Following Galway we made our way up to Derry in Northern Ireland. We had been told by some to call it Derry and others said to call it Londonderry (Catholics tend to refer to it as Derry and Protestants use Londonderry) so we just chose to never say the name. It just so happened that our trip also lined up with an annual parade called the Apprentice Boys Parade. It is one of Northern Ireland's biggest parades and marks the anniversary of the ending of the Siege of Derry in August 1689. Members of the Apprentice Boys, one of the Protestant Loyal Orders, made their way around the city's historic walls accompanied by bands (over 150 bands). While interesting, it was a bit unnerving because A.) There is still some unrest in this area and the recent murder of a journalist has only amplified it and B.) It appeared everyone had been drinking since the early morning. To be honest, we didn’t do a whole lot in Derry except walk around the city, which was interesting because it is known as one of the best examples of a walled-in city in Europe. And walking around these walls was fascinating.
After Derry we had a short bus ride to Belfast, which might be best known for being the birthplace of the Titanic. There’s a relatively new museum dedicated to the ship that is a MUST visit if you find yourself in Belfast. It covers every step of Titanic’s lifespan from idea to construction to the sinking and lastly the discovery. More recently, Belfast has gained notoriety because the surrounding area was used for a lot of the scenes in Game of Thrones. Being the fans that we are, we obviously had to book a tour to see these places paired with The Giant’s Causeway. The trip included Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, The Giant’s Causeway, and The Dark Hedges.
Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge - Alright… so we knew this was on the list of places to go and the reviews are amazing. People raved about how it was a long hike to get there, really scary, and only a couple of people are allowed on the bridge at a time. We are all about experiences and up for trying anything but this was a massive disappointment. Our bus driver said we HAD to pay him (9 Euro each) on the bus before we got there and looking back we think it’s because they know if you were allowed to see the bridge then you probably wouldn’t pay. I would venture to guess the bridge is about 60 ft. and you are on the bridge with about 8 other people and rushed along by the guides.
Giant’s Causeway - Incredible sight and we would highly recommend making the trip to see this. It’s crazy how perfect these rocks are-almost like the perfectly cut stones we saw in Peru at the ancient Inca sights. The only downside are the crowds but there’s not much you can do about this. There are people EVERYWHERE that can easily distract you if you let them.
The Dark Hedges - This is also a very popular place now because it was used in Game of Thrones scenes. It will probably only take you about 20 minutes but get there while you can because they predict the trees will be gone within the next 5-10 years.
Overall, the history of Northern Ireland is fascinating and it feels different than the Republic of Ireland. There wasn’t as much to do in the cities but just like the rest of Ireland, there’s so much to see and do outside them, it makes it worth a trip if you have time.
