Giants and Guinnes.

A lot of people in the western world have probably heard of (or even participated) the Irish holiday 'St. Patrick's Day'. It's the day where everybody wears large hats and green leprechaun-like clothing. The 17th of March is the day in the Irish calendar and for some reason, many european countries (and USA) are celebrating it as well. I went to Ireland to experience this phenomenon of an holiday which has spread throughout western countries like an green, drunken plague.

One of the places in Northern Ireland that I had to experience was the natural phenomenon 'Giant's Causeway' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant%27s_Causeway) on the northern coast. It was a tremendous experience to see an untouched and unsoiled natural beauty. Coming from Denmark, I had never seen anything like this before. We also went to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge which connects one of the smaller 'islands' to the mainland. Set up by fishermen to catch salmon. I am very afraid of heights, so it was quite a fear to overcome walking on that bridge.

All in all, I can only pray that places like Giant's Causeway are being preserved because it is truly spectacular.

Ever since I wrote a written assignment on the IRA and The Troubles when i was in high school, I have been fascinated by the Irish culture and history. (Watching an episode about The IRA on the show; 'Deadliest Warrior', contributed to that fascination as well). So when I went to Ireland, there were some places that I wanted to go. There included Derry and Belfast in Northern Ireland as those cities were some of the hotspots during the troubles. And actually still is, though not as concentrated as back then. I took some pictures in both Belfast and Derry depicting the remains of the conflict:

I would like to quote a guy from Arizona that I met during my stay in Belfast:

"In Dublin, they take St. Patrick's Day very seriously".

I can only agree with him. Depending on where you are from, there will always be certain events or holidays that are celebrated throughout the country. I am from Denmark and I can safely say that I have NEVER seen such dedication among the danish people aside from '92 when Denmark won the EC in football. St. Patrick's Day in Dublin is a party. A party where everyone, regardless of race and country, is invited.

Ireland and Northern Ireland are some of the most fantastisc countries that I have ever visited. The historic, cultural and natural heritage of these countries are amazing. I can highly reccomend anyone to visit Dublin, especially during St. Patrick's Day and I will definitely be coming back. And because a picture says more than a thousand words: