Hello, Hivers!
It's been a while.
I know I've been MIA for 2 months. I would like to say I was busy, but it's more of shirking in a lot of areas in my life. I kinda miss the purposeful months of July, August, and September. But it's a cycle, some days are just heavy-laden.
Anyhow, what pushed me to come back is @pinmapple's milestone celebration of reaching 1,000 travel digests. This is one way of showing appreciation to the team's support as they've featured a few of my travel posts in their digests. As a first-time blogger, it meant a lot to me when they recognized my first travel series in Japan. I wasn't sure if my posts deserved attention, but when @pinmapple especially thru @livinguktaiwan, @choogirl, and @lizanomadsoul recognized my work, I truly felt welcomed and relieved that I may have a place in the Hive platform. So, it's only fitting that I participate in their milestone.
This is my entry to the Pinmapple "If I Had $1,000' Writing Contest.
When I thought of the contest title, without any hesitation or much thought whatsoever, what came up to my mind is my dream destination...
Ireland: The Emerald Isle
I fell in love with Ireland after I watched the 2010 romantic comedy film, "Leap Year", starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode.
I was dazzled by everything!
Green landscapes.
Irish music.
Irish accent.
Castles.
Rock cliffs.
I fell in love with the simplicity of driving down narrow roads which can be blocked anytime by cows or sheep. Going to pubs and dancing to lively Irish music. My most favorite of all, listening to them Irish people talk! This is probably why I love listening to Irish or Scottish actors--Saoirse Ronan and James McAvoy, for example.
Now, hold up. I know $1,000 will not even cover half of my dream Irish trip. It'll probably just cover a cheap roundtrip ticket Manila-Dublin vv. Or maybe get a one-way ticket and live off of my cousin who's staying in Ireland for work. I could find a job there just to survive to live my Irish dream. Hahaha! Thinking of settling down in Ireland sounds...cozy. Comfortable. Homely. Come to think of it, I never really had a specific spot in mind why I want to go to Ireland. I just want to be surrounded by lush greens. It's as simple as that.
But I still got to grow balls for that to happen.
In the meantime, I gotta use this inspiration to have a rough outline of where I'd go to Ireland. They say a goal without a plan is just a dream. Well, I better start planning! Here are the Top 5 destinations I want to visit in Ireland--both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Cliffs of Moher at County Clare, Ireland
I mean, look at that beauty. Watching the sunset near the edge of the cliff brings solace to the spirit, I would imagine. I'm itching to feel the cool breeze and the sound of the sea waves already! I could also imagine the dragons of Khaleesi flying above the clouds. Lol. Speaking of, one of the main reasons that excite me to go to Northern Ireland is visiting film locations of Game of Thrones!
Shoutout to @r00sj3's Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #2: Cliffs of Moherand @crimsonclad's Sunset at the Edge of the World — O'Brien's Tower as Night Falls O'er the Cliffs of Moher featuring the Cliffs of Moher.
Game of Thrones Tour at Belfast, Northern Ireland
I'm an avid fangirl, and part of that is being a film nerd. To prove that, I know that Belfast, Northern Ireland is the second home to the Game of Thrones' actors, particularly the Starks. Most of the film locations for Winterfell and the Iron Islands are in Belfast.
Thanks to pinmapple's challenge, I now have an idea of how much the tour costs. According to Game of Thrones Tours, the Winterfell Trek and the Iron Islands Tour from Belfast costs as low as 45 British pounds. The guide is an extra from the HBO series, so they have firsthand experience of how the filming went in a location. You get to dress up as a Stark! Haha, the nerdy me gets so hyped with all this info.
Titanic Museum at Belfast, Northern Ireland
In honor of the Titanic passengers, everyone who goes into the museum tour is given a name. A real passenger or crew in Titanic. At the end of the tour, the visitors would get to know if their name survived or not. You'll get to see artifacts and stories from survivors. They even have a section where you can dip your hand into the water which was as cold as the water the night Titanic sank! The general admission for adults costs 19 British pounds.
Picture by @kmitchhodge @ Unsplash
Image by Irek Marcinkowski from Pixabay
One of my early memories as a child is watching James Cameron's Titanic. It's one of the reasons why my favorite song of Celine Dion's is My Heart Will Go On. Aside from the star-crossed lovers plot, after rewatching it a couple more times (I recently watched it on Netflix again) I was more interested in the tragedy of what was then called an "unsinkable ship". After a quick Google search, I learned that Titanic was built in Belfast by about 3,000 men from 1909 to 1912. The people on board the ship on its maiden voyage were the first people to use the plates, beds, etc. It was just damn bad luck that the ship hit the iceberg and made its last voyage, killing almost 1,500 people.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Giant's Causeway at Northern Ireland
Shoutout to @vegoutt-travel for sharing her Northern Ireland experience! Thanks to her lovely pictures and writing descriptive accounts of her experience, I felt like I was there with her. I'm a chaser of adventures, so I got excited hearing and seeing the narrow rope bridge. No doubt, I would be up for the challenge despite the cold wind.
You can also read @vegoutt-travel's blog about The Giant's Causeway alone. The landscapes are extraordinary, and I won't let stories of legends pass me by. Here's an excerpt from Gemma's travel post:
The legend claims that the stones and columns are what remain of a causeway built by an Irish giant named Finn MacCool. He was building a causeway from Ireland to Scotland. In Gaelic mythology, it is said that as he was building the causeway, he was met by a Scottish giant named Benandonner. They battled each other in an even match where in the process ended up destroying the causeway.
Locals in Ireland believe that if you go to the site on Christmas day, you will be able to hear Finn play his accordion. The accordion is a magnificent formation in the cliffside overlooking the stones that does in fact resemble an accordion. Amazingly, when the wind passes it in a certain direction, the columns produce a beautiful sound.
How fascinating! But if you prefer a scientific reason to the obscure landscape, the answer is volcanic activity. Go see Gemma's travel posts about Northern Ireland for the beautiful pictures!
Dún Aonghasa, Inishmore in Aran Islands, Ireland
I saved the best for last. The proposal scene in Leap Year 😍
Well, excuse the thumbnail of the video. Haha! Here's a stunning photo of the cliff.
I hope I can visit these places soon. And when I do, I'll share the actual breakdown of costs other than my self-captured pictures. For sure, it's more than $1,000 but no matter. The achievement of your dreams starts with inspiration, ladies and gentlemen 😉
Image by sktlloyd3 from Pixabay
My goodness, I could take a picnic over there! What is with this affair between me and Ireland's cliffs? 😅💚 ☘️ END 💚 ☘️
