A very strong or irresistible impulse to travel.
I've got a severe case of wanderlust. And just in case you didn't have a clue what that means, I made sure to include it's definition above. What's odd about this amazing "illness" is that I never knew how bad I had it until I actually left my quaint little home two years ago. Now that I've started going places, I can't stop wanting to go anywhere and everywhere else.
Lucky for me, I was recently able to travel and spent two weeks with my friend, Megan, in Northern Ireland with my family. We went going all over that incredibly amazing green island not only as tourists, but because we were staying with people who live there, we were able to see everything from their point of view getting us much more deeply rooted in its culture than we could on our own.
If you know me, you know that was my second trip there, so I encountered a lot of places I had already been, but what's amazing about that is I saw something new at all those places that I didn't see before and was able to absorb more of what the scenery had to offer. It also meant I got to spend more time focusing on capturing the best pictures I could.
Because of the time we went and the amount of time we spent in Belfast itself, I'm going to give it its own separate blog post in order to explain pictures better and more thoroughly! Derry/Londonderry and Dublin will also be included in that blog post. This post will be more of the scenic, country-side part of Northern Ireland. I also apologize for taking so long to post this, but I wanted to make sure I could give you the best photos and pair everything together in order to make the best post I could!
So if you have Wanderlust like I do, here's some of Northern Ireland through the lens of my camera (and yes, it really is that green).
Castlewellan
Castles, lakes, gardens, and amazing views - that pretty much sums up everything at Castlewellan. It was absolutely beautiful, especially the gardens where there were so many photo opportunities.
Next to the castle is the Peace Maze which is an enormous circular maze which is extremely easy to get lost in, may I add. But once you finish, you end up on a platform that gives you a beautiful view of the landscape around you.
Dundrum Castle
Every castle has its time and Dundrum's was, quite obviously, a while ago. What's left is gorgeous ruins and more amazing views. And if you're a Game of Thrones fan, they have shot some scenes here as well.
Newcastle
With so many little shops, pretty houses, and mountain backdrop, Newcastle is a breathtaking sea-side town. It offers a calm place to sit and read a book and eat delicious gelato, take a long stroll along the beach or by the shops, ride rides at street fairs, and truly enjoy a relaxing day.
Carrick-A-Reed Rope Bridge
Maybe heights are not your thing. But whether or not you have that fear, I promise the view on the other side after crossing this rope bridge is not comparable to anything else. The ocean is so incredibly blue, the birds fly around the cliffs, and there are truly no words to describe the thrilling feeling you acquire. The picture above is of my sister and I crossing the bridge which really doesn't seem very high once you actually get on it. And regardless of what anyone else tells you, it truly is very sturdy and I wasn't nervous going across in the slightest. So here's one of my favorite stops! (Just a reminder that I did not touch up, saturate, or edit any of these pictures in this blog, so what you see is how it truly is)
Giant's Causeway
Rocks. That's really all it is, but they're also the coolest rocks you'll ever see. With so many hexagonal shapes, there are several legends about the place and you can't help but be filled with awe when you see it all yourself. The white waves and huge cliffs also add to the beauty that is Giant's Causeway.
Not too far from Giant's Causeway is also another place Game of Thrones was filmed, so I thought I should include it here:
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
Alright, so my pictures for this place has my sister in them because she was my "model" for the day along with my friend Megan, and we goofed off a lot while we were here as you can tell. Anyways, this museum shows you what it would have been like to live in Ireland before they had the resources we do today. They have to sections, the town and the country, which show you the houses, the small town, and the farms others might have lived on. They also have local actors that come to help explain the life people might have lived and play the roles of the townspeople. Because the lighting was very dark because they didn't have lights due to the historical representation, I don't have pictures of the insides of the houses, but I took what I could so please enjoy the scenery and my sister's posing.
This is Shawn. He was the cutest.
That's Billy. He wasn't the nicest goat.
Devenish Island & the Cathedrals
Devenish island has castle ruins and church ruins that are centuries old. Built in the 1300s, the ruins left are actually older than the U.S.A which is completely mind-boggling once you're standing next to it all. The country I live in wasn't even close to being formed into a country when people were living and ruling here...that's nuts!
For the sake of length, I'm not including all the cathedrals we went into because there were a lot. But they all have similar set ups so what I am showing you of St. Michael's Cathedral is a good representation of the majority of them. They have traditional set ups including high ceilings, loads of flowers, gold and white altars, and huge pillars.
I hope you enjoyed my first travel blog and the glimpse into all the beautiful scenery in Northern Ireland! As I said previously, I will have another blog post on Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, and Dublin so I can explain more about the culture and the cities themselves! Stay tuned for part two!
Have an amazing week!
Love Always,
Bree x
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