Only 5 minutes before they kick me out of the Internet Cafe so I’ll make this a quick update … day 5 was a tour of Donegal. In the morning I went to Glenveagh National Park and did a small walk. It was sunny intermixed with showers but overall it was nice. The afternoon was a total washout, heavy rain made for a less interesting update but I did tour around in the car and it was still pretty fun. Ok, that’s it for now.

I’m now a little past the halfway point of my trip through the northern parts of ireland (i.e., Northern Ireland plus Denegal in the Rupublic of Ireland). So far I’ve been blessed with amazing weather which has been in stark contrast to the news I hear every night of South and West london getting flooded in historic fashion. Anyway, here’s my short blurp on the trip so far:

Day 1 | Belfast:

• After landing at Belfast City Airport I picked up my Mini from Hertz and was on my way (btw, not only was the Mini the funnest car I could get but it also was the car my parents owned back in early 1970′s when we lived here).
• I quickly dropped my bags at the Europa hotel. The Europa has the unfortuate title of “worlds most bombed hotel” and while things are safe these days it was my memory of one of those bombings in 1971 that gave me the idea that I should stay there.
• My first real stop was Fitzwilliams street, our home address for most of our stay in Belfast in the 70′s. I had hoped to have the building bring back a flood of memories but sadly it did not. I was too young when we left to remember the outside very well. To add to that my dream of knocking on the door and be invited in by loving arms from the current residents was quashed by the fact that the building is actually for sale and the three story flat is now three individual apartments. Darn. I tried calling the realtor but got no response.
• Belfast is a very different city than it was when we left. I can say that with assurance without holding claim to detailed memories of that time. The streets are filled by new shops that cater to a strong middle and even upper-middle class that was largely non-existant in the 70′s. Botanic street represents this new energy and wealth with movie theaters, gastro-pubs, edgy-but-not-dangerous record and book stores, and cafes.
• By the afternoon I had made my way to the Botanic Gardens and it was there that my strongest memories came back. I remember walking there with my parents (although I particularly remember being there with my mother) and going down rows of flowers and thinking it was amazing how many flowers there were. As I walked down these same rows as an adult it was unmistakably the same place although the scale quite the same.
• As a kid my main focus when going to the Botanic Gardens had been the Ulster Museam and in particular the gigantic wall map of Ireland and buttons below that allowed you to light up parts of Ireland at the simple press of a button. Magic or so I thought. On this trip I was looking forward to reclaiming my right to light up Ireland but this dream too was thwarted as the Ulster Meseam is closed for refurbishment.
• All crushed dreams aside, I had a great day walking around Belfast and given the right company would be happy to do it again

Day 2 | Heading to the Antrim Coast

• The weather weather continues to be amazing; I’m definately lucking out so far as a few people have pointed out that up to now the summer has been largely rainy
• The route north of Belfast along the A2 is a beautiful coastal two-laner that weaves along the ocean. No breakdown lane but lots of turn offs so you can jump out of your car and take pictures. I’ll definately add my pictures to the blog once I’m back in London but for the time you’ll have to believe me that it is quite spectacular.
• The two big tourist attractions on the eastern side of the Antrim coast are the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge and the Giant’s Causeway. On day 2 I did neither but I almost did the Carrick-A-Rede were it not for a surprising number tourists who got there first pushing the wait time to get tickets to 45 minutes. Arrgh. I decided to hike around a bit from that spot and take pictures instead and I think it was a wise choice. I left Carrick-A-Rede feeling like I’d experienced enough it that I didn’t need to go back and had some great pictures to boot.
• The day finished at town of Bush Mills at a place called — hold onto your seats — the Bush Mills Inn. The place had been recommended to me and for Irish standards it was a bit pricy but it was very well done and the meals were great.
  
• One of the things I found interesting at Bush Mills was that two people immediately asked me whether I was there for the golfing. I said no but asked why they were asking and they replyed that “oh most Americans come here for the golfing”.
  

Day 3 | The Antrim Coast

• The day started by heading over to the Giant’s Causway. There were a few walks one could take and all but one had walk times of less than 30 minutes. I had, however, been recommended to take the cliff walk which was a 5 mile walk (of about 2 hours).
• It was a good suggestion as the walk was filled by amazing views and due to its length there were very few people along the way which added to the feeling that the land was unspoiled and you were in nature rather than a tourist farm (which is what the main tourist area of Giant’s Causeway looked like from the cliffs).
• The walk finishes at a an old castle that looked fairly cool from the pictures in the tourist center but it turns out has since then largely fallen into the sea. The bits that remain resemble a pile of rocks more than they do a castle. Ahh well, no complaints as the walk had been great.
• I now looked forward to going to the tourist center at the castle/pile-o-rocks, buying a drink of water, and waiting for the bus to take me back to my car. But wait … no tourist center, no selling of water, and questions all around about whether this was indeed a bus stop at all. I talked to two other confused groups and eventually decided to try my old hand at hitchhiking. I used to do a lot of hitchhiking but its been years since I tried and I wasn’t completely sure whether the sticking out of the thumb was a recognizable gesture in Ireland. The first several passer-bys certainly were doing a good job of pretending I didn’t exist but I did eventually get a ride.
• Being the good semaritan that I am I got back to my car and drove back to pick up an elderly Irish couple and their daughter who were still stranded at the so called bus station. By the time I arrived they had given up on the bus and had started to walk. They were quite happy to take me up on my offer of a ride and even tried to insist that they give me money. On general principle — not to mention concern of loosing my “good semaritan” status — I summarily dismissed their attempts to give me money. I dropped them off back at the Giant Causeway and then pulled in for a Guiness. Now guess who the cat dragged in? If you guessed it my new Irish friends then pat yourself on the back, you’re right. They were already at the counter buying Guiness and tea when I showed up and now it was payback time; one more Guiness please.
• After I had finished the Guiness it was time to head further west to Portstewart, Dunluce Castle, and eventually to the Mussenden Temple on the Downhill estate.
• I could tell already that I had got a little too much sun from my cliff walk so these later stops were a little rushed and I found myself enjoying moments in the shade equally to the sites (not a good sign).
• I will say that the Dunluce Castle is a proper castle. No pile-of-rocks like my earlier experience. Well done Dunluce Castle.
• Mussenden Temple was also pretty but as there wasn’t nearly enough shade I can say without appology that I didn’t dilly-dally much more than I had to.
• I got back to my hotel at the Bush Mills in and got a message and called it a day.

Day 4 | Whiskey and then Donegal

• Old Bushmills Distillery
• Today started very late. I got up at 9:30 just in time to grab breakfast and then slept again until noon right before the last checkout. I caught myself feeling guilty about not getting up earlier so I could do more but give me a break … its vacation not a mission.
• Once I finally did get things into gear I drove 1/2 mile down the road to the