Northern Ireland

Day 1 – Ballymena – July 2

The plan had always been to spend a few nights in Northern Ireland visiting Elizabeth’s Grandmother’s side of the family the McMullans. However, the matriarch and mother of our host had fallen ill and was beginning the process of passing from this world. We planned to skip the north not wanting to impose on the family in this time of mourning and head straight to Scotland. Elizabeth Irish relatives would not accept this insisting this was a natural part of life and we should come up none the less being very apologetic they wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with us. Irish people celebrate the life of a person more than mourn their death and they insisted the Matriarch would be upset if we didn’t come.

We agreed and trained from Dublin to Belfast on a 2.5-hour journey that weaved along the western coast through green countryside. A cup of tea, and some time to catch up on rest and writing, brought us into Belfast in the midafternoon. We then hopped on the short rail trip to Sydenham. While on route the bathroom door wouldn’t close; this didn’t stop one man from using it anyway. He asked the man sitting across from it if he was alright with the endeavor, but the train conductor was not as lenient. After a brief, but intense, verbal altercation where the man berated and challenged the train conductor, he stormed back to his seat. His wife came back, ostensibly to apologize for his behavior and explain how their daughter was in the hospital, but it did little to assuage the conductor. Oof, welcome to the UK. From there we took a courtesy shuttle to the Belfast City Airport to collect our rental car then we hoped on the roads towards Corkey where Elizabeth’s cousin (technically second cousin twice removed, if our genealogy math is correct), Mary Connolly, was letting us stay for a few nights. She lives in an absolutely gorgeous and quaint house nestled deep in the rolling hills of County Antrim. She couldn’t be a more gracious host and had a delicious Thanksgiving-style feast waiting for us when we arrived consisting of stuffed chicken, potatoes, carrots and asparagus, with soda bread – all smothered in a delicious brown gravy. We chatted with Mary as she educated us on Irish history, the troubles and Ireland culture. Bellies full and exhausted from carousing for a week straight, we decided to call it a relatively early night; we were asleep by midnight.

Day 2 – Giant’s Causeway – July 3

Waking up at 0930, we needed to go for a run to reinvigorate our bodies, still trying to purge the gallons of Guinness coursing through our veins from Dublin. Mary and her family live along two mountains, her brothers own the farmland on both sides, where they primarily raise sheep. We jogged along the steep slopes of the mountain taking in the lush green grass and scaring the sheep.

Mary being the ever-gracious host had a lavish breakfast laid out for us consisting of granola, two styles of yogurt, milk, pure orange (OJ), and fresh fruit. After stuffing us full she asked if we needed eggs or bacon to round out the meal. We politely declined, then asked her for recommendations regarding sites nearby. She recommended a few interesting walks/hikes, Bushmills Distillery and local shops, including the Giant’s Causeway, a sight we had already intended to visit.

We then set off to investigate the Giant’s Causeway, an interesting geologic site and how it formed. Roughly 60 million years ago an extrusion of basaltic lava formed a wide plateau which then cooled in a unique manner which allowed the basalt to crystallize in a similar way to how mud cracks form when water evaporates. This process produced the beautiful columns we see today.

There is, however, a much more believable Irish explanation. Finn McCool, a giant, was building a causeway from Northern Ireland to Scotland by throwing these rock pillars into the ocean. On the Scottish side lived another giant Benandonner – who also threw these rocks, and the explanation for why the pillars also exist over there. The distance between them shrunk as the causeway formed and McCool saw how much larger the Scottish giant was than himself. Finn had his wife dress him up as a baby and tuck him in bed. When Benandonner arrived to the Emerald Isle he saw Finn’s wife and the large baby and immediately turned away, declaring “if this is the size of his son, Finn must be the largest giant alive!” and destroyed most of the bridge during his retreat.

Whichever is true, the area is absolutely stunning and a marvel to behold. We hiked up and around a few of the cliffs and enjoyed the great views. The edge to the sea is very steep and a large staircase (the shepherds’ staircase) led us out of the shore. Once we were at the top, a sign read: imagine carrying sheep up this steep hill before the stairs were built. Hard pass.

We attempted to see Dunseverick Castle and Waterfalls. Google Maps led us astray however and rather than keep searching, we decided to grab a couple of pints in Ballycastle in typical Elizabeth and Ryan fashion. We popped into the Boyd Arms and shared some Harp and Guinness with a very welcoming bartender and some stereotypical locals. With thick northern brogues and jovial attitudes, they swapped stories and caught up on the local goings-on. Certainly, a dream come true for Ryan. We then returned to Mary’s down the narrow roads and did our best to avoid the other driver’s flying down the blind turns and she had a delicious lamb stew waiting for us. Another dream of Ryan’s coming true, homemade Irish stew in a countryside cottage. We snuggled into bed to watch an episode of Game of Thrones before falling asleep. We are only just beginning the show but everywhere we go in Ireland and in Iceland there are huge tours of things that were filmed for the show in these areas.

Day 3 – Glenariff Forest Park – July 4

From our open window every morning and every night we feel the cool breeze of 50-degree weather and hear baas and moos of the livestock – it’s such a refreshing way to begin and end the day! We went down for breakfast and met Mary’s eldest daughter Sara. Sara had been on a cruise through the Mediterranean, home from a teaching break from Qatar, but came back early for her grandmother. We had a delicious cooked breakfast with thick bacon and pancakes learning all about the middle-east from Sara. They gave us a long list of potential hiking areas to chose from. They live just south of the Glens of Antrim. This area is composed of nine glens – a glen being a lush valley – that stretch to the shores. We decided to visit Glenariff Forest Park. Glenariff – the Queen of the Glens – is a beautiful forested area with long trails and waterfalls. We paid the 5 pounds and ventured into the woods. We hiked the long scenic trail first that took us up 325 m of elevation with great views of the forest, wildflowers, and the coast.

