that one didnt run as often so we decided to do the same one again and then we could see anything that we had missed. We got off at St Stephens Park and had a walk around that area for a while. We walked from there down to Trinity College and walked through the grounds. To go and see the book of Kells was going to cost 10 euro so we decided not to go inside.
After we got back on the bus we basically stayed on it again until it finished the circuit. It was too expensive to get off and see the attractions as everything charged entry prices and little extra costs here and there. Also, it was freezing!! The wind was picking up and because me and Laura were still sick from Contiki we decided it would be best to go back and put some more layers on.
After rugging up we did a bit of souveneir shopping. One store looked more like a department store, but only for souveneirs!! It was huge!! Then me and laura went our own way for a while before heading back. Laura ensured that we stopped to try what was advertised as the 'worlds best hot chocolate'. We decided it was pretty damn close!!
That night Violeta decided to hire a car for a few days so she could see west and south Ireland and asked if we would like to go with her. We still had no plans after Dublin so we decided to go along. We stayed up late that night with a map deciding where we might go. Little did we know what adventure we were getting ourselves into!!
The bus got into Dublin and we had no idea where we were or where our hostel was. There was no wifi at the station so I had to use the compass on my phone and the basic map out of my Europe book to find our way. We were about 10 blocks away, but it was a nice walk along the river. We got to our hostel and the guy who checked us in was so helpful. He was asking us what we were planning on doing while in Dublin and where else in Ireland we were going to go. He showed us where everything was in the hostel an then he even carried Lauras suitcase up the 2 flights of stairs!!
When we got to the room we were the only ones there at first. There was one other bag in the room but the person wasnt there so we made the most of it while we could. Got ourselves all settled in and organised. Then we went downstairs to the common room to have a look around. The hostel was such a cute little place. It was an old recording studio and had murals on all the walls and it reminded me a bit of that bar in Belfast with all the posters everwhere.
There were a few people down there. As it was a saturday night people were dressed up and ready to go out having some pre drinks. We thought we might go for a walk and buy some drinks as one of the guys said its much better to do that, the bars in Dublin charge double what they do everywhere else. So we went for a walk and got some drinks. When we got back to the Hostel there werent many people left, so we though we might just have a few quiet drinks there and then have a big day the next.
When we got back to the room there were a fair few peoples bags there by then. It was going to be a full night. We got ourselves into bed ready for our first night in the dorm, but I dont think anything could have prepared us. It was worse than being in a hospital. Lights were coming on and off all through the night, people were talking, some people got home at 3am and continued the party in our room, then someones alarm was going off at 4.30am for them to go on a tour!! It was horrible and we woke up feeling worse than when we had gone to bed.
We decided to get out and do some sightseeing that day. We bought tickets for the hop on-hop off bus. We had done one in London and it was a great way to see all the main attractions, but it didnt take long for us to realise Dublin didnt really have quite as many sights. It was good, we saw Trinity College, Pheonix Park, The Guniness Factory, Kilmainham Gaol, Temple Bar and a few other things but it was a bit sleepy. We got back to the starting point of the tour and had a walk up the main street. We looked through a few shops and then decided to find a bar that would play the MotoGP that night for us. It was harder than we thought. There were loads of pubs, but every one of them have soccer on every screen!! And I was too terrified to ask any to turn that over, they take it very serious here.
In our travels we came across the leprechaun museum. We had seen it advertised so thought we would check it out. When we got in a guide gave us some history about leprechauns in literature etc and told us what was inside the museum. We were left to make our own way through most of the museum before meeting up with him towards the end. In the museum was a giants room where everything was oversized. We took photos of us with all the furniture and then met back up with the guide. He told us some folk tales and stories which was pretty good. I love all of the stories in Ireland. Its so good.
After we left the museum it was getting late and we still hadnt found anywhere to was the MotoGP. In the end we went back to the bar underneath our hostel and they said they would be happy to play it for us!! We were so excited, sitting in and Irish pub, drinking Irish beer with Irish music in the background.... watching MotoGP!!!! (We wont talk about the race itself though, that wasnt good).
After that we decided it was too expensive to stay at the bar so we went back to the hostel and had a few more quiet ones there. I was beginning to miss the party nights and social side of Contiki. Our second night in Dublin was a Sunday and most of the fun people had checked out. There was mainly older people left who were all playing computer games!!! We only stayed downstairs for a little while before going back up to our room. When we got back up we were the only ones there. It was good to have the room quiet again. There was still one bag there, but that was a french girl who was out on a tour until late.
