Going away for Christmas

January 1, 2017


I decided to travel over Christmas and New Years and decide on going to Dublin and Galway in Ireland. The plans quickly changed to included a few days in Northern Ireland as well to visit Giant's Causeway.

I’m not very much for traditions, and Christmas and New Years happens to be a good time to get a longer consecutive time off work without spending too many vacation days. I ended up going to Ireland. One issue about travelling to Ireland over Christmas is that a lot of things are closed, especially on Christmas Day when even the pubs are closed. To be able to see the things I wanted to see this required something that I usually try to avoid when travelling; planning.

One issue was the Guinness Brewery which would be closed most of the days I were in Dublin. I did however make it just in time, almost directly from the airport, and with enough time to get around the entire thing and end the afternoon with a pint in the brewery sky bar. The brewery itself was one of the better brewery museums I’ve been to, partly because of all the memorabilia and old ads on display. Of course, similarly to the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, I’m now a certified Guinness pourer.

Old Guinness ads
Certified Guinness pourer

Christmas Eve was very different from Sweden. I spent a few hours wandering around Dublin, watching people rush around to finish their last Christmas preparations, and during the afternoon I joined with what seemed to be a pretty common Christmas Eve tradition, sit down with family and friends in a pub.

I ran into Oscar Wilde while wandering around Dublin

Christmas Day was in one way the most interesting day. The entire city of Dublin was basically a ghost town. No-one was out and pretty much everything was closed. The only thing actually running normally was the free walking tour so I joined that to see a bit more of the city. A pretty good tour that ended up being extra short as some of the places the tour usually goes were closed. As I got it you can’t by law, sell alcohol on Christmas Day in Ireland. The hostel was still selling alcohol in the bar though but they were really thorough about checking that anyone drinking was actually staying at the hostel so I guess there are some exceptions for closed groups.

Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin - part of the free walking tour

After Christmas Day things started opening up again and I had a few days when it was actually possible to go away from the city a bit. A bit of research and I could conclude that the thing I wanted to see the most on the island was The Giant’s Causeway so I grabbed a bus to Belfast in Northern Ireland. From the hostel there I found a cheap tour that could take me there. A huge busload of people is not the best way to get around, but considering the limited time it was easier than to sort out everything by myself. In hindsight renting a car would’ve been better…

The tour included a few extra stops as well, one being Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, small rope bridge out to an island, originally built and used by fishermen. It was a pretty cool bridge, and the small island provided some good views, but this was when the tour bus-effect set in the first time. I had to stand in line to cross the bridge, couldn’t stop on the bridge to enjoy the views, had to stand in line to get on the bridge back, etc. This place would’ve been so much better if I did get there at the same time as a busload of people.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

But now for the main sight, the Unesco-listed Giant’s Causeway. Giant’s Causeway is an area of stone formations looking kind of like hexagonal pillars fitted tightly together. It gives a bit of a Minecraft feeling to it with all the straight edges. This time there wasn’t a busload of people around thouh, this time it was several busloads. Good thing the area is pretty big.

Could as well have been Minecraft
More or less hexagonal stones

After one more night in Belfast it was time to head south again to pick up Andreas at the Dublin airport, meet up with his Irish friend Finten, and drive to Galway for New Years. Galway is known for its many bars and bad weather. We had kind of bad weather so we went mostly for the bars. But we did also do one small trip away from the city, driving around Connemara. Even though it was grey and cold we got some nice views so I imagine this place would be stunning in the summer.

Connemara in winter

Unfortunately both Andreas and I had to go back home for work already on New Years Day. A long bus ride followed by waiting a few hours for a flight, and then actually taking the flight, all with a nice hangover. That part wasn’t optimal…


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