The entire hike was around 9 km and brought us right back to the parking lot. After a quick refresh (ice cream, chips, candy, and gummies) we did the 3 km waterfall hike. We almost skipped it but I am so grateful we didn’t. You descend steeply down towards the river then get on a boardwalk that zigs across the stream surrounded by very green vegetation. The waterfalls were very beautiful and it reminded me of walking through the jungle – but with a reasonable temperature.

By then it was dinner time and we were excited for another Mary homecooked dinner. She made us chicken curry, you know how much we love Indian food, which we ate with soda bread and rice. We lounged in the living room watching a UK comedy show 8 out of 10 Cats – which we partially understood before turning in for the night. These days have been a much-needed chance to unwind and we loved being able to stay in an actual house with privacy and not sharing a room with a bunch of strangers. I’m sure our hosts thought we were losers content to lounge on the couch and get a late start most mornings.

Day 4 – Ballycastle – July 5

We had our laziest start yet Friday morning. We got up to a delicious breakfast then spent a few hours just hanging out with Sara and making her talk to us. We didn’t leave until around 1 pm then headed north again to explore. We stopped by a Hurler makers shop. Hurling is a huge sport up here and uses a hurl or a large wooden paddle. We got lucky that the owner happened to be around the shop when we arrived since he didn’t have tours anymore -but he let us look in his shop and gave us an order Mary had placed to deliver to her.

Our next stop was a Game of Thrones filming location called the Dark Hedges. It’s a narrow road with gorgeous twisted trees on either side that create a tunnel. We wandered through with GOT fanatics reading all the carved names in the trees.

Next we headed towards the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which connects the mainland to a small island primarily used for fishing. Elizabeth visited on her first trip and the crowds have greatly grown since then. The car park was another Game of Thrones filming location and it was funny to listen to the avid fans wander through excitingly discussing who stabbed who against this backdrop. We hiked around the coast and caught views of Scotland when the fog lifted then decided the 10 pound fee to cross a bridge per person was not something we were interested in.

We piled back into the car and headed to the town of Ballycastle – where my family “goes into town.” We wandered through the grocery stores trying to find a gift for our gracious host and some medicine for Ryan who was dealing with a cold. Sara told us she loves prosecco so we found as many bottles as we could.

We popped into Sara’s favorite restaurant/bar called O’Connor’s. We enjoyed pints and seafood and watched the locals pour in Friday after work. We also saw several businesses in this town with the name Donnelly – Ryan’s grandmothers maiden name. It began to rain – our first real rain since arriving in Ireland so we decided, snacks and prosecco in tow, to head back to Mary’s for our final night on the farm. She’d made us bolognaise and we got to meet a family friend as they headed back to the hospital to care for the Matriarch. We are going to miss this comfort and feeling of home.

Day 5 – Belfast – July 6

We woke up and went for a final long run past the fields and sheep. Passing an old man who shouted out of breath “it’s not worth it!” We again took our time getting on the road and spent the morning chatting with Mary and Sara and Mary’s hairdresser who came to do her hair. We told Sara we’d come visit her in Qatar and told her to find us in Oman. We tried to convince them to come visit us in the states enticing them with stories of Thanksgiving and Texan Honkey Tonks- they might be sold. It was time to say our good-byes and we made the hour journey south to Belfast.

We stopped at a bouldering gym there so Ryan could get his pump on – Boulder World Belfast. The place was decently crowded and it took us a while to figure out the numbering and colored tape system. We only lasted about an hour until we were tired and pretty hungry.

We found our hostel – Global Village in the University part of town and wandered the streets to find our dinner restaurant Nu Delhi. The Indian food was delicious and we enjoyed drinking Cobra and splitting Korma with other curries. We wandered back to the hostel then drank hot tea and played cards on the back patio until we were tired. The sun still set’s pretty late here – after 11:30, but still better than Iceland. The next morning we were leaving Ireland behind and heading to Scotland, just as we’d gotten used to one accent it was time to switch to another.

Things we learned in Northern Ireland:

Everyone born in Northern Ireland has the right to a UK and Irish passport.
Favorite sports are Hurling, Gaelic Football, and Camogie.
When Brexit was first announced all the protestant loyalist went to get Irish passports.

Republic of Ireland

Day 1 – Dublin – June 26

After an uneventful car return in Iceland, we were off on the 10:30 am flight to Dublin, which lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. In Dublin, we were meeting up with Tommy and Sara Madsen and Aaron Mansfield – all to celebrate Ryan’s 30^th birthday. For slamming Guinness and raucously singing Irish folk songs in a dingy pub is a bucket list item for Ryan. The Icelandair flight was surprisingly nice, considering we bought the cheapest class of seats available and neither one of us had flown that particular airline before. After arriving, and unsurprisingly finding Aaron four pints deep at the airport bar, we ventured to get our next rental car. We were supposed to be covered for rental insurance with our credit cards, but they required an actual letter to prove coverage – so that led to some issues. But eventually we were off, with Ryan driving a stick-shift on the wrong side of the road. We arrived at our hostel, Isaacs Hostel, and found Tommy and Sara waiting for us. After a quick refresh, it was time to start drinking. Across the street from the hostel is a pub called Ryan’s Bar – obviously it had to be our first stop. We got Guinness and Bulmer’s Cider and cheers-ed to health and wealth, something we would certainly need! After a round, we realized we hadn’t eaten that day and ordered their finest “Nibbler” a platter of wings, sliders, fries, and spring rolls.

