It was time to make our way north and get the heck out of the city, but not before breakfast and a little wake-up walk, of course. About half a mile from the hotel up the River Shannon was Mejana Lebanese, open for breakfast and serving. The place was small and cozy, all decorated for Christmas, and had a view of the river out front. We took the time over our meal to reflect on the trip so far and do a little bit of planning for the day ahead.
That night we were staying in Enniscrone, about 2.5 hours north of Limerick. I had a private traditional Irish dinner reserved for us at a B&B at 5:30 that night, and we wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher on the way up. It was set to be a damn busy day.
Driving to the cliffs was peaceful and leisurely, and we were making good time. Time enough to make a stop off at a roadside graveyard atop a hill with some old ruins. It was raining and windy, and we stayed just long enough to snap a few photos and stretch our legs. Half an hour and a few wrong turns later, we were at the cliffs and ready to go. We started in the visitor’s center, buried into the hillside and containing a small cafe and informational exhibit about the geographical history of the cliffs and of Ireland itself. Not wanting to waste any time, we cut it short and made our way outside. The weather was still windy and rainy. Not ideal for photos, but also nothing unfamiliar to us Washingtonians. We didn’t explore much of the area, just enough to feel full in our experience. Up the hill to O’Brien’s Tower, we chatted and laughed, and I almost got blown right off the cliff on an unguarded muddy footpath. *Note to self: no photo is worth dying for… A check of the time and we realized we had already been there over an hour and were cutting it close for hotel check-in and dinner. It was time to head back to the car. We were blessed on the walk back down with a bit of a break in the clouds, enough to let a bit of golden light shine through the rain onto the cliffs and allow us our best shots of the experience.
Back in the car we checked our GPS and discovered we had a 3.5 hour drive to make in 2.5 hours if we wanted to make our dinner. By some miracle and some Grade-A driving by yours truly, we made it to check-in at the hotel and to our dinner only 20 minutes late. Not bad if I say so myself. It turned out to be the only home-cooked meal of the trip, and by far the best so far. Our host Marjorie has authored four cookbooks and did not disappoint. She really showed her skills in our wonderful dinner experience. I would highly recommend meeting this remarkable woman if you ever make your way to Ballina. Over the course of the meal we got to know our host and left feeling incredibly inspired. The stories of her and her daughter’s lives really made me question what I’m doing with my own life. Why am I not pursuing more of what I’m passionate about? Why am I at a job which brings me little joy and no sense of purpose? Musings for another time, I suppose… Anyway, we retired back to our hotel so full that I was bursting. In what felt like no time at all, I was waking up just before sunrise the next day.
Our stay in Enniscrone was nothing but peaceful. It’s an oceanside town very reminiscent of our own oceanside towns here in the northwest: the place to be in the summer, but almost a ghost town come winter. In fact there was hardly anywhere open in town during the day. We strolled the beach and the main drag until we’d seen enough to want to make our way elsewhere. The day was slow and we spent most of it driving the countryside into Sligo and basically right back out again. Our main stops were mainly in effort to pet some of the local livestock, all efforts in vain. The highlight of the day was our dinner at Pilot Bar, the hidden gem of this little town. We capped the night with some tomfoolery at Leisureland Arcade, and called it quits at our little oceanside stay.
Next we found ourselves in Belfast and it was December 4th, two years to the day from when Kaylee and I started dating. I planned our night for a classic dinner and a show, with dinner at The Fratelli restaraunt and our show at the Limelight, The Fratellis. You can see I went with a theme, and it certainly did not disappoint. Dinner was outstanding, pizza and Prosecco with a complimentary dessert from the restaurant. Thank you to the fine folks at the Fratelli for the favor. The show was amazing. The venue was small, but not too small, and the bar served drinks at VERY agreeable rates. So far a good recipe for a good time. The opener band was lively and punk and it reminded me a lot of the type of local shows from back home. In fact, I felt at home. A weird feeling to have in a big city so far from the town I came from, but it felt right. Belfast was winning me over. The Fratellis made their entrance and played an amazing performance. Apparently it was their first show in Belfast in 10 years. It was also the best band I’d seen all year, definitely no mistake in coming to see these guys. After the show, it was back to the bar for a night cap and off to bed.
The rest of our time in town was based around a visit to the Titanic Belfast. The museum was built on the same grounds its namesake, and the most informative Titanic experience I could have hoped for. In fact it was a borderline information overload, but the amount of interactive exhibits kept it fun and lively. With an included visit to the SS Nomadic with our ticket, we learned about the tender that ferried the Titanic’s passengers. Far more than enough history for one day’s learning, we made our way back toward the hotel and through the Belfast Christmas Market. I’ll tell you what, these Irish cities get in the spirit of Christmas waaay more than what I see back home in the States. This time we wound down the night with mulled cider and Irish hot chocolate. In the morning, it was off to our last stop: back to Dublin.
Our hotel was half an hour outside the city, and a little too high-class for our preparations. It felt like more of a business conference center/golf retreat, and had multiple restaurants and bars on site. In fact it was a little intimidating with so many suits around so we made our way into the city to see the Guinness Storehouse; a little more our speed. The tour was very impressive and had a lot of cool Guinness history, the best of which was in their advertising campaigns. My favorite piece of the tour was the #stoutie. It’s a pint of Guinness with your picture laser printed onto the head. I’m really glad I didn’t pass up that opportunity, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing. The tour was capped with another pint at the top of the storehouse in the seventh floor bar, boasting 360-degree views of Dublin. This was the perfect way to end our visit to the capital city.
Next morning was our flight out and our first real headache of the trip. Our flight from Dublin to London left nearly an hour late and we missed our transfer. With no other flights to the States, we were put up in a nearby hotel for the night with a complimentary 3-course dinner. I think it was actually worth staying an extra night for that meal and nonstop flight to Seattle the next day.
Now I’m back at home settling into the usual routine. This trip opened up a lot of new thoughts in my mind and even more questions. Hopefully in the coming year I can find some answers for myself, but more importantly I’d like to find opportunity for another trip like this one. Through the ups and downs of the trip, moments exciting and dull, it was an amazing experience that taught me a lot. There’s a hell of a lot more to the world than my little corner and I’ve never felt more fueled to see it. That being said, the feeling I got on the ferry rounding the corner into Bremerton reminded me of how great my home is and how much there’s still to see here. Here’s to maintaining a sense of wonder and open-mindedness: Sláinte.