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The Dark Hedges of the Kingsroad, Westeros

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, the Dark Hedges (about 50 miles northwest of Belfast) is a big deal. More than in any other country, driving around Ireland you find excuses to stop and see places featured in your favorite TV shows, movies, pop songs, traditional songs, and great literature (and towns with the same names as your Irish friends…which can get exhausting if you’re traveling with an Irish Catholic American).

dark hedges road

The Dark Hedges grow along Bregagh Road — known to the people of Westeros as the Kingsroad. Our tour group stopped here on our way from the Antrim Coast to Belfast. The half of the group that watches Game of Thrones was ecstatic at the chance to see this mysterious line of snaky trees. For the rest of us, it was just a beautiful walk. I love any chance we have as a tour group to get out of the bus, take a scenic walk, and hop back on the bus at the far end. (We were just driving through with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, but there are actually Belfast-based bus tours dedicated to Game of Thrones sights.)

 

This is Day 76 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: 28 Magic Moments on Our Best of Ireland Tour

Our Best of Ireland in 14 Days Tour is wrapping up. I took a moment on our bus to let each person in our group share their magic moment. Here are 28 memories in two minutes. Thanks to our great driver, Pascal, and our wonderful guide, Declan, for a smooth and unforgettable experience. Sláinte!

This is Day 75 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Understanding and Empathy at a Northern Ireland Wall

We’ve been leading tours through Ireland for more than 20 years, and as a matter of principle, I’ve never had one of our Best of Ireland tours not include a trip through Northern Ireland. Ireland needs to be understood as a whole. And for our group, the last couple of days in Ulster has been an emotional highlight.

It’s a happy and hopeful time right now, as “The Troubles” that wracked the country in recent decades are essentially over. But there is still deep-seated tension ― as this so-called “Peace Wall” (built to separate the two sectarian communities) illustrates. Wherever travelers encounter walls ― whether between Palestine and Israel, San Diego and Tijuana, or Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast ― it’s a thought-provoking experience.

Our guide, Declan, made a point to stop at this wall, and he gave us all pens to leave our hopes and prayers for peace in Ireland. Our Rick Steves’ Europe Tours program, with the support of our tour guides, works to help our American travelers hear both narratives and gain empathy for societies where there is tension and strife.

This is Day 74 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Feeding the Hawks at Ireland’s School of Falconry

This clip is a good example of why I’m so thankful there is a world of firsts still out there for me…like falconry. One of the top experiences so far on our Best of Ireland in 14 Days Tour was today’s visit to Ireland’s School of Falconry, where a great guide took our tour group on a “Hawk Walk.” For about an hour, we wandered through the enchanting grounds of Ashford Castle (just outside of Cong, north of Galway). Our hawk enjoyed 50 nibbles, as each person in our group got two tosses and two catches. With each toss, the glove was rotated to the next tour member, our guide tucked a little chicken meat in the padded palm, and the hawk knew just where to return.

These are the kind of experiences and memories we organize many times every day on Rick Steves’ Europe Tours. That’s why most people in our group are return travelers…many of them on their fourth or fifth Rick Steves tour. And we leave a lot of very fat hawks in our wake.

This is Day 73 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Mr. Curran Shares the History of Curran’s Pub

For a good traveler, the best “sights” in a town like Dingle are its people. Tonight, our Best of Ireland in 14 Days tour group will gather in Curran’s Pub for a traditional music session. I popped in during the day to talk with Mr. Curran, learn the history of his place, and enjoy it when it’s sleepy. It’s fun that so many of the shops and pubs here are called the names of the people who run them today (often after many, many generations). Real people…you must connect with the people to experience Ireland. And in Ireland, that’s easy.

This is Day 72 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.