Our next stop was a small brewery: Urban Brewing and Stack, where we enjoyed locally brewed beers in a dungeon inspired dark basement. Beer is so much cheaper here than in Iceland, only costing around 5-6 euros a piece. After a few rounds there, we decided we needed an actual meal and meandered the roads and alleys to a restaurant called Thai Spice. Among a few traditional Thai dishes, we ventured out with a dish called Wonton Bags, which basically resembled chicken-filled pot stickers. Now it was time to find some traditional Irish music and we settled on a pub called The Celt only two blocks away. The bar was packed, but we managed to find a few chairs at the bar next to a man with an eyepatch and what appeared to be aluminum siding for a cane. We finished the night out here, Ryan and Aaron singing along to all the pub songs and everyone drinking Guinness and Carlsberg beer. Ryan asked for a half-and-half (half Guinness and half lager) and was immediately shunned as a tourist and pain in the neck, according to a local at the bar that’s a Northern Ireland drink. Or maybe the waitress just didn’t want to make it, because she properly messed it up – see the beers Aaron and Ryan are holding in the photo below. We made the short trip back to our hostel and the boys managed to sweet talk a few beers from a group of German girls chatting in the common area. We then all piled in to our 8-bedroom dorm (4 bunk beds) and slept soundly.

Day 2 – Dublin – June 27

We woke up and enjoyed what our hostel called a free breakfast, but consisted of nothing more than toast and off-brand cereal. Tommy called them unfrosted flakes – they were cornflakes. We split up for the morning having individual boys and girls dates. The boys went rock climbing at Awesome Walls gym while Sara and Elizabeth explored a bit of Dublin by foot.

The girls first stop was to Trinity College. Trinity College was founded in 1592 and is one of the oldest universities in Western Europe. It is home to the Book of Kells (Latin manuscripts of the Gospels from 800 AD) and a prized alum includes Oscar Wilde. We wandered the grounds, enjoying the green space and the ancient architecture. We popped into H&M and were amused by what the Europeans call fashion. Clothing that’s in right now consists of high waisted cinching shorts and crop tops. Next it was off to Dublin Castle. This castle was completed in 1230 and was the seat of British rule until 1922, but now hosts the inauguration of new Irish presidents. We wandered past Christ Church Cathedral which is designated as the local cathedral of the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough. It was time to feed Sara’s baby so we walked back towards city center to a restaurant called the Queen of Tarts. We split a delicious veggie burger (spinach and pea!) and drank tea under the warm and rare Irish sun. Everyone keeps telling us how good the weather is right now. It’s still high 60s low 70s but all the locals are topless or running around in shorts and t-shirts, what a difference from the south. After our delicious lunch it was time to get our steps in so we could eat dessert. We wandered a mile along the river to a restaurant called Lolly and Cooks. Sadly, our cupcakes were not as delicious as we’d been building them to be on our mile walk. At this point the boys were done climbing, so we met them back at the hostel.

As you would imagine, we went back across the street to Ryan’s Bar (foreshadowing – we’d go there every day) so the boys could eat lunch and start drinking. We took the boys on a similar tour of the city popping in Trinity and up and behind the Temple Bar area. We stopped in Murphy’s Ice Cream shop and continued bar hopping and sightseeing our way up to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. St. Patrick’s is no longer a catholic church because it was converted around 1537 to an Anglican Church of Ireland. We walked around the outside enjoying the greenspace and warm weather before we returned to bouncing from pub to pub, playing cards and the hidden coin game. Finally, we were hungry again and decided to get some Italian food at Bar Italia Ristorante. Being the loud Americans we are, and not having a reservation, we were placed in the basement to enjoy our pasta and pizza. The self-led pub crawl continued back to our hostel so we could freshen up and get some grocery store beers and snacks for after the nearby pubs stopped serving.

Aaron has some Irish friends he and his wife met on their 6 months abroad that we were able to meet up with: Colin and Eva. We went to their friends’ bar called the Big Romance and enjoyed chatting with them about life in Ireland. At this point it was after 11 and the countdown to Ryan’s 30^th birthday was real. He enjoyed his last Guinness as a 20-something year old and we sang him into his 30^th year. The bars close anywhere between 11:30 and never here, largely depending on how the staff is feeling. They started flicking the lights at us so we started the journey home – obviously picking up Doner Kebabs and French fries on the way. Doners are kind of like gyros in that they are slices of lamb in a wrap or pita with grilled veggies and different sauces. Arriving back at the hostel we played drinking games and enjoyed our doners before finally turning in for the night – the other three people in shared dorm must have hated us.

Day 3 – Dublin – June 28

The girls woke up bright and early to get the birthday boy doughnuts and milk– there were about a dozen shops within waking distance to choose from. With their bellies full sugar and bread, we piled into the rental car and headed to the coastal town of Bray, about an hour’s drive to the southeast. Ryan once again did a great job driving stick on the wrong side of the road. We pulled into town and found a parking spot right on the beach. The hike was about 7 km (4.5 miles) along the shore to the next town called Greystone. The hike was pretty easy along a well-kept gravel trail with great views on the cliffs and sea below. It took us about 2 hours to finish and we enjoyed two new Doritos flavors when we were finished, Chili Heat Wave (9/10) and Tangy Cheese (7/10). We wandered through the cute beach resort town towards the train station. We walked past a relator’s office and saw townhouses there were selling from 500,000 to 1.5 Million euros. Eva was telling us the night before about the housing crisis happening in Ireland. Apparently, the city of Dublin is unable to build vertically due to laws enacted to maintain the city skyline, but there is a new push to abolish that law, so affordable housing can be provided to its citizens. After walking through the town, we took the 10-minute train back to Bray, then piled in the car back toward Dublin.

