Northern Ireland (or Norn Iron as the locals say)

To be quite honest I'm not in the best mood writing this, but I'm forcing myself to keep writing, keep posting, keep editing and working on my businesses.  Sometimes showing up is all we've got, so today I'm showing up to post about our travels to Northern Ireland. 

When we were traveling we changed our plans last minute to go to Northern Ireland, it required cancelling AirBNBs I'd booked months in advance, with no refund.  I try to be flexible when traveling and sometimes it's worth the last minute changes.  We missed our tickets to the Cliffs of Moher and our airbnb was non refundable but the sacrifice was totally worth it.  It was one of my favorite parts of the trip, and we loved our tiny cottage.  We drove up north as quickly as we could from Waterford and stopped along the way at some small towns.

After we arrived our tiny Irish cottage, we talked with our host for a bit before driving out to find a restaurant open.  We stopped at McLaughlin's Corner for a late night dinner, it was Thanksgiving in the states so we wanted somewhere with wifi to facetime home and call our kiddos as the cottage didn't have internet.  We had a lovely conversation with our server and enjoyed sharing our stories with her of overpriced healthcare and debt induced education, she'd never been to the US and we convinced her to finish school in Ireland before leaving. 

The next morning, we headed to Ballymena and then to Bollymoney to check out the Memorial Garden for the Dunlop Brothers.  The husband likes motorcycles and their history and this was the reason we swapped plans at the last minute.  It was pretty humbling to stand in the garden and read off the list of races, won by these brothers.  Motorcycles aren't my thing as I can only see the danger of them, so I'll never ride one, but I'll also never accomplish the list of wins.  If there's something you love and it's worth dying for, well I guess I would keep going too knowing the risks.

Obsessed with all the fairy gardens and details in public parks.

Don't know for sure, but I think these are winterberries, I saw them everywhere and love them.

Forever obsessed with the rebel plants growing in the cracks and crevices of stone. 

made him stop and take a selfie with me.

After a long drive, a late dinner at McLaughlin's Corner.

Thanksgiving Dinner. I got veggie fajitas because it was the only vegetarian thing on the menu.  the Guinness made up for it. 

The cottage had no heat, so we had the fire going and the bed had heated blankets, it was so cozy and intimate. Would definitely stay here again.  

Early morning light before heading into Ballymoney.

View from the front door.

A quick stop in town walking around to explore Kilrea.

Catholic.

Graves.

I've never seen this before but they're plants in greenhouse like jars.  

Protestant.

Sheep.

Wild Flowers.

Dunlop Brother's Memorial Garden.

More wild berries and shrubs.

After touristing we stopped for lunch at a small cafe Bob and Berts.

We had to wait until after lunch for Joey's Bar to open, a family pub now owned by the family of Joey Dunlop.  So when we were done eating we walked down to Joey's Bar to grab a pint and pay homage to these great racers.

Photographs, heirlooms and pieces of the brother's bike are pieces among the decor.

Next stop, Giant's Causeway.

And, I'd like to just say that I'm feeling much better after forcing myself to do write even when I didn't feel like it, the more I reflected on this trip and the special moments, the more gratitude filled the frustration, so thanks for reading along, and allowing me to process my emotions while sharing our travels.