The Parents Have Landed

After my morning class on Wednesday, I took the bus into town and spotted two familiar faces waving to me from a hotel window.  After having been in Amsterdam for a few days, my parents had arrived in Dublin!  It was oddly not too weird to see them here in Ireland which is strange because when family members come to Colorado, it feels out of place.

Once the hugs and catch ups were done, we headed into the heart of the city where I took them on a brisk walking tour of Dublin.  I had another class that night so we parted ways and made plans to meet up the next day.

Quick stroll in St. Stephen's Green

The three of us met up in the morning and had a traditional Irish breakfast at Gerry's Coffee Shop (no relation to my dad).  I neglected to tell the parents what black pudding, part of the traditional Irish breakfast, was until after we ate (it's normally made from pig's blood).  We then headed over to St. Patrick's Cathedral.

After my class later in the day, my parents met me at the UCD campus.  We didn't get to walk around much because we had bought tickets to the Guinness Storehouse and had to get there before they closed.

In the Gravity Bar!

We made it in time to the Storehouse and went on the self guided tour.  Of any brewery tour I've been on, this one was the best.  Very informative and entertaining at the same time.  I also really enjoyed the Gravity Bar at the top of the Storehouse where you get a free pint of the black stuff and a 360 degree view of Dublin.

For dinner, we went to Gallagher's Boxty House, the place I had been earlier in the semester for the cooking demonstration.  Absolutely delicious!

The next day was the beginning of our 3 day tour in Northern Ireland.  After meeting up in the morning, the three of us hopped on the most stereotypical tour bus imaginable (think leprechauns and lots of green), the Paddy Wagon, where we made our way up to Belfast.  Our tour guide, Lee, told us some of the history of Ireland and about the division between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  A lot of what was said was stuff that had been covered in my Irish history class so it was a good review.

Going into Northern Ireland was very strange.  Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom whereas the rest of Ireland, aka the Republic of Ireland, is part of the European Union.  The most noticeable differences are the use of the pound sterling instead of the euro and the flying of the Union Jack as opposed to the Irish flag.  Being in Belfast felt a lot like being in Liverpool.

When we got to Belfast, we took a black taxi tour with a local guide who explained the division not only with the rest of Ireland but also within the city.  There is even a wall in the city that separates the Catholics from the Protestants.  The conflict between the two is still very much a thing.

The wall separating Belfast

We then went to the Titanic Museum.  The Titanic was built in Belfast.  The museum is housed in a very impressive building!

Titanic Museum

After settling into our hostel (a new experience for the parents) we walked around Belfast a little followed by dinner with the rest of the tour group (which included some crazy/funny/nice Kiwi's, an Italian, two Germans, an Australian, and two other Americans).

Belfast City Hall

On Saturday morning, we got back into the Paddy Wagon bus and drove up to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.  The scenery was stunning!  The rope bridge was fun to cross but the real pleasure was in the amazing views of the cliffs and looking out over the water.  We could even see Scotland!

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

The next stop of the day was The Giant's Causeway, "an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns" caused by an ancient volcanic eruption.  Once again, incredible!

Our last stop of the day was in the town of Derry (or Londonderry depending on if you're a Unionist or Irish Nationalist).  Our tour guide Rory spoke more about the conflicting sides and led us around the town.  After the tour came dinner followed by the pub crawl.  Both the parents wanted to go on the pub crawl and I'm sure it was an experience for them.  They did a good job of keeping up with the rest of the group!

This morning, minus a few stops here and there, the Paddy Wagon headed back to Dublin.  My parents have a flight back to the USA tomorrow morning and so we parted ways near their hotel.  It was great to see them for a few days!  Going to Northern Ireland was something on my to do list and I'm glad we got to experience it together.

Giant's Causeway

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Next weekend is the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher with API!  

I can't believe tomorrow is April!  My time here is going way too fast!