As our law dictated, we had to pop back into Ryan’s Bar for a drink to kick off his 30^th birthday celebration – and of course we couldn’t pass up on their Nibbler platter. After a round there it was time to head back into the city to a bar called Grogans, where Eva claimed they poured the best Guinness in town. The boys agreed that it was a particularly good Guinness. Unbeknownst to all of us prior to arriving in Dublin, the next day was Dublin’s Pride Parade. The whole town seemed to be out celebrating and there were rainbows adorning every flag pole and entrance way.

The bar hop continued until we decided we needed to eat dinner. We found a cool bar/restaurant called The Bankers Bar that had delicious bangers and mash, lamb stew, and sticky pudding to name a few. The drinking and card game playing then continued through the city back towards our hostel area. Along the way, we found a giant Irish gift shop that the girls had to pop in. In the meantime, the boys had to grab a pint at a bar called Cassidy’s across the way. There they found a bartender named Owen wearing a UNI women’s volleyball shirt. He said he found it at a local thrift store and knew it was a small college in the US, but had never met anyone from there.

Crossing back North of the River Liffey we caught the end of the women’s world cup against France at The Flowing Tide then found a bar with some traditional Irish music: O’Shea’s. O’Shea’s was a huge bar with a garden patio and large wooden interior. Once the band was playing, we found a table and enjoyed the musical duo: a woman on the flute and a man on the guitar. They were playing all of the hits and finally asked around where people were from etc. We revealed it was Ryan’s 30^th birthday and they played a special song for him – Frank Sinatra’s I love You Baby. The whole bar sang and wished him a happy birthday. Ryan’s memory is pretty fuzzy at this point. The Jameson shots were flowing and around 12:30, it was time to clear out and head home. We detoured to another Doner shop while Aaron and Ryan tried to grab a last drink at the Celt. Back at the hostel a very drunk birthday boy attempted to eat his meal but ended up violently puking in the shared hostel bathroom. All in all, I’d say he had a pretty good birthday.

Day 4 – Dublin – June 29

A few members of the group were struggling a little more than others this morning. The girls enjoyed a nice coffee date at a nearby café while most of the boys still nursed their hangovers. Eventually the girls and Aaron grabbed breakfast at the coffee shop next door to the hostel while Tom and Ryan purged their bodies with a jog around the city. By one o’clock, everyone was mostly functioning again and we headed to the river to catch some of the parade. The gay community of Ireland should feel very loved as the entire city and businesses were out to show their support. The boys were still hurting so we found them a full Irish breakfast and a beer to reset the bodies. spa

At this same restaurant we also found a heavenly warm lava chocolate cake which reset our souls. After some fuel we spent an hour or so window shopping and wandering the streets people watching the aftermath of the parade. All the parade walkers had liquor bottles hidden up their pants or whatever article of clothing that was fun to watch them wiggle out. We also popped in the Natural Science Museum of Dublin – maybe more accurately described as a taxidermy museum. We then headed down to the Dublin Science Gallery. The theme of the science gallery was Perfection, which seemed to mainly consisted of them focusing on people and beauty. They had several interesting exhibits where you could talk to robots (i.e. AI building the perfect robotic partner), have a machine gauge your happiness level by scanning your face, and see a model of the perfect human to survive a motor vehicle accident. The coffee/gallery area had these amazing chairs that spun and were attached to a half desk that you could join to your neighbor’s half desk and chair. Obviously, we were there for a while just enjoying chatting and being off our feet. As the afternoon pressed on, we all began drinking again and presumed our typical self-guided pub tour.

The bars were pretty packed with drunken pride goers, everyone was dressed in shawls, glitter and rainbows. We headed back towards our hostel around 6:30, so we could have our last meal at Ryan’s Bar before Aaron left for Germany and we headed to Galway the next day. In the Iceland airport we ran into a UNI alum, Maria, who we knew from St. Stephens. She wanted to meet up with us Saturday night and she found us at Ryan’s. After a delicious meal and a few Guinness’s, we got Ryan a t-shirt from Ryan’s and headed back out on the town.

We stopped in a sketchy dive bar to play pool and hidden coin game. Then Tommy, Sara, Maria and Elizabeth went to get a bubble waffle (a waffle wrapped into a cone filled with ice cream and other chocolate candies) it was delicious.

We found Aaron and Ryan at a bar called The Confession Box, where live music was playing and there was a small outdoor area. Maria, Tommy, Sara and Elizabeth left the bar at 11:30 with Aaron and Ryan claiming they were right behind us. After the split a local informed Aaron and Ryan that they were in probably the most republican bar in Dublin. After playing increasingly pro-IRA songs, the band locked the front door and patrons started calling for ‘one more tune’. They didn’t join the organization and headed back to the Celt – our bar from the first night to close it down.

Day 5 – Cliffs of Moher- June 30

We all woke up early to take Aaron to the airport then onward to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. However, the parking garage holding the rental doesn’t open until 10 on Sundays, so we put Aaron in an uber and hung around the hostel, getting coffee and napping until we could retrieve the vehicle. At 10 we were on the road towards Limerick, about a 2-hour drive from Dublin. While driving, we needed a bathroom break and luckily were able to pull into the Barack Obama Plaza. Apparently, Obama’s great-great-great grandfather lived near this area and they have a whole plaza with conference center, gas, and restaurants dedicated to him. It was hilarious to walk around and see the bronze statue of him and Michelle and the machine where you could smash his face on a euro. We got some snacks and tried a new Doritos flavor: Flame Grilled Steak (3/10) easily the worst Doritos I’ve ever tasted.

When we arrived in Limerick the streets were packed with people heading towards the stadium, apparently there was a Hurling game that day. We found a brunch restaurant called The Buttery and enjoyed friend chicken sandwiches and breakfast food, then wandered through some of the shoe and clothing stores on the strip. We decided to walk across the river to King John’s Castle. We kept seeing beautiful spires in the distance and were a little disappointed to find out those were just different church towers and the actual castle looked like a squat fort. The castle was built by King John in 1200 and we read lots of plaques about the sad, bloody battles that took place there along the Shannon River.

