I have about another month to go until I leave for Ireland, and it is becoming more real with every booking I do that I am really going to Ireland! I am stressed because I have to start saving up for money for food and stuff for while I am there but I am sure that it will be okay. A few weeks ago I booked all the tours and things that I am going to do while I am there and it was such an awesome feeling! I mean, up until now, it has been a plan. I have the plane tickets booked, and the hotels reserved but booking the tours gave me an Itinerary, a plan, a schedule, for while I am there.
I feel that with traveling, at least my own personal way of doing it, is that it is important to think ahead, to have a plan but that once you are there, be willing to change your plan, to take opportunities which are presented to you. Be willing to go with the flow but have a plan in motion before you leave. Some people do it differently most likely. perhaps some have no plans, some have plans set in stone. I suppose I am saying that I think that the best way is to be somewhere in the middle. the fact is, I am a single girl traveling to a foreign country all by herself, so I want to have some sort of idea as to what to do and how to do it when I get there.
Talking about being a single girl, I find that most people think I'm brave when I tell that I am traveling to Ireland all by myself. which is funny, because I don't think of myself as being brave for going traveling by myself. I love traveling, and I have wanted to go to Belfast since I did study abroad when no one else wanted to go to Northern Ireland and so I couldn't go. To me, it's fun not brave.
What is funny is that after traveling in China, going to Beijing, To Xi'an, by myself, traveling to Ireland is easy...they speak English there! lol. sure they also speak Irish, but they will also speak English as well so it's such a...relief to me to know that if I get lost, I can find someone and ask for directions. as opposed to in China where I was on my own since hardly anyone would speak English outside of organized tours you know? it makes it SO much easier! lol.
My main reason for going to Ireland is to see Belfast, to see all the Titanic spots there. which I set aside an entire day for and if I feel that I need another day, I am willing to do that. The first tour that I am doing on my first full day in Belfast is Titanic Tours by Susie Millar, and she is the Great-Great Granddaughter of one of the engineers on the Titanic who perished with the ship. Most of the Titanic spots, like the Dockyard, the memorial, etc. are for free, but I want to see the Harland and Wolff offices where they drew up the plans and according to Lonely Planet you can only see the offices by doing a tour. Besides, i think hearing the stories by someone like Susie Millar, who is not just a tour guide but has a family connection to the Titanic, will make it so much more meaningful you know? I booked the tour through her actually. I emailed the website since the paypal email address was not working and she emailed me back herself, told me which address to use to pay through paypal and booked me herself! being the Titanic geek that I am, I was thrilled to get an email from someone who is related to someone who was on the Titanic. So I am booked to do my Titanic Tour on March 11 @10am, and she will pick me up at my hostel! yay! I also am scheduling to go see the Titanic Experience, which is a Titanic museum, that same day. I am way excited. this first day in Belfast is THE reason why I am going to Ireland in the first place. everything else is extra, a bonus.
I cannot believe that I will get to stand in the dockyard where Titanic was fitted for a year before she sailed. Most people think Titanic, and they think Southampton, which is a spot that I would love to see since the actual dock where she sailed from is still there, but that is not where her story starts. Her story starts in Belfast, Ireland and that is where I am going next month! I get so excited and tingly where I think about standing in that dock where she was, where she was fitted and worked on....it's one of the closest thing to seeing the Titanic that I can think of.
I do also love that while my main reason for this trip is to see the Titanic Spots there, it's not the only thing that I am going to see while I am there. it's only one day of my week, I still making sure I see as much of Ireland and Northern Ireland as I can. next blog I will talk about Causeway tour and hop on, hop off tour.
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