“If your auntie had balls, she’d be your uncle!” We soon discovered that this was probably the best advice we’d ever received in our lifetime.
After landing in Dublin on Saturday, we hopped in a taxi to take us to my friend Amanda’s house. Savannah and I were asking our taxi driver for tips on driving and told him we were nervous about driving here (and being on the opposite side of the road). Our driver was probably in his upper 60s and seemed respectable enough to retain some wisdom and encouragement from. (the Irish accent definitely didn’t hurt either).
In his thick accent, he said “if you remember anything, remember this- if your auntie had balls, she’d be your uncle!” And then went on to explain that if you mess up and go the wrong way, to hell with the other pissed off drivers and to just get yourself turned around. His saying was basically our version of could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. But we both agreed that his version was much better and it gave us something to say and laugh at frequently throughout our trip.
After a short drive from the airport, our wise taxi driver dropped us off at my friends house. Amanda had lived with my dad and I over seven years ago. She also worked for my dad for an international internship type of deal. It felt so good to be reunited with her after so long!! She and her husband made us feel right at home.
Amanda had a nice meal prepared for us when we arrived. (We had woke up at 0300 that morning to get to the airport to leave Iceland). The food gave us the energy we needed to do some Ireland exploring. First Amanda showed us a castle and a small town on along the coast.
Next we headed towards downtown Dublin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city so alive at 3 the afternoon! First stop was the famous Temple Bar. We grabbed a Guinness and sat to listen to the live bands. A group of Irish men came up to our table and asked us what our names were. When Savannah introduced herself they started singing the Lion King theme song but with her name instead. One guy then dipped his fingers in my Guinness and wiped it across Savannah’s forehead. What an experience to be blessed with Guinness our first night in Dublin!
After a few too many beers, we decided it was time to get something to eat and head back home for the night. The place we stopped at looked like an upscale trailer park but with food vendors instead. Pizza sounded the best to all of us so we ordered and found a place to sit in the top of a double decker bus that was also the pizza shop. The pizza was amazing and the atmosphere was like nothing we’ve ever experienced! First night in Dublin was a success!
Sunday morning quickly approached and we were about to encounter a life changing experience- driving in Ireland. From Amanda’s, we made it to downtown Dublin to the car rental place. While in line, the clerk asked if we knew how to drive a manual. Fortunately Savannah does, the clerk said he has to ask because he said that another couple lied about being able to drive a stick and brought the car back on fire. We found comfort in knowing that the insurance would cover almost anything (including fire damage)!
Who knew leaving a city would be a whole new adventure in itself?? It seemed as if it took us hours just to find our way out.. from making wrong turns and turning into the wrong lanes of traffic. I’m not sure which was more stressful, being the copilot and attempting to navigate or be the driver and drive on the opposite side of the road and car. Oh and at least in Iceland, the road signs were visible, here they’ve been nonexistent. Either way, I’d say that Savannah and I made a pretty damn good team! (Even if the stress of it all took twenty plus years off our lives). So stressed we didn’t even snap a car selfie!
Eventually we made our way out of Dublin city and headed north towards Belfast. Unfortunately it took us so long to get out of town, our day time was almost cut in half. Therefore we missed some of our planned stops. Our first stop was The Dark Hedges. Any Game of Throne watchers? Apparently this scenic drive is featured in many of their episodes.
Next stop was the Carrick-a-Rede Rope bridge. We pulled into the parking at 1720. The people working there said they stopped selling tickets to cross the bridge at 1715. We were determined to see it anyways so we walked down towards it. When we arrived to it, the lady let us cross! (For free!) So glad we were able to do so!
Next we continued along the Wild Atlantic Way (one of Europe’s most scenic drives) and stopped at Giants Causeway. It is made up of more than 40,000 black basalt columns sticking out of the sea.
It was about a 30 minute walk to the causeway so we worked up an appetite! And nothing sounded better than some fresh fish n chips! The Cod’s Way exceeded our expectations!
The last stop of this day was Dunluce Castle. It was closed when we arrived but at least we got to catch the sunset while there!
Along with the amazing views and memories, the day also consisted of many missed turns, wrong turns, cuss words and maybe a shart here and there (from the driver). To say we were exhausted, physically and emotionally, after a long day of trying to navigate Ireland was an understatement. The taxi driver’s advice came in clutch many times throughout our travels. It definitely was an adventure but we are glad we made it there and back in one piece! The Northern Ireland beauty didn’t disappoint!
The Aud Blog 