Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
One of the most impressive buildings in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the ancient city hall (Halla na Cathrach Bhéal Feirste). It was built between 1896 and 1906 under supervision of the architect Alfred Brumwell Thomas. It is a beautiful building in baroque revival style and because of its 53 meters high, green cupola you can see it already from far away. Inside you’ll find a lot of marble, some statues and especially beautiful glass windows.
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The most photographed trees of Northern Ireland can be found in Ballymoney: an alley of serpentine beeches along a road. Once there where 150 of them, now there are only 90 left. The branches of the trees wind like serpents into the sky and form a very atmospheric tunnel. They were planted in 1775 to decorate the road to a newly built estate. It is said that a ghost called the ‘grey lady’ is living next to them. Thye are called the Dark Hedges and became massively famous when they were shown in the TV series Game of Thrones.
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The Iron islands are a kingdom within the TV series Game of Thrones. The people living there are seafaring and calling themselves the ironborn. Rulers of that fictive region is the House Greyjoy and kings are made by drowning them in the water of the sea. They worship the Drowned God and their slogan is ‘What is dead may never die‘. Scenes for the TV series were mostly shot in Ballintoy harbour in Northern Ireland. It is a small ancient harbour underneath some houses on the coast.
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The Giant’s causeway is one of the natural highlights of Northern Ireland. 40,000 steles of basalt directly at the shore, surrounded by a wonderful landscape. Since 1986 this place is a UNESCO world heritage site. After arriving at the visitor’s centre you can take a shuttle bus to the steles or walk on two different (a long and a short) routes through this place. It is absolutely worth also to include the longer path as it includes additional volcanic structures called the giant’s organ and shepherd’s steps from which you have great views on the area from up above. But the highlight is, of course, to climb on the hexagonal structures close to the sea.
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In Game of Thrones the castle Harrenhal is the biggest fortress ever built – but it was destroyed by a dragon of Aegon. Therefore it is mostly shown as a giant ruin on the TV series. How to digitally create such a place? The moviemakers decided to take Dunluce castle (Dún Lios means ‘strong fortress‘) in Northern Ireland as their blueprint. It is a ruin standing next to the shore. There were no scenes filmed directly at the castle but the castle was scanned and reproduced digitally.
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It is quite impossible to remain hungry in Dublin, Ireland. But if you don’t want to take time for a restaurant visit and dislike standard fast food, you can opt-in for some great tex-mex food served by an independent eatery located between Merrion square and Trinity college. I didn’t find out why they named their place ‘Mama’s revenge‘ – but they serve great burritos and quesadillas to eat there or to take away.
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If you need a place to relax in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland, you can find Merrion square close to Trinity college. It is a garden in the Georgian style which was planned and realized after 1762. It contains a collection of historic street lanterns, an underground air-raid shelter but it is mostly known for a sculpture placed here: Oscar Wilde iconically hanging out on a stone. The author of The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Canterville Ghost was living between 1855 and 1876 in Merrion Square 1.
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Trinity college is a well-known university in Dublin, Ireland. Its campus is located directly in the city centre and it was created with Oxford and Cambridge in mind – a real ivy-league university. The university was founded in 1592 (yes, really!) by Queen Elizabeth and is the oldest of Ireland and one of the oldest in the world. Very uncommon for a university is that it is very much visited by tourists. And that is not only because of the beautiful buildings and the campanile (a tower on the campus).
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There is one thing everybody does when travelling to Dublin, Ireland: a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, the original place (St. James’s Gate) where this special stout was invented and produced. It is not a museum nor a bar – it is a continuous event for the masses. The exhibition is organized to welcome many spectators and you’re inside a neverending flow of persons that enjoy the edutainment served here: from the ingredients in the basis, over the production process to the roof bar where you get a beer with your ticket.
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If you like to learn something about the past you’ve got many good options in Dublin, Ireland. The capital city is rich of national museums which don’t charge an entrance fee and it’s worth to have a look into all of them. The National Museum of Ireland has an archaeological section in Kildare street where you also can learn about the influence of the Vikings. Many ancient treasures of all ages are on display.
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