After our quick break, it was another 1.5 hours onto the cliffs of Moher. Ryan did a great job driving through Ireland, but it started getting stressful on the narrow side roads. Ireland has built up stone walls that run along the road less than 6 inches from the edge of the road with narrow lanes. When passing a car if they are slightly over the middle line, you’re tempted to veer to the side, but if you do, you’ll hit the wall. Locals were whipping around corners and driving down these roads at over 50 mph so it was more than slightly terrifying. We drove pass the Irish Open accidently. The large golf course is right south of the cliffs along the coast. It’s so windy there we couldn’t imagine trying to golf. Finally, we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher visitor center.

We poked around the visitor center and exhibition, before finally walking towards the hike and cliffs. There were a bunch of people and they have beefed up the walkway even since Elizabeth was there in August. There are now larger stones to stand behind so you don’t fall off the cliffs and you don’t get nearly as close. Apparently, this is a sight for a lot of Irish suicides and the winds are so strong that people have literally been blown off the side. We walked around – at a safe distance – and admired the geology and grazing cattle. There were also puffins on the small islands below.

After an hour of being blown around we decided it was time to head to Galway trying to get to the highway and off these back roads as soon as possible. It took us longer than anticipated to get there and instead of making the 6 pm mass at the Galway we arrived after 7 pm. Our hostel was called Kinlay House and was the nicest hostel Elizabeth and Ryan had ever stayed in. We were in a 6-person bunk room and the bunk beds all had power outlets, lights and curtains you could close around you. The kitchen, reception, and lounge areas were also huge.

We headed the couple blocks into the heart of the city to McDough’s fish and chips. We arrived just after 8 and they closed at 9. Our timing was perfect, as soon as we grabbed our cod and French fries and found a table, we watched the line fill up out passed the door with locals trying to grab a bite before they closed. The food was delicious. Next, we wandered around the downtown area looking at shops and bars. There are quite a few buskers (street artists and musicians) in Galway and it was fun to hear all the different musical talent. We stopped in two bars that night, both with live music and beautiful wooden interior. We called it an earlyish night and were in bed by midnight. At this point the tiredness from drinking too much and sleeping too little was starting to get to us all.

Day 6 – Galway – July 1

We woke up after 8 the next morning to head to the Galway Cathedral for daily mass. We arrived about 8 minutes late and had already missed nearly half the service – they go fast over here. We finished up mass and walked around the cathedral. The church is fairly new finishing construction in 1965 and was absolutely beautiful; a lot of the wall art work was mosaics and the stain glass windows were lovely flower shapes. We headed back to the hostel to enjoy our free breakfast of Nutella toast and Coco Pebbles. After packing, we wandered around town more in the daylight to finish souvenir shopping and get Sara her daily cup of coffee. We found a very hipster coffee bar run by all men who took their barista craft very seriously.

We piled back into the car around noon and made the hour’s journey east to Tullamore. We ate in a pub called the Bar Tap which was delicious and rustic. The interior was decorated to show the history of the local distillery: Tullamore D.E.W., our next stop. Ryan won the award for most delicious dish, a chicken and bacon pie with a crispy piece of pastry on top. After lunch we walked five minutes down the street to the distillery. The actual distillery is now located a few miles outside of the city and opened in 2014, but here they offer an ‘experience’. We decided to take the tour and our guide Tony lead us through the 6 steps in making whiskey. We got to play with the different grains used to make whiskey; malted barley, barley and wheat and then see the machines they use to process the grains, boil them, and distill out the liquid. A fun fact we learned is that when the men had to carry all the barrels and sacks of grain themselves, they’d slip a small bottle on their scapulars to dip into the barrels, and ‘test’ some whiskey as they worked. Tony called it Irish quality control. Before our tasting, we stopped at the aroma station to test our sense of smell. You squeezed a rubber ball that resembled a perfume pump and put your face in what looked like an old record player speaker then tried to guess the smell. I don’t think anyone did well. Next it was time for the tasting. Sara couldn’t drink and Elizabeth could only take the smallest of sips, since she hates whiskey, thus Tommy and Ryan got a good pour. We tried the original Tullamore D.E.W. triple blend, then a brand they only sell there called the Old Bonded Warehouse, and finally a 12-year special reserve. The whiskeys can have 3 different flavors depending on how they mix the barley, malted barley and wheat: spicy, sweet, and fruity. The boys then split another flight at the bar with a 15-year blend, a 14-year single malt, and a 18-year single malt.

Next it was time to walk back to the car and drive to Charleville Castle. There wasn’t a ton of information online about visiting, but we figured they would be an obvious visitor center when we arrived. The whole castle visit was a unique experience. We pulled down a private gravel drive through the forest and drove up to the front door of the castle. We parked and walked up to the front door where a sign said ring for a tour. The massive front door swung open to reveal a vampiric looking Frenchman. At this point it was a little after 4:30, and he asked us to come back at 5 for a tour and promptly closed the door. We walked around the outside of the castle and the attached chapel before finally being let in. The interior was very dusty and a little hard to breathe at times. Our tour guide spoke less than perfect English with a heavy French accent. He brought us through the house explaining the complicated and sad history. The castle was completed in 1814 after beginning construction in 1798 and is considered one of the finest Gothic-style castles in the country. Since it’s construction, the castle has not been continuously occupied. A rule stated a man needed to be 21 to own the castle within the family and countless men died at 22. Several children also died in this castle and our tour guide informed us that it was haunted by the good ghosts of these dead children and other dead relatives. The castle is associated with the Freemasons and there were several masonic symbols and stars in each room. We learned several interesting facts about the castle and a few are listed below:

The castle was purchased in the 1900’s by a flamboyant man who painted everything in purples and pinks even painting over gold leaf paint that now can’t be removed.
The castle is currently owned and occupied by an American woman who lives on the second floor.
The formal dinning room had a pot the men would pass around under the table to relieve themselves after dinner during business discussions.
It is now most definitely inhabited by ghosts and French, Freemason vampires now and we were lucky to have survived.

