I slept pretty well and woke up on my own at 7:30 ready for another day in Northern Ireland. Hostel sleeping can be sometimes questionable, since its basically like a dorm full of people you don't know with paper thin walls. Stevie had claimed to hear screaming in the middle of the night but Claire and I both must have slept through it because we had no idea what she was talking about.We had booked a tour of the main Northern Ireland sites that was planned to depart at 8:30 so we head down to the front desk that was next door about 7:50 to get some breakfast and to pay for our rooms. When we went to ring the bell, no one answered. We kept ringing the bell, Claire climbed up on the window ledge to peak in the window, we called William's cell phone...nothing. At this point, a group of woman joined us outside trying to get in. Now normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, we could shove the key through the mail slot and be on our way. But William had taken Claire's license as a deposit for the key and it was locked in the safe. Out of desperation, I kept ringing the bell (it had worked at the Nam de Mun) and then decided to start calling out through the mail slot. Still nothing. At this point, we had to go to our tour so we left a message on William's mobile that we would be back later to collect Claire's ID and pay. We head to Paddy's Palace Hostel (only about a 10 minute walk), only to find out that the tour actually started at 9:30 and that "it was wrong online". No big deal, such an Irish mentality. However, it worked out well for us, because it gave us an opportunity to head back to our hostel to get Claire's ID because William would have obviously opened the door by now. Breakfast was supposed to start at 8 and it was 8:30 at this point. When we arrive back in front of hostel, our three lady friends were not outside so we figured all was well and William had opened the door. We rang the bell and the women answered, told us that William was still MIA and that some other guests had let them in. We were beginning to get worried at this point. William was very on the ball and this seemed very out of character. But then again, underneath the desk were two empty bottles of whiskey and William's sandals. When we had left William the night before, one of those bottles of whiskey was full. Perhaps this explained his seeming disappearance. Passed out somewhere with one heck of a whiskey hangover.
All that was left of William--- two empty bottles of whiskey and his shoes
More guests came down and we told them that William was MIA. Some went to wander around the hostel to see if they could find him. Claire and I did what most people do when they are stuck in a hostel full of strangers. We made breakfast. Now I am fairly certain if we had time, Claire would have made the whole hostel breakfast. But given our time constraints, we rummaged through the cabinets and fridge and made one heck of a good batch of scrambled eggs with cheese and ham. And for the masses, Claire made toast. I was scrambling eggs, Claire was delivering toast, life was ridiculous.
We chatted with some Australians (everywhere we go we meet Australians) and even discussed the footie with them. Yep, hip to Aussie Rules Football, so worldly. Making friends wherever we go. It was almost time to go to our tour and William was still MIA. Another group of girls came down to the desk, and had to leave to go home and had flights (or buses?) to catch, but William had locked their passports in the safe. Problematic. Out of desperation, these women called information and local police authorities. I'm not sure what they were hoping to attain from this, other than reporting the fact that their passports were not in their possession. From the part of the conversation I heard, the police weren't very helpful. We didn't get to see how it played out because once again we had a tour to catch.
We headed back to Paddy's Palace to board our Paddywagon Tour. (More or less cheesy than a Duck tour?!?). We had to wait for another bus to come, and soon I was flagging people down to board the bus. They offered me a job on the spot. Driving a tour bus around Ireland (with my joke telling and camper driving skills) sounded pretty perfect. Summer plans, check. We boarded our little bus and got ready to hit the dusty trail. An hour to the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. I napped a little, and listened to Troy, our tour guide, ramble about the Irish countryside. We passed Liam Niesen's Irish home, which Troy was sure to point out.
We arrived at the Carrick-a-rede Bridge. Carrick means rock in Gaelic and therefore is in the name of many places around Ireland due to the rocky/cliffy nature around the island. The rope bridge was on a must see list, and I am fairly certain Lindsay would've disowned me if I didn't make it up to the Bridge and to Giant's Causeway (spot 2 on the tour). Basically, the rope bridge was built so fisherman could put nets out on this small island to catch Salmon. Why it's become a tourist spot, not sure. Other than the views are breathtaking and we all like to feel like we are walking on the wildside and laughing in the face of danger. Especially when what seems to be dangerous, is not really. The bridge is about 30 meters (100 feet) above the ground. Underneath it is water, but not deep water so you'd probably break something bad if you fell. We made jokes with some fellow tourists in line about whether or not to point your toes if you found yourself heading down. Like I said, I'm not sure why its become a tourist attraction but whoever runs it (the National Trust) is making a killing. It cost us 4.90 GBP to cross the bridge and that was us not giving the donation that they suggest. You're only here once right, so I forked over my pounds and we hiked down to the bridge. These are the types of views that are majestic and that cameras can't capture. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, the air was fresh, and life was good.
