Ireland: Falling into Titanic
August 1, 2016 I’ve written three perfectly good starting paragraphs for this post in the last fifteen minutes, and none of them feel right. I try to write about what I knew of Titanic before today, and what I know now. It all sounds so cerebral, when what I really want to do is show you, not tell you. Maybe, …
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Ireland: Winterfell, Direwolves, and the Iron Throne
July 31, 2016 It’s just before 10:00 am when our van pulls into Inch Abbey. We’re not quite sure why we’re here, except that this is where we’ll be meeting our tour guide. There are seven of us on today’s tour: a couple in their 20s, two Swedish gals, a local father and son who are up to Belfast for …
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Ireland: Game of Thrones Tour: Dark Hedges, Carrick-a-rede Bridge, and the Giant’s Causeway
July 30, 2016 It’s just after 9:00 am when our Game of Thrones tour bus pulls away from Town Hall, and already I’m having the best day. After yesterday’s tight schedule and go, go, go feeling, it felt great to wake up, walk the 40 minutes into downtown Belfast, and place my schedule in the hands of our tour guide. …
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Ireland: First impressions of Belfast, Part 3: The Peace Wall
July 27, 2016 Your steps are light and springy as you leave the Crumlin Road Gaol. Your first day in Belfast has gone like clockwork, and now there’s only one stop left: the Peace Wall in west Belfast. It’s a calm, balmy Friday evening as you head south towards Cupar Way. You cross Shankill Road and enter the Shankill neighborhood, …
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Ireland: First Impressions of Belfast, Part 2: Crime & Punishment at the Crumlin Road Gaol
July 27, 2016 You’ve been walking for 30 minutes on this beautiful July afternoon, and already you feel a world away from the heart of Belfast. You’ve definitely entered suburbia. The traffic hurries from place to place, and hair salons, computer repair stores, and betting parlors line the streets alongside gas stations and apartment buildings. When you see the Crumlin …
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Ireland: First Impressions of Belfast, Part 1: Opulence
July 27, 2016 It is a typical overcast Irish morning as you cross the border from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland. The express bus is moderately full but quiet as it speeds along the motorway, the scenery mostly trees and traffic. You’ve been up since early this morning, and with nothing to hold your attention you slide into …
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