tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11970089.post116335869636656519..comments2023-12-19T12:28:50.637+00:00Comments on Earth and Universe: Traveling through Northern Ireland...briskly!John of Dublinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02536252400016522481noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11970089.post-1164589856559826712006-11-27T01:10:00.000+00:002006-11-27T01:10:00.000+00:00Hi Hilary. Good observations.I actually like Derry...Hi Hilary. Good observations.<BR/><BR/>I actually like Derry City - lovely shaped setting on the impressive Foyle river and hilly on both banks. My mother was from there and I spent many happy holidays there with aunts and an uncle and cousins. Yea - calling it Londonderry or Derry is one of the signs of "which foot you kick with" as they say up there!John of Dublinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02536252400016522481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11970089.post-1164120999509043872006-11-21T14:56:00.000+00:002006-11-21T14:56:00.000+00:00I recently visited N. Ireland with four friends. I...I recently visited N. Ireland with four friends. <BR/>It was my first real visit up north though I had been in Belfast once, for just two nights, twenty years ago. The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed the scenery on the coast of Antrim etc. quite breathtaking. When we were admiring the scenery on one stop, we got into conversation with some friendly local people and mentioned that we were en route to Derry for the weekend, we were quickly reminded that “it is called LondonDerry up here” . It was a lighthearted exchange I’m glad to say and they were very nice giving us all sorts of anecdotal information about area and the beautiful views etc.. <BR/>I thought Derry seemed like a southern town in the 70’s, a bit depressed really. The center of the city is lovely, architecturally, but its difficult to find a good restaurant or even coffee shop, compared to the choices we have nowadays in Galway, Limerick and Cork, both in the city centres and in the suburbs. In addition the smoking in the bars and restaurants drove me nuts, I just cant stand it. I’d love to see that city getting some investment and moving forward with the rest of the country. But is there any commitment to economic development up there from the UK government? <BR/>We stayed in a B+B just outside Derry where on the first night one of our group overheard the owner of the establishment being asked by our newly arrived Taxi driver “Who have ya got staying tonight?” and his answer was “A bunch of Freestaters”. We were a bit surprised by that, but apparently should not have been.Hilary de Bhál, bean Mhic Suibhnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17532377718422975635noreply@blogger.com