After a little while a lady from Spain arrived. Her name was Violeta and she was on 2 weeks holidays. We told her that we were planning on going to Spain and we got talking for ages all about where she lived and what spain was like. Her english was a bit broken but ok to understand. She said that not a lot of people in Spain speak english well so now we are starting to worry about when we get there!!
We decided the next day that we would take her with us on the hop-on hop-off bus as you get a 48 hour ticket, then we could help show her where everything was.
The next day after breakfast we all got ready to go on the bus. We were going to try to do the other route from the one we did the day before but that one didnt run as often so we decided to do the same one again and then we could see anything that we had missed. We got off at St Stephens Park and had a walk around that area for a while. We walked from there down to Trinity College and walked through the grounds. To go and see the book of Kells was going to cost 10 euro so we decided not to go inside.
After we got back on the bus we basically stayed on it again until it finished the circuit. It was too expensive to get off and see the attractions as everything charged entry prices and little extra costs here and there. Also, it was freezing!! The wind was picking up and because me and Laura were still sick from Contiki we decided it would be best to go back and put some more layers on.
After rugging up we did a bit of souveneir shopping. One store looked more like a department store, but only for souveneirs!! It was huge!! Then me and laura went our own way for a while before heading back. Laura ensured that we stopped to try what was advertised as the 'worlds best hot chocolate'. We decided it was pretty damn close!!
That night Violeta decided to hire a car for a few days so she could see west and south Ireland and asked if we would like to go with her. We still had no plans after Dublin so we decided to go along. We stayed up late that night with a map deciding where we might go. Little did we know what adventure we were getting ourselves into!!
A bit more Belfast!!
After our big day exploring the Bridge, Causeway and Derry we needed a bit of a rest. We decided to extend our stay at Paddys by an extra night so that we could sleep in :)
We did just that. Had a big sleep in, sorted through our packs and tried to wash a few bits and pieces (as best as you can wash them in a sink), called some of the family and caught up on Skype dates.
During the day, we spoke to our friend Ash from Contiki who said she would be in Belfast the next day. We still hadnt done much sightseeing of Belfast and had no other plans so decided to extend once again!! For a place we werent planning on going at all, I was beginning to really like it!!
Lunch that day does deserve a special mention... We walked around town for a bit absolutely starving!! Then we found a pub with a sign out the front that sounded too good to be true!! 5.10 euros for a meal with a pint!!! It would have been wrong of us not to stop. We ate so much and drank our pints. It was amazing. We had to waddle our way back to the backpackers.
We had a quiet night and got loads more sleep. I think it was the most sleep we had gotten since we first left Australia. It was well overdue.
The next morning after breakfast we walked into town to have a look around. We got lost looking around and somehow found this really cute little shop with tshirts and shoes and all sorts of different stuff. While we were looking around I started talking to the guy who worked there. I told him we were planning on heading out that night and that someone had recommended that we go to Robinsons (Troy, our bus driver from Paddywagon). The guy from this shop said that those places were really touristy and if we wanted to experience real Belfast nightlife we needed to go to a few other places. He gave us a little business card and drew a map on the back of where all the good local spots were.
We went in to get some photos of city hall and the city itself. When we were walking round the city hall building we got swarmed by hop on-hop off bus people!! They were from two different companies and each one was trying to sell us their tour over the others. We were probably stupid for actually showing interest, but we did actually want to do it! However this kinda turned us off, terrified us really. haha. So we ran away into the Welcome centre.
This was probably the first time we really got to experience proper Irish weather. When we left the hostel, it was sunny and warm, and by the time we got to the welcome centre it was pouring rain and cold. We had to run into shops to avoid it!!
After that we went to the oldest pub in Belfast for a beer. It wasnt cheap but it was good. Before they sold us the beer, they gave us testers to make sure we liked it. It was Belfast Ale, it was a lot sweeter than most beers, but I loved it! The pub itself was this really old building with loads of detail in the roof and windows etc. You could just sit in there looking at all the history of it. But eventually we left. Sadly.
After we got back to the hostel we made plans to meet Ash in town that night with her cousins, (Jordan and Christine). We also found a room to stay for Dublin after we left Belfast. We had been doing it pretty easy so far with our private twin share room, so Dublin was going to be a bit tougher. We booked an 8 share mixed dorm!! It was 10 euro per person though so we thought it was an ok option and we would see how we went.
