San Marino and Ireland

May 11-20, 2018
AC876 YYZ-FRA, LH2520 MUC-DUB, LH979 DUB-FRA, AC877 FRA-YYZ

I stumbled into a quirky inexpensive business class fare from Toronto to Dublin via Frankfurt.  Rather than just going to Ireland, I built travel with a road trip starting and ending in Germany and getting us to San Marino, our last micro-state in Europe. San Marino was much more than we expected, and we also got to explore new parts of Ireland including Northern Ireland, further adding to our country count.  Also, as a paid business class ticket out of Toronto, we were back to the Signature lounge, where we tried some new menu items and shared the bar area with Michael Buble. 

May 12

After our overnight flight from Toronto, we got a little extra rest before picking up the rental car and driving to Switzerland. Thanks to the longer days, although we arrived in the evening, we still got to explore some of Luzern before having a nice dinner in the old town.

Famous wooden Chapel Bridge, originally from 1333

Another perspective on the bridge, rebuilt after the 1993 fire

One of the many swans on Luzern Lake

May 13

Continuing our way to San Marino, we made our way from Switzerland to Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, stopping along the way to taste the food and admire the mountain scenery.

Mountainside just North of Wassen, Switzerland

Monumento al Partigiano in Piazzale della Pace in Parma

1059 Parma Cathedral

Different perspective on the impressive Cathedral

Parmigiano-Reggiano, Parma’s namesake cheese

Further down the road, St Francesco Church in Reggio Emilia

Graphic statue in Piazze dei Teatri, Reggio Emilia

May 14

After staying overnight in the suburbs of Reggio Elimia, we continued south to San Marino, stopping to tour Rimini near the Mediterranean coast, leaving enough time to in the afternoon to explore San Marino.

Tiberio Bridge in Rimini

Statue of Liberty and San Marino Public Palace

Looking towards the Mediterranean from the fortified city

Guaita Tower sits high on the fortified city

Broader perspective of the wall

Zoomed into the Guaita Tower

Looking down from the tower

Sunset from our hotel room in the old city

Eclectic gift shop, lit up for the evening, contrasts the historic town

May 15

Enjoying the views from San Marino, we have the morning to wander a little more, and then we start our journey back towards Germany with a relatively long drive to Innsbruck. We ended up changing our plans on the fly, as there was heavy rain in Fussen, Germany our original destination. It worked out well, as although we drove through some rain, we had a clear evening in Innsbruck.

Cooking show on location in San Marino

Abraham Lincoln accepted honorary citizenship to San Marino in 1861

The cobblestone streets, before the San Marino day tourists arrive

Basilia di San Petronio in Bologna, