A "Brief" Overview.

In hand: nothing now, but I did have a nice cappuccino at the train station that spilled as I lugged my luggage up the stairs.  After taking my 3 heavy pieces of luggage, one especially humongous, through many stations, airports, and staircases during this trip, I feel like I truly know what it means to “lug.”  And there’s still more to come before my lugging is done.

I am currently on the train to London and thought I should put my 15 minutes of free WiFi to good use by uploading another post to actually explain what I’ve been doing the past week!  I have that strange feeling where it seems as though the week went by so fast, but when I think back to my very first flight, it feels like it was ages ago.

Dublin was great.  I missed the Guinness tour to catch up on my sleep, but joined the girls later to eat at a café, walk around the city and shops, and eat some Irish stew from a place near Temple Bar.  I really enjoyed the city atmosphere, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted to see something more “authentic” Dublin.  I also really wanted to find a place that played traditional Irish music for the next night.  The following day was our big sightseeing day.  We visited the Wax Museum first.  Some of the figures were older, but some were very well made and freaked me out as they stared straight at me.  I liked the rooms that showed famous Irish athletes or comedians or figures in history.  I also liked to have some fun with the figures.

Oh, just singing with David Bowie.

We then took a stroll through Trinity College, which was a beautiful college.  I loved the old architecture of the buildings and the feeling of being on a college campus in a different country.  I had heard that the library was incredible, but we opted out because there was a fee to see it.

The entrance to the university.

The Dublin castle sat right in the middle of the city.  We explored the courtyard and outskirts, but didn’t pay to see the inside.  I love the cylinder towers on castles- I’m sure they have a real name for those, but I am not using part of my 15 minutes to look it up.

This isn't the whole castle, just a wall!

St. Patrick’s cathedral was a must, but again, it was pricey in order to see the inside so we settled to take in the beauty from the outside.  I loved the park right outside of the cathedral- the fountain and flowers provided a lovely setting to surround it.

Pretty, right?

That evening, we tried some “famous” Burdoch fish and chips.  They claimed that many celebrities have had these including Sandra Bullock and I think Justin Timberlake’s mom.  So, of course, we had to try these!  Pretty greasy, and pretty delicious.

Yummmmm!

Now, for the night, I found a pub that seemed promising in terms of providing an authentic Irish pub experience- The Cobblestone.  However, it was a little far out of the city centre so it was quite the walk to get there.  After getting us lost for a bit (of course), we finally came upon it.  Outside, the Cobblestone was a little beaten up.  Inside, it was dimly lit, covered in random memorabilia, and full of locals staring at us.  Score.  I loved when the musicians came and played live Irish music, even though the whole bar didn’t erupt in song like I had imagined they would.  I mean, they do in the movies right?

Inside the pub!

The next day, we were on our way to Belfast after a stop at Starbucks- I just needed to check if it’s the same in Dublin as in the States.  It is. =)

Cheers!

The view from one of the many bridges in Dublin. =)

Belfast, like I said before, is a cute and wonderful city.  After the hostel in Dublin, we were spoiled with a fancy apartment with a kitchen and semi-working washing/drying machine.

Our living room!

The first night was nice- the Italian place that the friendly cab driver recommended was delicious and we felt like the only tourists there.  I know that sometimes it okay to embrace being a tourist, but I like to try and see what real life is like in these places.  The bright café, Sinnamon, we went to afterwards was where I had my deliciously foamed cappuccino and took a lesson from the barista.  After a long long walk home through various neighborhoods in Belfast, we found our way back to the apartment.

Our next day was full of adventure and beautiful sights.  We walked through the breath-taking city centre and boarded our bus bright and early.  Our stops for the day included: Carrickfergus Castle, Bush Mills Distillery for lunch, Dunluce Castle ruins, Giant’s Causeway, and the Carrick rope bridge.  I loved seeing the landscape of this part of Ireland.  It was so vast and green, with hills of grazing sheep and the coast not too far off.  After seeing my share of beaches and farms, it was strange to see the sheep so close to the ocean.  We couldn’t get enough of the fresh air, feeling of completely open space, and beauty of the cliffs.  Elizabeth was dying to climb something, so we even climbed up a steep, grassy hill to take it all in.  The famous rope bridge was smaller and less dangerous than we expected, but with the wind blowing, I was still a little nervous walking across.  We were so thankful that, besides some rain here and there, it was a lovely and sunny day!  On the long venture home, I finished Catching Fire (yes!), listened to our bus driver’s corny jokes (yes!), and took a nap (yes!).  All good things.

The Dunluce Castle ruins!

One of the ports along the way.

After our climb at Giant's Causeway.

Crossing the bridge!

The gorgeous view after crossing the bridge.

Bus ridin'.

We were sad that we didn’t have a chance to check out any of the Titantic attractions, because Belfast was where the Titantic was built and they had many events for the 100^th anniversary.  Most things were sold out!  However, we did see some memorials in the city centre.  That night we enjoyed a night in, including garlic bread, pizza, and wine!

One of the Titanic memorials on the street.

The beautiful city hall building!

Family dinner in our dining area!

Edinburgh just made me happy.  We stayed in another apartment (not as nice) that was close to the main attractions of the Royal Mile.  I was in absolute awe of the buildings and layout of this city.  The large, old buildings, the colorful cafes and shops, the detailed architecture, the cobblestone streets.  Not to mention the castle at the top of the hill that overlooked the city. 

Our first stop (after a café) was the Scotch Whisky Experience, as the request of Courtney the birthday girl.  This experience included learning all about the process of making Scotch whisky and the different regions that make Scotch whisky, and finished with the tasting of the whisky.  I was hoping that after learning about the process and discussing the aromas and flavors, that I would at least appreciate the taste, like I do with coffee.  NOPE.  We were all dying, especially Courtney, who had the “smoky” Scotch whisky.  This one literally made you feel as if you just smoked an old-fashioned tobacco pipe.  It definitely was an experience!

The Royal Mile!

I had two of these...

With our Scotch whisky in the whisky room.

After that we walked through different parts of the city centre and ate at Greyfriar’s Bobby Bar, disappointed that they were out of the sausage and mash. =(  Later on, we went to Whiski Bar, which promised to have live Scottish music.  We tried the local beer (and fell in love), made friends with the bartenders, and listened to the young musicians, who were apparently booked last minute.  I also got them to sing happy birthday to Courtney!  It was a fun time.

One of the many cute streets.

In Whiski!

The next day was a gorgeous one, despite a few rain spells.  We visited The Elephant House (where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter books) and explored the Edinburgh Castle.  There was so much to see!  I loved learning about what the castle was used for after medieval times; I never thought about what the castle was used for during that in-between period.  It was interesting to see how it has been restored and turned into memorials, museums, and exhibitions.  The view from the castle was aaamazing.

Elephant House cappuccino!

I started the "holding the drink in the picture" thing that my dad always does! =)

Edinburgh Castle!

Lovely view!

After a lunch of nachos, which we had been craving for days, we ventured through the National Museum of Scotland.  By this time, we were exhausted so we didn’t look through too many exhibitions.  My favorite was actually this video they were showing in the “Scotland: A Changing Nation” room.  It was different Scots talking about various things such as their favorite Scottish food, the best part about Scotland, the worst part about Scotland, Scottish words, stereotypes, what they miss when they go abroad, etc.  I felt that I learned so much from hearing them talk about their own culture.  After some resting at the apartment, we joined the FREE “Potter Trail” tour, which was basically a man in a cape taking us through the “creation of Harry Potter” because J.K. Rowling stayed in Edinburgh quite a bit during the time she wrote the books.  We each got our own wands for the tour (you know I loved this) and learned some cool things about Rowling and Edinburgh.  I hope they were mostly true!  Plus, it was fun having the wand and watching people stare at our guide, who really loved to stay in character.

With our wands!

Courtney getting "sorted." Oh boy.

For dinner, we decided to try the food at the bar from the previous night and then stay for some more local beer and Scottish music.  The sausage and mash was deeelicious, and since we had made friends with the bartenders, we were able to get a front table for the entertainment in the crowded bar.  I couldn’t contain my excitement when the music started.  This band was incredible and we had so much fun listening to them and clapping along.  It was a perfect last night in Scotland and last night of our UK tour together!

Holding up our water! 

Sausage and mash! Yum yum yum.

Loved these guys. <3

Today, the four of us went our separate ways.  I am so thankful for the time we shared together!  And though the trip ate a hole in my pocket, it was so worth it.  I am looking forward to staying in one place for more than two days- my solo time in London is about to begin!