(Northern) Ireland 2024
When something good happens, travel to celebrate. If something bad happens, travel to forget it. If nothing happens, travel to make something happen. If you and your besties are all turning 40, travel to celebrate life, friendship, and make new memories.
Dublin
one of many pubs
exploring the city on foot
avo on toast, a classic I love
think pink has always been our motto
most famous pub in Dublin
according to the Irish folks, we are here during the best week of the year weatherwise
and just like that, Spar became my new favorite super market
standing proud in Dublin
one of many pubs
well deserved break
Wild Atlantic Way / Cliffs of Moher
jumping around the wild Atlantic Coast
again, happy the sun is out
Cliffs of Moher, bucket list 
I think the message is clear here
Doolin
fish & chips, what else
Galway
cutest cafe in town
when it rains, we eat & drink
not the Table Mountain, also not Ayers Rock. It‘s Benbulbin
loving the scenery
wild Atlantic Ocean
I am never gonna say no to french toast
Northern Ireland
driving on the beach was so much fun (and legal)
sweet drone shot by my friend Andrea
more reality on the internet
Giants Causeway, 60 mio years old
hard to believe this is not man-made but formed by lava
impressive and special energy
Belfast
What happened to us in Belfast
Usually, I don’t write a travel blog for short trips, but I want to share the story of what happened to us in Belfast. This trip to Ireland with Natalie and Andrea was a 40th birthday celebration, as we have all recently turned or will soon turn 40. We have been friends for more than half of our lives and have been on many trips together before.
We had been on the road from Dublin to Northern Ireland for a few days, exploring the beauty of Ireland and having fun. Seeing the Cliffs of Moher and the Giant’s Causeway was amazing and a big check off my bucket list.
We decided to spend our last night in Belfast because it was convenient, and none of us had been there before. I booked a unique manor with two bedrooms and a home cinema.
Entering the city of Belfast, we felt a strange ambiance, possibly influenced by its violent and dark history. From the late 1960s to 1998, Belfast was largely centered around a conflict involving nationalist/republican Catholics seeking unification with Ireland and unionist/loyalist Protestants wanting to remain part of the United Kingdom. The city experienced intense violence, bombings, and shootings, resulting in significant loss of life and deep societal divisions.
We pulled up to a house in suburbia and discovered that the "Manor" was not a historic home, but rather a garden shed in someone's backyard. We did a self-check-in and were stunned by what had been done with the shed. It was decorated with antiques and a lot of Royal family memorabilia. It looked posh and clean but had a very eerie feeling to it, almost like it was haunted.
Later in the evening we wanted to watch a movie and I asked the host to come over to explain to us how the projector works. Natalie and I were standing by the door when he entered and were both flabbergasted when we saw him. He looked like a total creep. And all three of us had the same thought: Shit, there are hidden cameras everywhere and this guy is a psycho stalker and has probably seen the Bates Motel one too many times!
I am a very sensitive person, and almost have like a sixth sense, when my body reacts to people or situations and is giving me bad vibes and energy, I know I can trust this feeling because it had proven to be right many times and has even saved my life before.
He was explaining to us how the whole place is controlled with google, the music, the lights (in my opinion the hidden cameras) and wanted to know when we go to bed and when we get up in the morning so he can time the light to go on and off! When he left, we were all so creeped out that we were even thinking of leaving. At this time, we were not afraid of ghosts anymore but him. Unfortunately, I had the one bedroom to myself. I locked the door, didn’t even shower anymore, used the bathroom with the lights off, and went to bed in my street clothes (which NEVER happens). I could not fall asleep, staring at the ceiling in the dark, listening to every noise I would hear. Then I heard a "shhhhhh" sound, like some kind of ventilation. Because I've watched too many horror movies, I thought it might be gas to put us to sleep and that we'd wake up in a torture chamber. Eventually, around 3 a.m., I was so tired that I finally fell asleep. And luckily, we woke up alive!
However, in the morning we discovered there was a hidden back door, which shattered our false sense of security. We had thought that locking the front door would keep him out! So at 7 a.m., we left in a hurry to drive to the airport. As we talked about everything, we couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong with the guy.
When we arrived at the airport in Dublin, we did an intensive google search and what we came up with was more than disturbing. An article from the Belfast Telegraph from 2018 (his name and age were identical) that said: The Belfast man threatened to "annihilate" his ex-partner and burn her family, her kids and everyone that belongs to her "to the ground". He was also accused of forcing open a front door at her home, breaking a bed and cutting internet cables. The court charged him, imposed a restraining order, a curfew, electronic tagging and an alcohol ban.
We also found a photo of him holding a tiny coffin with a dead bird in it and information that he was banned from Airbnb! We were shocked to say the least!
I learned once again to trust my intuition and If I ever find myself in a similar situation again, I will leave immediately. We plan to report our findings to Booking.com and hope that no one ever gets hurt in the creepy, haunted manor.