We crossed the bridge and it wasn't scary at all. I even looked down, which Troy advised us not to do.
The view down.
We made it to the other side and then decided to lounge in the grass and enjoy the sunshine. It was a perfect day. I was even warm. I looked for puffins (Lindsay's new favorite bird) but spotted none. We decided to take advantage of the sunshine and have a little photoshoot. Mostly us goofing off. Nothing new.
Time was short and we had to be back to the Paddywagon at 12:30, so we hustled across the bridge, and up the hills and towards the bus. Stopping to admire the views and take it all in. We power walked up the hill, and even in my t-shirt I was breaking a sweat. Warmness, haven't felt this in a while. We made it to the bus, to find it almost full, but there were a few stragglers who came after us. I was glad we not the last ones because Troy was not pleased by their tardiness. An Irishmen who expects promptness, that's a new one.
We headed to the Giant's Causeway. We placed our lunch orders in the Causeway Hotel and headed down the road to see this natural wonder. As my buddy Albert had told me the night before, the rock formations had been caused by a volcanic eruption under the seas thousands of years ago. The rocks had cooled in the hexagonal shape. Natural wonder for sure. But ofcourse, there is an Irish Myth used to explain the Giant's Causeway. The Irish love their myths and Giants. This is how the story goes (thanks to Claire, because I didn't feel like typing it all out). The story centers around a Giant named Finn McCool. Legend goes that Finn heard that there was a beautiful female giant in Scotland. Finn didn't have anyone to love in Ireland (and no one to make "jiggy jiggy" with) and therefore built a path between Ireland and Scotland to meet his lady love. He went over to Scotland and fell in love with Eda and she returned with him to Ireland to live.
Eda was promised to another giant in Scotland who was out fighting the English at the time. When he returned to his town and found that Eda wasn't there he got angry and asked Finn for a duel for Eda's heart. He was a very skilled fighter and Finn would stand no chance against him. Finn told Eda what was going on and she said "Lovey, don't worry I have a plan. First, when he arrives I will tell him that you are out on a run around Ireland and you will be back in ten minutes. That way he will think you are a fit giant. Then I will serve him scones that are really rocks and they will break his teeth. While I am doing this you sneak into the bedroom and put a blanket over yourself and make a noise. I will tell him that this is our baby and then he will think you are a magical giant and will not want to fight you."
The day came for the duel and they began the plan. When the Scottish giant arrived Eda told him that Finn was dong a lap around Ireland and would be back in ten minutes. The Scottish giant thought that Finn must be a very fit giant if he could make it around the island in ten minutes. Next Eda served him the rock-scones and he broke his teeth. Eda said that the scones were prepared just the way "her Finny" liked. Next they heard a noise from the bedroom and Eda said that way their baby. The other giant asked if he could have a look and Eda said sure, but just from the hall because the baby was sleeping. The other giant took one look at the "baby" and ran because if the baby was this big imagine how big Finn was going to be. He ran down Finn's causeway breaking it up as he went and Finn and Eda lived happily ever after. Special right?
The Causeway is surrounded by mountains, and the rock formations stretch into a beautiful blue ocean. While the rocks are less colorful then the Irish countryside, the beauty of it was undeniable. The rocks themselves looked like building blocks and people were perched upon them enjoying the day. I undoubtably climbed up on the rocks and explored, careful not to fall and break anything.
We explored some more, enjoying the waves and the sunshine, taking pictures of tide pools for Lindsay, loving the natural wonders. Claire sat on a rock and then somehow fell into a pool, so her butt was wet. Glad it wasn't me and my natural tendency to stick my feet in a pool. We didn't have much time, because we had to be back for lunch, so we headed back up the hill. The hill was steep, and my legs were burning, and it became clear why people would pay 1 pound to take the bus up the hill.