After the tour we were on the road back to Dublin and arrived at our final hostel the Kinlay House in Dublin. We ate our last meal at the Red Torch Ginger enjoying pad Thai and Panang curry before hitting the hay.

Day 7 – Dublin – July 2

We got up early to get Sara and Tommy to the airport for their flight back to the US. Then we headed to the train station to catch a train for Belfast. We ate lunch at a restaurant called Boojum – Irelands first burrito restaurant.

Things we’ve learned in the Republic of Ireland:

Everyone loves Garth Brooks.
There is no such thing as too much Guinness.
A heat wave can be 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Iceland

Day 1 – Thingvellir National Park – June 21

The flight to Iceland was a short 5.5 hours from NYC. We were fortunate enough to fly Delta Comfort+, so we had a little extra leg room. Ryan was able to sleep a of couple hours, but Elizabeth had too many movies she wanted to see. We arrived at 6:30 am in KEF, half an hour early despite our late departure. The duty free is located right after the border check so we each got a 6 pack of Icelandic alcohol. Elizabeth chose a lemonade and vodka mix called LoV and Ryan got Tuborg Gold, a lager beer. I think this was the earliest we’d ever bought beer. After gathering our luggage and waiting for our rental car shuttle to show up, we were transported to an altogether different rental car company than the one we booked with. After scaring us with horrible gravel road conditions and strong winds ripping off our doors, we were on our way to Reykjavik in our Mazda 2 manual drive. It was a quick 45 minute drive up to the capitol and most of the radio stations in Iceland are classic American hits.

We ate breakfast at a small café called Café Loki. It had several interesting menu items that excited Ryan (including the fermented shark), but we decided to keep it simple on the first day. We got sugar pancakes (crepes filled with granulated sugar) and a lamb flatbread (thin sliced of smoked lamb atop a buttered piece of cold bread). After a few bites we declared it surprisingly good. Iceland is a very expensive country. A typical three course meal in Houston for 2 people costs about $65, where in Iceland the average cost is $112 – needless to say we will be splitting many things. We next ventured across the street to the modern Lutheran church Hallgrimskirikja. This church was consecrated in 1986 and was inspired by the Icelandic landscape with a 73-meter tower. The interior was very simple with white walls and a large organ in the back. We then wandered around downtown Reykjavik in search of a grocery store. We settled on a discount store called Bónus. We bought some fruit and stove top meals but the greatest debate was choosing which Doritos flavors to try. Elizabeth is a bit of a Doritos enthusiast and has enjoyed sampling them from all her travels abroad. We settled on red bell pepper (rated 7.5/10) and sweet chili (rated 9/10) flavored.

Next it was time to hit the road into the mountains. We traveled 1.5 hours out of the city to Þhingvellir National Park. This park lies between two tectonic plate boundaries (the Eurasian and North American Plates) on top of the mid-Atlantic ridge. We parked and walked to the Lake Þingvallavatn which is the largest lake in Iceland. We were then able to walk along the North American plate boundary and look out into the large rift valley between the two plates. The hike took us past a few waterfalls and rocks that made Ryan want to climb over the rope and do some free soloing. At this point it was about 2 in the afternoon and we were struggling to stay awake. We discovered that Doritos were the key in staying awake on our 30-minute drive to our hostel. We stayed at Ljosafossskoli Hostel near the city Selfoss – it used to be an old school building transformed into a hostel. We took showers in men’s and women’s locker rooms reminiscent of middle school days. We made our first hostel meal (cut up green bell peppers with hummus and Icelandic Ramen Noodles) and drank a well-deserved beer. The goal was to stay up until 9 pm to help with jet lag, but Elizabeth only made it to 6:30. Sleep was rough. The sun never sets in the summer so the light from the edges of the window made it constantly feel like early dawn. Even so, we still managed to get a full night’s rest.

Day 2 – Skogar – June 22

We had a lazy start the next day, waking up around 8 and hitting the road at 9:30. Our first stops were 45 minutes north at Geysir, Gullfoss and Brúarfoss. Geysir is exactly what it sounds like – a geyser. We somehow managed to beat most of the tour buses and enjoyed walking among the many geothermal pools and geysers. One geyser in particular, Strokkur, erupts every 5-7 minutes and would sometimes launch water 80 feet or more into the air. There was a short trail up into the mountains so you could see several geothermal rivers and watch the geyser erupt from a beautiful vantage. Along the hike (and all the roads here) are beautiful blue flowers called nootka or Alaskan lupine which remind me of the bluebonnets back in Texas. Apparently, this flower was introduced in 1945 in the lowlands to help add nitrogen to the soil. After watching a few eruptions, we drove 10 minutes north to Gullfoss, obviously enjoying Doritos on the way.

Gullfoss was a gorgeous waterfall that, according to legend, was slated to become a dam, until the property owner’s daughter threatened to throw herself off of it, if the construction went through. More likely, they just ran out of funding, then sold it to the state of Iceland. That’s not a very poignant story though.

Our next stop was a string of waterfalls collectively referred to as Brúarfoss. After Google maps had us pulling into several private driveways, we finally found the proper entrance to the path in a parking lot off the side of the road. We parked the car and began walking down the gravel path that paralleled the stream, until we came across a large sign that said private property with a stout wire fence. Luckily, we had a bit of insider knowledge: you’re supposed to ignore those signs and walk through the hole in the fence. A few kilometers later, we were enjoying a light snack and a beer in front of Brúarfoss.

