Waterfoot Derry

on friday jen, alana and i started the northern shocker tour (with about 20 other people). we caught the bus from dublin to trim castle and had a quick walk around the outside of the walls then got back on the bus. next stop was at a megalithic tomb, we climbed up a mountain through a sheep field in the most delightful weather! the tomb is older than the giza pyramids, we could only fit about 6 people in at a time so we spent alot of time standing outside in the rain ...

... side, drawing a comparison between the Nazis and the Israelis (and by extension, Jewish people) as if they are one in the same. It's offensive, it's hard to look at, and I would go as far as to say it's unacceptable. I also was able to bear witness to an orange march, which is put on by a pro-Britain unionist group where they march down the street in full regalia (roughly 900 times a year), just to assert their presence and "superiority" and I guess to make the Irish feel ...

... really quite bizzare really! By this time the bad weather had set in so some photos, a steep walk back up to the bus and off we went - not before Josh got me a claddagh ring! (i am spoiled!) For those not in the know a claddagh ring is a haeart with a crown on top encircled by hands, meaning love, trust and devotion. Depending on which way the heart points (towards or away from you) can indicate if you're taken or not. <br><br>Then off to Derry, our stay for the night. Let's get the ...

<br><br>Wow! It&#8217;s day thirteen in Ireland, and we&#8217;ve seen and done so much! Today the sun was shining on Lough Swilly when I opened the curtains. We had breakfast with a couple from North Dakota who were celebrating their 40th anniversary. We all offered mutual congratulations and talked about our trips. They were going in the opposite direction as we are, so we gave them some tips on what to see today. A young couple from Philadelphia joined us and told us about ...

... EVERYWHERE, observing and patrolling, stationed on the wall over looking the bog side of the city derry and the never ending buzz of a helicopter circling overhead. By the way bog side was pretty much the IRA headquarters during the conflict and was considered by the british army a no go zone. There is a day known as bloody sunday which,if I recall something like 23 people were killed. Im not too familiar with the incident but from my understanding it was ...

... good Halloween. Hm, hm. Now I go home in four days ... woohoo. I'm excited. Kate's wedding. And surprise, Dani is coming !! Actually quite sad, my best friend Dani moved to California last September. She lives in Bakersfield now. She grew up in New Jersey, moved to Philadelphia (ANDORA, haha) during high school, I met her at Immaculata ... and then last summer she moved to Cali. Her best friend from NJ, who she has known since ...

... Free Derry." I should mention that the actual political name for the town is "Londonderry" but that's obviously looked down upon by the Catholic population. While taking the tour we were suddenly distracted by screaming children. Could it be? Another outbreak of violence? Nah, just some kids climbing around in the belly of a giant inflatable whale outside of a church ...

... we have anything to do the next day. But Ireland is the one country where, as far as I can tell, the natives operate just like backpackers and can be found packing into the pubs regardless of it's a work day. Not only was the band a lot of fun, but we were the only non-locals so we garnered a bit of attention. This also meant getting hit on by undesirables, namely two old ladies for me and Adrian and some crazy Irish guy trying to pash Heather. Naturally, we ...

... exotically named Catholic neighbourhood of Bogside. Though now far-removed from the strife-filled ghetto it was in the 1960&#8217;s and 1970&#8217;s, the mural memorials to the Bloody Sunday massacre, Irish national flags hanging from the light-posts and graffiti mourning the loss of Pope John Paul II left no doubt to where the locals&#8217; affections still lie. <br> <br>Continuing around the walls we passed a recently vacated but still ...

... and B&amp;B. Our equivalent to the Jersey shore in the summer. My heart is now pumping in double time - we are so close to Northern Ireland. I have been waiting years for this. We turn on N3 right before Ballyshannon then in minutes we are driving thru the now abandoned border crossing, separating the Republic from Northern Ireland. Impossible to describe the emotions flowing thru my ...