Hitchhiking
is a great adventure, never knowing exactly where you will end up, who will give
you a ride or where you will sleep that night. Staying in youth hostels
(no they don't have an age limit) and meeting travelers from all over the world,
sharing stories, sharing dinner, then going to the local pub to listen to the
live traditional Irish music and having a Guinness. Totally different from
the usual; flying to a city, taking the airport shuttle to the hotel and just
watching TV by yourself.
Family
Ties: Just before Ireland's "great potato famine", Robin's
maternal great grandparents left Armagh (Northern Ireland) to come to
Canada. He says he felt such a connection, visiting Armagh then again in
Londonderry, passing under the same stone gate and onto the dock where his great
grandparents had stood over 150 years before.
Most
Picturesque area: Galway and County Clare
Most
interesting places: Belfast and Londonderry (Derry)
Easiest
place to hitch a ride: Northern Ireland
Favourite
hostels: Londonderry (Derry) and Galway (super cool people, right in the heart of the city
and free breakfast)
Highest
Cholesterol Meal: A Breakfast of fried eggs (actually deep fried), fried bread,
fried potato bread (called farls), fried mushrooms, fried tomato, fried sausages,
fried bacon, & fried ham. Being a vegetarian, Robin skipped the meat portion.
Nicest
Breakfast: Warm scones with a cup of Bewley Tea in Dublin
Biggest
Frustration: Trying to find a decent cup of coffee. (The Tea was of course,
fantastic)
Oddest
Site: A 15th century castle with a modern automatic gate.