After hiking back, we made the seemingly interminable drive south down to Skogar. When we finally got on the ring road, or the golden circle as it’s affectionately named, we drove past dozens of beautiful steep hills along the coast. We also passed several notable waterfalls and hundreds of sheep and horses. Our hostel in Skogar is right outside of Skógafóss, a picturesque waterfall and the start of our hike the next day. After arriving, walked over to the huge falls, which was a former sea cliff with a massive drop of 200 feet – and was apparently featured in the second Thor movie. We then retreated to our hostel and splurged on “chicken wings” and French fries as the sun “set” over the mountain.

Day 3 Vestmannaeyjar Islands – June 23

We woke up fairly early to beat the hiking crowd on the famous Fimmvörðuháls trail and began hiking around 9 am. The trail begins with over 500 steps to get to the top of the former sea cliff; it was a beautiful sunny morning and we were the only ones on the trail. The full trail consists of a 13-mile hike past a few dozen waterfalls, between two glaciers and over a volcano. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen bus issues and timing, we weren’t able the complete the whole trail. We could only hike in 2.5 miles before having to turn around and hike out. This did nothing but prove to us that we needed to return and complete the full hike one day. We trekked through hills and valleys overlooking more than a dozen powerful waterfalls. Ryan also had a standoff with a sheep who refused to let us pass on the trail – eventually Ryan prevailed. We didn’t encounter a single other hiker until we had to turn around and head back to our car. By the time we returned (~11:30) the whole place was a buzz as all the tour buses arrived from the capitol.

We snuck back into our hostel to shower then drove to the coast to catch the ferry to Vestmannaeyjar Islands. These are very young islands – the youngest of which was formed by volcanic activity in 1973. The ferry was only 35 mins to cross the sea, but a fascinating experience nonetheless. Kids were playing hide and seek, there was a proper galley, an indoor viewing area, and multiple outdoor benches. We passed several islands with a single home on them before finally pulling into the main city. The ferry pulls into a narrow channel in the middle of the islands, so you get incredible cliff views as you pull into port. Our first stop was obviously a brewery, the first one we’d been to on this trip. Brothers Brewery had just moved to a new location that has only been open for about a year and was rated Iceland’s #1 brewery. Ryan got a beer flight and we enjoyed an afternoon of booze sipping and popcorn snacking. The next stop was to a delicious pizzeria. We drank some more beer and enjoyed the views before heading back to the ferry. At this point some clouds had rolled in, blocking the sun, and it was starting to feel pretty chilly.

Back on the mainland we decided to make one more stop and headed to Sólheimajökull glacier. Ryan had never licked a glacier and it became our mission. Bellies full of beer, we made the mile hike to the nose of the glacier. We played around for a while in front of the glacial lake, enjoying the views. Ryan managed to get his tongue on a good chunk. It was back towards the west after that, arriving at our hostel around 9 pm. They had free laundry services and we were already pretty stinky. We were up until well after midnight eating ramen noodles and trying to get these old machines to dry our clothes – though looking out the window at the never-setting sun you wouldn’t know it.

Day 4 Reykjadalur – June 24

We took our time waking up the next morning and headed to the hot springs hike Reykjadalur. The hike took about 45 minutes up steep slopes to finally arrive at the geothermal river. You pass several hot spots (with boiling water flowing out) and walk through walls of steam before arriving at the hot springs. We got right in and enjoyed the very, very warm water. As you would, expect we accidentally sat next to some Aggies. Ryan recognized their rings and we spent the next hour chatting with Andrew and Brian (classes of 2015 and 2016 – so young). As Elizabeth was sufficiently pruney by then, and Ryan exhausted from the heat, it was time to head back. We stopped in at another brewery (once you open Pandora’s box, there is no shutting it) called Ölverk, where we enjoyed a pretzel and more French fries. It was finally time to check into our next hostel: Capital Inn back in Reykjavik. This was our first experience staying in a 16-person dorm; we shared a bunk bed. After checking in, we headed into downtown Reykjavik to – you guessed it – Bastard Brew Pub (spelled Bastarður). We enjoyed playing darts and drinking until Elizabeth needed to be fed. We walked over to the grocery store and picked up another flavor of Doritos (Sour Cream 7/10) and lamb, rice and Korma sauce to make dinner at the hostel. We finally cooked our first proper meal back at the hostel and Ryan over-salted the meat! The beds are very creaky so it was rough sleeping, as you woke up whenever 1 of 16 people shifted slightly in their sleep – but you get what you pay for!

Day 5 – Reykjavik – June 25

The next morning, we finally decided to do a little exercising. We jogged a mile along the coast until we reached a geothermal lagoon and small outdoor fitness area. We didn’t pack a lot of cold weather clothes, so we were covered in goosebumps jogging in tank tops and shorts in rainy 50-degree weather. Ryan became a real fitness instructor forcing us to do pushups, planks, and dips. The beach area was really cool. It was man-made and they pump warm water into a hot tub in the middle of an inlet. We could see how this would be a popular spot on a warmer, sunnier day. After jogging back, we enjoyed Skyr yogurt – recommended by Elizabeth’s dad as the finest yogurt. We’d give it a solid 8.5/10. Next it was onto a public swimming pool.

