Continued from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 10

HEADING SOUTH FROM BELFAST
Heading south from Belfast is the relatively modern town of Portadown, where the residents can describe the coming of Cromwell’s men in the 1650s as as though it were yesterday.

Going further south from Belfast about 40 miles, Armagh is an ancient cathedral town, with fascinating museums and ruins. It dates from around the 6th century and has a very special, almost mystical atmosphere. It has a local interpretive center now very like the one at Dublin, Dubliana, and wonderful winding streets, and a great terraced effect to the town as you have to climb to get up to the Cathedral.

There is a great legend associated with Armagh, and it is said that St. Patrick founded the college here, as he moved from east to west from the down of Downpatrick.

HEADING SOUTH FROM ARMAGH
As you are heading back south toward Dublin you could also visit the site of Newgrange, the huge monolithic tomb experts think is even older than Stonehenge, and built in alignment so the sunshine from the winter solstice on the shortest day of the year comes straight up the long passage to illuminate the burial chamber within. Experts estimate that it was built in 7000 BC.

Nearby are similar excavated burial mounds Howth and Knowth, and in fact the whole area, known as the Boyne valley, is an achaeologist’s dream, it is so full of artefacts. All three places are pretty unforgettable, and like nothing you will ever see in America, or even most of Europe.

Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 12

Sometimes jet lag can feel like the worst thing in the world. You’re up at all hours of the day and night, or so crashed out you just want to sleep all the time, and thus end up missing out on the best your destination has to offer.

Worse still is insomnia–when you are bone tired, and still can’t sleep. Here are some helpful suggestions on how to cope with insomnia when it strikes.

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/depression_anxiety/JohnsHopkinsDepressionAnxietyHealthAlert_799-1.html

Continued from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 9
BELFAST

Heading south once more down the great glens of Antrim, you will reach Belfast, rich in history and museums. In Belfast near the University is the Ulster Museum, which has a wonderful collection of artefacts and art, and an excellent if small restaurant which overlooks an intriguing little ancient graveyard.

The folk museum at Cultra, about 7 miles away, is also well worth visiting, and the adorable town of Crawfordsburn with its sandy beaches, windmill and waterfall.

Also worth visiting in Belfast are the zoo, Cavehill, and Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast City Hall. You can also walk along the great River Lagan, to visit quaint villages and ancient monuments just a stone’s throw away from the city center. Once again, for so large a city, pretty much everything is in walking distance, or a short bus or cab ride away.

Belfast has water on the east side, the Belfast lough, and mountains to the west. On the lough are the Harland and Wolff shipyards, where the great Titanic and its two other ill-fated sister ships were built. It has a museum and is located very near the small but busy Belfast City Airport. (The international airport is about 20 miles away to the west near the town of Antrim).

Belfast also has many fine Georgian buildings in the city center, and the Crown Saloon, an old pub which still retains its Victorian charm. There is also a opera house, fine theatres and dining, a good city center for shopping, and a very sophisticated area around the university.

Every autumn there is a fine arts festival which features top ballet, opera, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as classical musical ensembles from all over the world.

Continues in Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 11

I found this very encouraging article that says exercise does not have to be all about killing yourself in the gym. Walking and yoga count too. Best of all, you can keep on doing them even on vacation, to stay fit and trip even if you are having a tempting treat or two at your lovely destination.

Keeping Fit: Nutrition and Weight Control

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continued from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 8
HEADING EAST FROM THE GIANT’S CAUSEWAY
Going east around the coast of Northern Ireland to the town of Ballycastle, you will see some of the astounding scenery of County Antrim. The glens of Antrim are known for their spectacular beauty, particularly around Cushendall, Cushendun, and Glenarm.

From the charming town of Ballycastle on the coast, you can take a short boat trip out to Rathlin Island, a rare place of wild beauty and of extraordinary ecological value and historical interest.

This island lies 6 miles off the coast of Northeastern Ireland, and only 16 miles from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. It’s eight miles long and less than one mile wide, and shaped like a boot. It is comprised of layers of basalt on limestone on the higher parts. It is surrounded by limestone and basalt sea cliffs reaching 470 ft in places.

Three lighthouses stand as monument to its wild coast, where over 40 recorded shipwrecks lie in the depths nearby. There are underwater cliffs, caves and a marine botanical paradise here.

Robert the Bruce, who won Scotland’s freedom from England in the early 12th century, (the Robert who betrays William Wallace in Braveheart, then changes his mind at the end of the movie and offers battle instead of a truce), spent some time in exile in the caves on Rathlin.

When Robert saw how a spider in the cave with him kept weaving its web over and over again every day no matter how many times Robert destroyed it, Robert decided if the spider could do it, so could he!

Rathlin Island is also a paradise for birds all year round, but becomes a haven for puffins, guillemots and kittiwakes every summer from about May to July when these migratory birds come down from the Arctic to feed, mate, nest, rear their young, teach them to fly, and then head off on their travels.

The male puffin’s beak is only highly colored when he is looking for a girlfriend. They use the beak to burrow into the cliff face to form their nest, where they reat their chicks. A Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds warden is usually on hand to give you a great view of a nest through his high powered telescope at this time of the year.

Continues in Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 10

One of the great things about walking is that it is a very beneficial form of exercise, that can be done anywhere without any special equipment.

