When the Cheshire emerges...

So I adored Edinburgh. From the outset it amazed and it didn't fail me at all. The vintage shopping, the vibe, the haggis, the history, the people (a very good looking guy promoting a kilt shop managed to make the thing look almost sexy)... dare I say I felt a real pull? Like an 'I would happily live here' pull?... The Highlands and Loch Ness are stunning, very glad I did a day trip from Edinburgh there. There were only three of us Aussies – for once we were outnumbered! Thought we glimpsed Nessie for a second just quietly...

Through to Glasgow the drizzle continued. Not as much going on there but still a nice city. The West End area is nice and I did my best to involve myself in the festival that went on throughout June. And their vintage is just as good – buy of the trip: a 2 Pound tartan blazer-style jacket. WIN.

Ah. And then there was Ireland. Nine days of absolute intrigue, happiness and... shenanigans as Pa so succinctly put it. Belfast is fascinating: I was nowhere near as informed about the issues there as I thought, and a Black Cab tour (where they take you through the 'Peace Wall' to the Protestant area and back through the Catholic side showing you murals and explaining the history from both sides) rendered me speechless. The Titanic tour (it was built there, remember?) was fun though, got an awesome King of the World shot where it originally stood in the docklands. Thanks Rebecca! Met up with the lovely Emma twice, whose family had me over for a traditional Irish home-cooked dinner (Topdeck 2010 represent) and wandered the streets aimlessly with almost-local Mark (almost got me peed on by a bird over a bridge he did ;D) before spending my last day on a trip to Giant's Causeway and Derry – where the murals there are just as interesting although the unrest isn't as prominent, but standing on the street where innocents were shot on Bloody Sunday was pretty overwhelming. Our guide in Derry was so blunt (but sympathetic) about it, we were all just a bit stunned.

Dublin isn't nearly as bad as what some have perceived it... sure it's touristy, but not in a bad way – I didn't notice it all that much. Plus I like touristy places – Gold Coast anyone? There's a shiteload of stuff going on and I realised straight away that one day was not going to be enough. And that didn't even include the Guinness tour. Sacrilege you cry? Hardly – I only tried my first half-pint of the stuff the following night on tour. Yes, I did another tour after much deliberation – trying to get to a Gaelic football game and do my own itinerary, or three days with strangers on a Shamrocker trip seeing places and sights I had no idea about? I picked the latter, although wishing I'd done more research into the Gaelic game. Fail. Buuuut no regrets about the tour – it was a blast with a great, well-rounded group. We first went to Blarney Castle (where I gave the infamous Blarney Stone one helluva puck for the gift of eloquence). Then Killarney for the night to share in some shenanigans with one-man show performer Pa as he told us stories of the pub he raised before it was to close (downing ¾ of a pint of Guinness at least five times during the show was the work of a genius). Some of the dirtiest jokes I think in existence were said in there. I gave my soul to the seas the next morning at a beach whose name I can't remember, and fully intend on retrieving it in 20 years time as the legend goes. I knew I'd return well before getting to this anyway, it's that amazing. The night in Ennis saw traditional music and bar-hopping with our restless leader. Day three was the Cliffs of Moher before I left the tour in Galway instead of returning to Dublin.

Galway. Wow. What a city. So much expectation and it ended up living to its hype. The newly-created (I think) pub crawl helped towards that though... what an awesome group, and an unusual crawl. We learnt an Irish jig, and I now know sculling a pint of Guinness is never a good thing. But tour guide Joanne would've been proud, she was so jealous I left the tour early for the place. Haha I've revelled in having small groups for pub crawls throughout my time here, you get talking to everyone more - and feel comfortable dancing like a crazy-woman by the time you get to the club. Not that I care too much because I do that anyway... haha let's just say the day-trip to Westport I intended on doing the next day had no way of happening. Another reason for me to go back I guess!

Dublin take two saw me go to Croke Park (at least to see the stadium on a tour if not for a game) and catch up with some Galway buddies – shout outs to Zonja, Vicky, Boyan and Max, the latter two entertainingly driving me back to London the next day. My last solo day was incredibly relaxed with that drive... I was in a good place, which I needed before a long wait for my family in Arrivals at Heathrow.