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Belfast, Derry, the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland: what a beautiful surprise!
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03-09-2011 6:43pm#1Hello!
I'm Italian and I've been to East-West and South Ireland 3 times since I really love it, but never to Northern Ireland, so on August I went there with a friend of mine, we rent a car and drove from Dublin to Belfast, spend two nights there, and toured it for two days, visited the Giant's Causeway and drove through the costal route, then spent few hours in Derry. After that we drove to Donegal, and down to Galway, where I've already been another time.
Well, I have to say that I really loved NI too, in Belfast we were in a nice B&B in the South West (Andersonstown area if I recall), we walked to go to the centre going through the Falls I think (sorry, but I don't remember the streets), I don't know if it's normally considered a safe area, but we always felt really safe even walking back quite late at night (it was about 45 min walk), nice and friendly people, always helpful (we got lost once
, and another time, we were looking for an open restaurant quite late in the evening and couldn't find it so we asked some locals and few people who were walking in the street, listening to us, stopped and gave us directions and advices)
We really loved Derry, small but really pretty and characteristical with its walls, we found nice and friendly people over there too.
So, I cannot say how's living there, but would surely recommend it for a touristic journey. Definitely want to go back again in the future and stay a bit longer.
Ciao!
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Delighted to hear you enjoyed the visit. There is indeed a lot of beautiful scenery along the coastal routes and some inner areas also. People are mostly friendly as you would have gathered and I'll be a wee bit biased here and say that you should have spent more time in Donegal. Maybe next time.
Thanks for the feedback.0 -
Delighted to hear you enjoyed the visit. There is indeed a lot of beautiful scenery along the coastal routes and some inner areas also. People are mostly friendly as you would have gathered and I'll be a wee bit biased here and say that you should have spent more time in Donegal. Maybe next time.
Thanks for the feedback.
We spent one night in Donegal, it was a nice and cosy B&B in the middle of nowhere, with cows and sheep, awesome scenery and the hosts were wonderful! We wanted to go to a pub but we had to drive a bit and were afraid to get lost again, the GPS (navigator) wouldn't work in that area, but the guy offered to drive us there and then told us to call him when we wanted to go back to the B&B, we didn't want to bother him so we stayed in the B&B.
Ireland is small but beautiful and I love its people, generally friendly, nice and funny, always in a mood for a chat with foreigners
. I travelled and lived in different Countries in Europe and around the world and have to say that Ireland is my favorite so far. You're the best! (Love the beer too, cannot find Kilkenny and Smithwicks here in Verona :mad:, I miss it!) 0 -
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As I said the island of Ireland has some really impressive sceneries, from the South to the North, West and East (even though, I have to say, I think my favourite part is the West), what I really appreciated each time I travelled there, it's the people, really friendly everywhere, without being "nosy" or "sticky", I met many people who went out of their way to make me feel at home or if I needed help and advices. The best people in Europe, generally speaking (well, I guess there might be some jerks too
, as everywhere, but overall very nice people)
I have a question though, I know it's still a sensitive matter and I wouldn't want to stir up any troubles, so I already apologize if somebody feels outraged by my question, but when I was in Belfast I took the black taxi tour and I saw both sides murals, and then I went to see the Bogside murals in Derry too, I had a mixed feeling about it, since I didn't know what the locals think about these tours for tourists, I've been studied the history of Ireland when I was at school of course, then I've been reading something by myself, and I'm interested in knowing what happened, but I had also the feeling of being "nosy" (I repeat myself ) or felt a bit like those people who take pictures where something bad happened.
As regards the murals themselves, as a foreigner who love the whole island of Ireland and its people, I found some of them really moving, some of them artistically great and just a few a bit creepy or scary have to say, and overall I have to admit that I got a sensation of sadness.
I don't know, I was wondering about it and would like to know what the locals think about tourists taking pictures at the murals and doing those tours, are they OK with it or are thery bothered by it? There were some local people walking by when my friend took some pictures and nobody seemed to care, so my guess is that it shouldn't be seen in a bad way?0 -
nocciolina wrote: »As I said the island of Ireland has some really impressive sceneries, from the South to the North, West and East (even though, I have to say, I think my favourite part is the West), what I really appreciated each time I travelled there, it's the people, really friendly everywhere, without being "nosy" or "sticky", I met many people who went out of their way to make me feel at home or if I needed help and advices. The best people in Europe, generally speaking (well, I guess there might be some jerks too, as everywhere, but overall very nice people)
I have a question though, I know it's still a sensitive matter and I wouldn't want to stir up any troubles, so I already apologize if somebody feels outraged by my question, but when I was in Belfast I took the black taxi tour and I saw both sides murals, and then I went to see the Bogside murals in Derry too, I had a mixed feeling about it, since I didn't know what the locals think about these tours for tourists, I've been studied the history of Ireland when I was at school of course, then I've been reading something by myself, and I'm interested in knowing what happened, but I had also the feeling of being "nosy" (I repeat myself ) or felt a bit like those people who take pictures where something bad happened.
As regards the murals themselves, as a foreigner who love the whole island of Ireland and its people, I found some of them really moving, some of them artistically great and just a few a bit creepy or scary have to say, and overall I have to admit that I got a sensation of sadness.
I don't know, I was wondering about it and would like to know what the locals think about tourists taking pictures at the murals and doing those tours, are they OK with it or are thery bothered by it? There were some local people walking by when my friend took some pictures and nobody seemed to care, so my guess is that it shouldn't be seen in a bad way?
Hi i don't think anyone cares if you take them people from here are very outgoing. Also i see you are from france, i was surprised that you learn't about the troubles because i thought no one knew about northern ireland. :pac::pac:0 -
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Thanks for the reply Owen, and yes, I'm Italian but I did live in Paris for 3 years, I loved it and I speak French fluently so it's OK with me, but I suggest you to not mistake Italians and French the next time you meet one of them, we're like cousins in a love-hate relationship sometimes Not a big deal anyway 0
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nocciolina wrote: »I don't know, I was wondering about it and would like to know what the locals think about tourists taking pictures at the murals and doing those tours, are they OK with it or are thery bothered by it? There were some local people walking by when my friend took some pictures and nobody seemed to care, so my guess is that it shouldn't be seen in a bad way?
Bothered by it? Absolutely not no. They're a part of our political history which is merely a part of a wider global history. I'm personally really glad there are people who are interested in coming here and learning about the conflict. Northern Ireland is just proud that it can now welcome tourists to reflect on this history rather than experience it in realtime. Plus, the folks who painted these 20ft high murals on the sides of buildings probably wouldn't have bothered if they didn't want them to be spectacles for the world to see. 0 -
Bothered by it? Absolutely not no. They're a part of our political history which is merely a part of a wider global history. I'm personally really glad there are people who are interested in coming here and learning about the conflict. Northern Ireland is just proud that it can now welcome tourists to reflect on this history rather than experience it in realtime. Plus, the folks who painted these 20ft high murals on the sides of buildings probably wouldn't have bothered if they didn't want them to be spectacles for the world to see.
Thanks for the reply Lilacmoon. I studied a bit of your history when I was at school, but I'm trying to read and learn a bit more of it. It's actually difficult to grasp all of what happened, and to really understand it since I've been fortunate enough to live always in peaceful countries, I know that it's still a sensitive matter for some people living there.
I know of some Italians who lived for few months in Derry and they really loved it and now they miss it. I definitelly want to go back in the future and stay a bit longer
Aww, how I miss the beer!!!0 -
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Wow! Those pics just came up as a mass of text characters, probably millions of them.nocciolina wrote: »..and thanks for the pint, hope my previous post and that damn photo didn't stuck any of your computers, it did it to mine for a minute!
You manged to delete them yourself so all is good 0 -
Wow! Those pics just came up as a mass of text characters, probably millions of them.
You manged to delete them yourself so all is good
Yes!! I wanted to thank you with a pic of one of the best Italian wines, the Amarone, I copied and pasted it and...I really don't know why it came out that way
I'm soooooo sorry, hope you didn't have problems with it, my computer got stuck in this thread for a while....couldn't get out of it. Well, is it maybe a sign that Guinnes is better than wine??? Hope not, I love both and I'd really really need a pint now, but I'm going out later for a pizza and some beer ( but not Guinness 
, I think it's going to be a German one) 0 -
Dont worry about it nocciolina. They are gone nownocciolina wrote: »Yes!! I wanted to thank you with a pic of one of the best Italian wines, the Amarone, I copied and pasted it and...I really don't know why it came out that way I'm soooooo sorry, hope you didn't have problems with it, my computer got stuck in this thread for a while....couldn't get out of it. Well, is it maybe a sign that Guinnes is better than wine??? Hope not, I love both and I'd really really need a pint now, but I'm going out later for a pizza and some beer ( but not Guinness , I think it's going to be a German one)
Enjoy your pizza and your "foreign" beer 0
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