After a bit of a rest we got ready and made our way in to town. Turns out the pub we met Ash at was only 2 blocks from our hostel! Nice and easy. We got to the pub (called Filthy McNastys) and all met up. It was an awesome little pub. Posters for tours and concerts everywhere and quotes written over the walls etc. And come on, with a name like Filthy McNastys, it had to be good!!
There was a guy setting up with his guitar for some live music. It was really great. We stayed there for a little while before moving onto Laverys. We went up to the top floor to the 'beer garden'. It was basically on the roof with fairy lights everywhere and tables. It was so pretty. It felt like you were indoors, but we were outside!!
We eventually got asked to leave as the bar was closing, but me and laura still had full drinks. So Jordan and Christine hid them for us and we left. Therefore me and Laura had a nice walk home with our drinks :) It made it much more enjoyable. We got to bed late and had to get up early to get a bus to Dublin the next morning. It reminded me of contiki party nights, they always seemed to be the night before a travel day!! At least it means we always sleep on the bus!!
We did just that. Had a big sleep in, sorted through our packs and tried to wash a few bits and pieces (as best as you can wash them in a sink), called some of the family and caught up on Skype dates.
During the day, we spoke to our friend Ash from Contiki who said she would be in Belfast the next day. We still hadnt done much sightseeing of Belfast and had no other plans so decided to extend once again!! For a place we werent planning on going at all, I was beginning to really like it!!
Lunch that day does deserve a special mention... We walked around town for a bit absolutely starving!! Then we found a pub with a sign out the front that sounded too good to be true!! 5.10 euros for a meal with a pint!!! It would have been wrong of us not to stop. We ate so much and drank our pints. It was amazing. We had to waddle our way back to the backpackers.
We had a quiet night and got loads more sleep. I think it was the most sleep we had gotten since we first left Australia. It was well overdue.
The next morning after breakfast we walked into town to have a look around. We got lost looking around and somehow found this really cute little shop with tshirts and shoes and all sorts of different stuff. While we were looking around I started talking to the guy who worked there. I told him we were planning on heading out that night and that someone had recommended that we go to Robinsons (Troy, our bus driver from Paddywagon). The guy from this shop said that those places were really touristy and if we wanted to experience real Belfast nightlife we needed to go to a few other places. He gave us a little business card and drew a map on the back of where all the good local spots were.
We went in to get some photos of city hall and the city itself. When we were walking round the city hall building we got swarmed by hop on-hop off bus people!! They were from two different companies and each one was trying to sell us their tour over the others. We were probably stupid for actually showing interest, but we did actually want to do it! However this kinda turned us off, terrified us really. haha. So we ran away into the Welcome centre.
This was probably the first time we really got to experience proper Irish weather. When we left the hostel, it was sunny and warm, and by the time we got to the welcome centre it was pouring rain and cold. We had to run into shops to avoid it!!
After that we went to the oldest pub in Belfast for a beer. It wasnt cheap but it was good. Before they sold us the beer, they gave us testers to make sure we liked it. It was Belfast Ale, it was a lot sweeter than most beers, but I loved it! The pub itself was this really old building with loads of detail in the roof and windows etc. You could just sit in there looking at all the history of it. But eventually we left. Sadly.
After we got back to the hostel we made plans to meet Ash in town that night with her cousins, (Jordan and Christine). We also found a room to stay for Dublin after we left Belfast. We had been doing it pretty easy so far with our private twin share room, so Dublin was going to be a bit tougher. We booked an 8 share mixed dorm!! It was 10 euro per person though so we thought it was an ok option and we would see how we went.
After a bit of a rest we got ready and made our way in to town. Turns out the pub we met Ash at was only 2 blocks from our hostel! Nice and easy. We got to the pub (called Filthy McNastys) and all met up. It was an awesome little pub. Posters for tours and concerts everywhere and quotes written over the walls etc. And come on, with a name like Filthy McNastys, it had to be good!!
There was a guy setting up with his guitar for some live music. It was really great. We stayed there for a little while before moving onto Laverys. We went up to the top floor to the 'beer garden'. It was basically on the roof with fairy lights everywhere and tables. It was so pretty. It felt like you were indoors, but we were outside!!
We eventually got asked to leave as the bar was closing, but me and laura still had full drinks. So Jordan and Christine hid them for us and we left. Therefore me and Laura had a nice walk home with our drinks :) It made it much more enjoyable. We got to bed late and had to get up early to get a bus to Dublin the next morning. It reminded me of contiki party nights, they always seemed to be the night before a travel day!! At least it means we always sleep on the bus!!
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