Hot and sweaty, we found a seat in the restaurant and waited for our food to come out. When our food finally arrived, we were missing our chips and any silverware. The service not so good at the restaurant. Typical for Europe though. I ate my cheeseburger and some of my chips when they finally arrived. We had to eat fast because we were supposed to leave at 2:30, so we ate quickly, paid for our meals and headed to congregate around the Paddywagon. We got back on the road and headed for a pit stop on the side of the road to take pictures of the Dunluce Castle driving through the town of Bushmills, home of Bushmills Whiskey. About this time, William, the missing hostel worker, called Stevie and told her that he was sorry about the morning, that we could pick up our ID when we got back from the tour and because of the inconvenience our stay would be free. Win. That was all we got from William so we were still curious about just where he was all morning.
The bus headed towards Derry, another prominent town in Northern Ireland. Full of history. The town is known by either Londonderry or Derry. Londonderry by the Protestants in honor of the support of the town by the British. Derry by the Catholics who reject the British influence. Or by the name of Stroke City by those who want to remain neutral. Obviously there is some conflict and hostility surrounding this. The wounds are still fresh and you sometimes have to watch what you say so you don't say the wrong thing to the wrong person. There has still been some violence in the North, even after the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement states that Northern Ireland will remain part of the Commonwealth until majority decides it would rather be apart of the Republic of Ireland. Currently 55% of the country wants to stay as a part of the Commonwealth and thus it is so. However, the Real IRA, a spin off group, still believes that terror is the means to the end. The city of (London)Derry is a walled city, dating back hundreds of years. Troy told us about a walking tour we could do of the city, and must have told us 304 times about what a great value and tour this was, but we decided we had had enough of the rushing around and wanted to go at our own pace. Plus I think we were all sick of the depressing history. Instead we wandered around Derry, and found a woman selling jewelry on the street. We bought some cute rings, and I ended up getting 2 for 5 pounds. We went into a little mall to find a bathroom and ended up at a shoe store. Splurged on some black heels. I'm blaming it on Stevie, the shopping queen. After shopping success, we got smoothies and walked around the city and back onto the bus.
Aboard the Paddywagon, we headed back to Belfast. Troy continued his jokes and his eclectic music selection. One after my own heart. Everything from Faith Hill, to Lady Gaga, to Garth Brooks to Beyonce. I fell asleep and soon we were back in Belfast. We got dropped off at Paddy's Palace at about 7 pm and we headed back towards the Lagan Backpackers to get Claire's ID. Stevie headed to grab some food, divide and conquer since we had less than an hour before we had to be at the bus station and on our way back to Dublin on the 8 pm bus. We got to the hostel and William opened the door. I'm pretty sure he was wearing the same outfit as the night before. Claire gave him the keys and then excused herself to use the bathroom. We were so curious about where William had been, but he didn't seem very chatty, and I could tell he had had a rough morning. He broke the silence and apologized about breakfast. I replied smiling, telling him not to worry and that we had made breakfast for ourselves and made toast for the crowd. He laughed. I asked if everything was okay, and he said yes. The answer to where he had been last night/this morning: JAIL. Yep, Jail. Now I have a pretty good sense of people, and William seemed like a pretty trustworthy guy. A bit of an alcoholic, maybe. I inquired to what had happened and he told me the story. The girl from the night before had returned again with her ugly male friend, the one that William had already kicked out. William escorted them out of the hostel, a little less patient and understanding than the first time. (At this point, there's no telling how much whiskey he had consumed). The girl was hysterical and screaming outside (the mysterious screams Stevie had heard) and the neighbors called the police. The police arrived and William told them the story and they understood. However, after running the standard protocol cross check on his name, the police came back to arrest him for an unpaid traffic violation from 2 years ago. William claimed that he had paid it over a year ago, but nevertheless he spent the night in jail for it. He plans out suing the state since he lost 1000 pounds due to his absence that morning. Mystery solved. Whiskey Willy was in jail. How perfect of an excuse is that. We thanked him for our stay, and headed on our way, in a bit of a rush to make our bus.
We met up with Stevie and headed to the Europa Bus Station. The men at the desk told us the bus would be 12.50, but they didn't tell us it would be 12.50 euro so Stevie took out more pounds. Stupid different currencies. We got on the bus and made friends with a guy named John Franklin who sat in front of us. We must have a sign on us that says "we're friendly". We chatted as the sun went down over the mountains. Beautiful.
Slept some more on the bus and then we were back in Dublin. Found a 10 bus and headed back to campus. Did some homework and then fell asleep, laughing at the ridiculous weekend we had had in Northern Ireland.
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