When someone first suggested we go to a public pool, we were both skeptical. But, after learning they were heated, and being cold from our jog, we gave it a try by going to Laugavegur pool. It was actually a really pleasant experience. They had a big outdoor area full of waterslides, an Olympic swimming pool and kids’ obstacle courses, that were all heated. The best part for Elizabeth though was a series of hot tubs brought to different temperatures. We wandered from tub to tub enjoying 38, 40, 42, and 44 degree C water. Right before leaving, we went down the large water slide (Ryan’s favorite part) before Ryan needed lunch. We drove over to the western edge of the city to enjoy a lamb wrap from Lamb Street Food. We split the Leadersheep wrap and it was delicious. The plaque on the wall read “roaming lamb since 874”; the history in this country is pretty amazing. Still trying to drink on a budget, we noticed the brewery across the street had happy hour beginning at 3, so we had an hour to kill, which we accomplished by window shopping our way around the area. Finally, it was time to start drinking again at Bryggjan Brugghus Brewery. You could look out the windows and see all the cruise ships waiting to sail around the island. Next, we were headed to our final brewery in Iceland: RVK brewery. The owner was a total Icelandic hipster with blue hair and a rainbow unicorn sweatshirt. The day was still pretty dreary and cold – we got very lucky with the weather here, having sunny conditions every day we went for a hike. For our final meal we went to Block Burger and split a bacon cheeseburger sitting alongside the teenage population of Iceland. I think grunge style is coming back – lots of choker necklaces and baggy black pants. We returned to the hostel and spent the night going over our budget and finalizing some plans for Dublin. We wished we could have had more traditional Icelandic food, but it was so expensive! We definitely want to return with a much bigger budget and during the winter so we can see the Northern Lights.

Things we’ve learned in Iceland:

The midnight sun is incredible until you’re trying to sleep.
Not even the locals eat traditional Icelandic food – including fermented shark.
Nothing beats a warm bath in sulfuric smelling water after a long, cold hike.

New York City

Day 1 – New York City – June 19

We woke up entirely too early and caught an Uber for our 5:40 am Southwest NYC flight out of Hobby. We are only taking one backpack each (Elizabeth 40 liters and Ryan 65 liters), so fitting it all in has been a challenge. Everything was going smoothly until our driver’s worrisome comment that he needed some music to stay awake; we didn’t ask how long he’d been up. Checking our bags and going through security was a breeze (sad TSA precheck can’t follow us abroad) and we walked onto the plane to get second row seats. After a delayed takeoff due to mechanical paperwork issues, a screaming banshee of a child one row behind us, and in-flight drink services were delayed for an hour due to turbulence, we happily used our free drink tickets to kick off our adventure with mimosas and tea with Baileys.

We landed in LaGuardia around 10:00, collected our backpacks and took the bus to the subway, grabbing the F train towards Brooklyn. An Uber cost $45 and is a 30 minute journey while the subway cost $2.50, but took us an hour and a half. Unfortunately, to spend a year abroad we have to say farewell to some luxury. Ryan met a friendly filmmaker from Houston on the C line – she is apparently paying over $3,000 in rent for a one-bedroom apartment! After dropping our bags in the sketchiest Airbnb we’ve been to yet, and praying they’d still be there when we got back, we walked back to the train station to grab our first meal of the day in SoHo. Japanese curry at Go! Go! Curry! We got Katsu Pork, just as flavorful as the stuff we ate in Tokyo. We then walked through Washington Square and Union Square Parks on our way to a bar for a couple of overpriced cocktails in the East Village – even during happy hour! We had planned on walking towards the NYSE and 9/11 Memorial, but a thunderstorm rolled through and derailed our plans. We settled on Neapolitan pizza at Ribalta, a Michelin reviewed restaurant, then still had space for hot chocolate (one Belgian and one chocolate peanut butter flavored) from Max Brenner. A couple of drinks in and already over budget for the day, we decided to call it an early night and catch up on sleep for our long flight to Iceland the next evening. Oh and our stuff was still there when we returned!

The next morning we rolled out of bed around 9:00 and packed our rucks (over 25 lbs each, we might as well be Army Rangers) and set out on the hunt for bagels. We really put our backs to the test and walked 1.5 miles through Brooklyn to a shop called Bunch O’ Bagels in Crown Heights. We were the only non-Jewish people in there, other than the staff. It’s right in the middle of a Hasidic Jewish community and we got two bagels (one sesame toasted with butter and a poppyseed with avocado and vegetables.) They were delicious and it was interesting to see a glimpse of the traditional Jewish clothing and culture. Next it was back on the subway to the World Trade Center Memorial. We walked around the new One World Trade Center and saw the pool/fountain memorial from the fallen tower. We walked along Broadway passing the New York Stock Exchange and the famous raging bull statue. The statue was so crowded with people you could only see the top of its back sticking out of the crowd. We continued down Broadway to Battery Park and enjoyed a few hours there resting on the benches, reading, and looking out at Lady Liberty. At this point the packs felt at least 50 lbs. a piece and we were are already plotting which things we could abandon in Iceland.

With a little grumble in Elizabeth’s tummy we headed back into the city to find some pizza. We stopped at a pizzeria called Justino’s on Pearl Street. We enjoyed two large, greasy slices of pepperoni pizza and it gave us the strength to carry on. We then decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It took a while to find the pedestrian entrance and once we were on it, it was packed with tourists from all over. Ryan reluctantly took a few photos with the bridge and city behind us. The bridge is roughly 1.2 miles long. We were exiting on the Brooklyn side when an intense thunderstorm rolled in. We were within seconds of making it to the train station without getting soaked, luckily our bags dry fast. At this point it was around 4:00 pm and time to head to JFK. The subway took around an hour to deliver us to the airport. We spent the next few hours relaxing and waiting for our 8:55 departure to Reykjavik, Iceland. Adios U.S. of A., see you in one year!

Things we’ve learned from NYC:

You cannot be unfashionable.
Everyone wears earbuds in the subway – everyone.
The signs between train cars that say “Do Not Enter” and the turnstile emergency exits are mere suggestions to New Yorkers.
Our backpacks are too heavy.