This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel. When you've got an unlimited amount of time and have been saving money since high school for a trip such as this, deciding where to go can be a very fun but daunting task. Fortunately, I knew one place that was necessary for me to visit -- Ireland.
I worked at CNN in Atlanta in the summer of 2009. I was assigned to work on HLN's
Morning Express with Robin Meade. I was so excited to work on this show because I had already been a fan of Robin. My first week, I was the only intern working on the show, but I had been told there was another intern who would join me later. To my happy surprise, that other intern turned out to be one of my future best friends.
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| Brigid Moore |
Brigid Moore is from a small town in Northern Ireland. She is one of the most interesting, funny, intelligent and lovely -- inside and out -- people I've encountered. She made my summer and experience at CNN so much more enjoyable! I more than gladly accepted her offer to come visit her and her family in Northern Ireland the next summer!
God, as always, orchestrated the trip perfectly. My best friend, Brigitta Andrews, was unexpectedly given a month off work and was able to join me for the first ten days of my trip. We decided to spend a week with Brigid in Ireland first.
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| Me with Brigid and Brigitta |
Brigid picked Brigitta and me up from the airport in Dublin on June 8, and drove us to her hometown of
Armagh in Northern Ireland. Armagh is a small town known as the religious capitol of Ireland, full of beautiful cathedrals and churches. We experienced the traditional Irish weather -- overcast and light rain -- the whole time we were in Armagh. Brigid took us first to her parent's lovely home to unload our bags (mine being the largest suitcase known to mankind) and meet her father, Paddy Moore.
It is obvious where Brigid gets her quick wit and intelligence from. Paddy greeted Brigitta and me with warm hugs and a huge smile on his face. He and Brigid made us a snack -- tea and toast -- while they shared Irish history with us. Paddy is like a walking encyclopedia on Ireland. He shared stories about his native land that dated from thousands of years ago to today. He really was fascinating.
After getting settled, Brigid and Paddy took us to one of the world's oldest historical and Ireland's most important archeological sites, the
Navan Center and Fort. There were plenty of interactive activities for us to enjoy, and we were able to walk around the grounds and see the kinds of homes Irish people lived in over two thousand years ago.
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| Navan Fort |
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| Brigid and Brigitta |
After seeing this beautiful area, we ventured around Armagh's various cathedrals and churches. Each one was unique and so beautiful. The cathedral where Brigid's family attends is very large and traditional. There were many pieces of beautiful artwork and gold-covered fixtures. Another cathedral we visited was large with vaulted ceilings and many marble statues throughout it's space. Something surprising, though, was the presence of flat screen televisions on ever-other marble pillar beside the pews. It was interesting to see these modern touches on an otherwise traditional worship area.
After an afternoon of sightseeing, we returned home to the Moore residence, where we met Brigid's lovely and kind mother, Goretti. She prepared a wonderful meal and even made a special dish for me since I'm vegetarian. It was such a treat!
Exhausted from our flight and determined not to let jet-lag ruin our trip, Brigitta and I turned in early.
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| Fun taxi cabs in Belfast |
The next morning, we took a bus to Belfast, the city where Brigid currently lived at the time and where she had attended "uni." It was such a wonderful city! The history there was rich and the city was covered with old architecture, but there was also a very strong presence of modern life. It was a great combination of old and new.
We began by visiting Brigid's student home, a great two-story house that she shared with two of her best friends. We went to the near-by botanical gardens and then visited Queens College, the main university in Ireland. It was so beautiful, so different than the "constantly-under-construction" University of Tennessee. After exploring the city a bit, Brigid introduced us to two of my new favorite shops -- TopShop and Prixmark.
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| Ariel view of Belfast |
TopShop is a moderately-priced trendy place to buy clothes, shoes and accessories. I spent about an hour-and-a-half trying on European styles Brigid had picked out for me. TopShop was inside a shopping center that had a viewing deck on its top floor, allowing for an ariel look over the entire city of Belfast.
Prixmark was a great store for buying all things and was much kinder to my wallet. :) There was an interesting mishap that occurred at Prixmark. True to my bargain-buying self, I was going crazy in the shoe section, where I was finding great pairs of shoes for 2-10 pounds ($6-$25) each! I was so busy trying shoes on, that I misplaced one of the sandals I had actually worn into the store. I had to spend the remainder of my shopping experience with one bare foot until I could purchase another pair of sandals at the end -- good thing they were so inexpensive!
We enjoyed a delicious dinner after shopping and then headed back to Brigid's house to get ready for an exciting evening. Brigid's roommate, Eimear, was hosting a charity night to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. After meeting some of Brigid's friends at her house, we headed to a near-by venue for the Charity Night.
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| Patricia, Steph, Brigid, Me and Brigitta |
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| Brigitta's Solo |
Eimear's brother is a member of the band that was playing American classics like "Jessie's Girl," "American Pie," and "Foxy Lady" at the Charity Night. Brigitta and I were thoroughly enjoying dancing our hearts out and being the only Americans in a room full of Irish people! Brigitta even got up and sang an amazing a cappella version of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted," causing a standing ovation from the unsuspecting crowd.
It was such a wonderful night, but the best of our Irish adventure was yet to come.