Vacation is a time when you’ll be out and about sightseeing and generally enjoying the fresh air. You might also be indulging in a few too many rich meals. So a walking program might not only help you to make the most of each destination when you travel, it can also help you keep down your weight!

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/healthy_living/257-1.html

Continues from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 8
NORTHERN ROUTE FROM SLIGO BACK TO DUBLIN (THE LONG WAY!)
If you were to head north from Sligo, you would end up at Letterkenny, the main town of the very large County Donegal, a fairly bustling city, and your last chance for any kind of shopping if you decide to head further north.
From Letterkenny you could begin your tour of wild and rugged Donegal country, with its mountains and remarkable sea coasts. All the way in the very very far north is Tory Island, so far off the coast, especially in bad weather, that the natives there say “I’m going to Ireland” when they get on the ferry.
Donegal is one of the last native Irish speaking areas in Ireland, and is home to Clannad and Enya.
You can visit their family pub where it all started, Teach Leo, (Teach is pronounced like tchack) and it means Leo’s house. Leo the proud papa will often let you talk to the kids if you happen to be there–they frequently phone home!
From Letterkenny, you could start heading southeast back to Dublin via the busy market town of Omagh. The whole drive would take you about 4 hours to get back. Just remember that Irish ‘highways’ are a lot smaller than ours! And a lot more bumpy!
HEADING EAST FROM LETTERKENNY
Letterkenny is also one of the gateways to Northern Ireland via the city of Derry (or Londonderry to the British).
Derry is an historic city with a castle which also still has some of its walls intact. It is a young, vibrant city with a lot of college students. It is also the gateway to the famous Giant’s Causeway, a basalt rock formation caused by volcanic activity in the region many thousands of years ago.
Legend has it that you could walk to Scotland via its step-like formations. You can also walk along the coast, taking in the dramatic scenery.
For those of you not afraid of heights, there is also the Carrickarede swining rope bridge, which the local men use to go from the mainland to the small island to empty their lobster pots. Just remember, if you go across, you have to go back the same way, not an easy feat with other people on the bridge and a bit of wind!
From here you can head back to Derry, and via the main roads back down to Dublin. Give yourself about five hours, more if you want to stop in some of the places we mention on the eastern side of this route.
Continues in Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 9

Travel can cause a lot of wear and tear on your back and joints.

For many people with back pain, hydrotherapy — exercising in water — offers a way to build muscle strength and flexibility with minimal stress on joints and muscles. Learn more about it in this useful article.

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/back_pain_osteoporosis/JohnsHopkinsBackPainOsteoporosisHealthAlert_1960-1.html

continued from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 6
NORTH FROM GALWAY
COUNTY MAYO
Heading further north is the lovely down of Castlebar, Co. Mayo, quite sophisticated, with fine manor houses and good eating and shopping. It has brilliant seascapes as well, and a great zoo.
Croagh (pronounced CrOHg) Patrick, a mountain associated with St Patrick, is a popular site for religious pilgrims, and about the only place gold has ever been discovered and mined in Ireland.
Like County Galway, the more west you go, the more untouched the countyside. There is a small Irish speaking community around Erris, also great for anyone interested in birdwatching.
COUNTY SLIGO
Further north still on our circuit around Ireland is the glorious sea meets sky scenery of County Sligo. The small city of Sligo, with its many associations wth Irish history and the poet W B Yeats, is a small, charming town with an excellent theatre, The Hawk’s Well. The mountains on either side and the pass to the east of Ireland are full of fabluous Irish legends.
The castles around the area are of the small manor house variety rather than huge Norman type, but still well worth looking at, and there is also the spectacular “Horse’s tail waterfall” not too far out of town.
HEADING EAST FROM SLIGO
You could start heading east from here over into Northern Ireland through the towns of Manorhamilton, Blacklion, and then across the border into Enniskillen, or come through via Belleek as well to get to Enniskillen.
This area is the lake district of Ireland, similar to the one in England. Upper and Lower Lough Erne are 35 square miles and 50 respectively, and dotted with many islands you can explore on day trips or in a rented cruiser.
There are a number of really lovely manor house type castles throughout the region, and an excellent castle and museum at Enniskillen. The fishing and golf here are second to none, and there is a third lake, Lough Melvin, which has some breeds of fish not found anywhere else in Ireland, and thought to be prehistoric.
There are 17 forests or forest parks in the area, plus 2 incredible 18th century manor houses with vast grounds for you to tour.
Continuing on east would eventually take you through Enniskillen, an island in between the two lakes. With its impressive castle and cathedral, museum and manor house, it is well worth a stay.
Then you would continue on through Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown, eventtually hitting the main road that would take you back down to Dublin. You could certainly stop at the Hill of Tara on your way back, or Armagh, an ancient town which we mention in the northern route from Sligo section.
This a very rural part of Ireland, but still full of fabulous churches and buildings, and friendly people who make fabulous food. Enniskillen is about 3 hours drive from Dublin, heading northwest, so you could easily spend a few days on the lakes and in the forests if you’re interested in a real romantic chance to completely get away from it all.
Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 8

Why not try tai chi–it’s low impact, you don’t even need any special equipment, and you can do in anywhere!

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/healthy_living/376-1.html