After a wonderful evening in Belfast, we woke up to sunshine! Such a treat in the overcast lands of Ireland. We were very excited about the day ahead, and it proved to be my favorite day that we spent in Ireland.
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| Nial Foster |
When Brigitta and I were in undergraduate school at UT, we met an Irish foreign exchange student named Nial Foster. He is an incredibly kind and smart guy, and we really enjoyed getting to know him while he was studying in Knoxville. He is now working as a sports journalist for the BBC in Belfast. I am so incredibly proud of him and his many accomplishments!
Nial picked Brigid, Brigitta and me up in Belfast and drove us in his adorable Mini Coupe to the Northern Irish Coast for a day full of viewing some of the most beautiful sights God has ever created.
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| Northern Irish Coast |
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| Nial and I ordered Fish & Chips |
Once arriving to the coast and being awed into silence by the gorgeous blue sea contrasting against the dense green rolling hills, we settled into a cozy restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was on the water and was full of tourists and fishermen. Even though I'm a vegetarian, I had to try an traditional Irish meal -- Fish and Chips! It was so delicious. They served the two large pieces of golden-fried fish with chips (or French fries) and mushy peas. Nial and Brigid insisted I sprinkle my entree with vinegar and lemon juice rather than dipping it in ketchup. While I liked the lemon juice on the fish, I will definitely never put vinegar on my chips again!
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| Natural Bridges |
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Dunluce Castle
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After lunch, Nial took us to
Dunluce Castle, which is now in ruins. This castle sat on top of a hill overlooking the gorgeous sea and surrounded by naturally-formed bridges. It was easy to understand why someone would want to build their castle at this location!
We walked through the ruins, along with other tourists, and discovered what used to be hidden windows for watching for attacks and ovens in the former kitchen area. It was massive. Even though it is no longer a solid structure, there is still enough of the infrastructure that you can easily imagine what the castle would have looked like in its days of glory.
Nial definitely saved the best for last! After visiting the castle, he took us to
The Giant's Causeway, which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I can not even begin to describe the beauty of this place.
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| Giant's Causeway |
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| Top of Basalt Columns |
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from an ancient volcanic eruption. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 meters (36 ft) high.
We spent about an hour climbing the basalt columns and taking in the amazing scenery around us. It really was one of those moments I hope never to forget. As we sat there on these perfectly-shaped stones, I tried to memorize
everything around me -- the cool Irish breeze, the sound of the water hitting the shore, the feel of the smooth stones beneath me.
It was such an incredible experience. One that I am so grateful to have shared with such special people.
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| Brigid, Brigitta and Me |
We woke up early the morning after our day of sightseeing along the Northern Irish Coast and headed to a near-by bakery for coffee. This particular bakery was known for their
"coffee art," where beautiful designs are made in the coffee using cream. My "artist" made created a heart in my vanilla latte.
After our morning treat, we headed to the bus station to catch a ride to Dublin! I was so very impressed with the public transportation in Ireland. In America, the bus system is generally known as dirty and unsafe, whereas the buses in Ireland are very clean and safe. It is the common and preferred transportation from city to city. And, not only does it save the passengers money on owning a car, gas and parking fees, but it is also great for the environment.
We arrived to Dublin in a short hour-and-a-half. After checking into our hotel, Brigid walked us by the U.S. Embassy.
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Brigitta and me in front of U.S. Embassy in Dublin |
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Brigid and me on the bus tour |
The U.S. Embassy Information Center was very helpful in giving us directions to the nearest "Hop On, Hop Off" bus location. The bus tour was so much fun! For the price of 7.5€, we were able to see all Dublin's main attractions.
After the bus tour, we headed to dinner at a tapas restaurant.
Before my trip, I had heard plenty of stories from other travelers warning me about the food in Ireland and England. They had described it as nothing short of inedible. However, I found the Irish food to be delicious! Granted, this could be due to the fact that I was with a local who knew some of the best places to eat or due to my unusual taste buds.
That night, we met up with Brigid's older brother, Malachy. I had met him last summer when he visited Brigid in Atlanta. He is a great guy and showed us a wonderful time in Dublin.
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Me, Malachy, Brigid and Brigitta |
The next morning, we woke up early to tour the Guinness Factory before heading back to Armagh. The Guinness Factory is the largest employers in Dublin and ranked as one of the best employers.
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Brigitta and me at the Guinness Factory |
After our tour, he headed back to Armagh. We spent the evening hanging out with the wonderful Moore family and watching USA play in the first round of the World Cup.
It was so sad saying goodbye to Brigid and her family. They were such incredible hosts and showed Brigitta and I an unbelievable time in Ireland. I can't wait to come back!
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Paddy, Me, Brigid, Brigitta and Goretti |
Next stop, Amsterdam!
It is obvious where Brigid gets her quick wit and intelligence from. Paddy greeted Brigitta and me with warm hugs and a huge smile on his face. He and Brigid made us a snack -- tea and toast -- while they shared Irish history with us. Paddy is like a walking encyclopedia on Ireland. He shared stories about his native land that dated from thousands of years ago to today. He really was fascinating.
After getting settled, Brigid and Paddy took us to one of the world's oldest historical and Ireland's most important archeological sites, the Navan Center and Fort. There were plenty of interactive activities for us to enjoy, and we were able to walk around the grounds and see the kinds of homes Irish people lived in over two thousand years ago.
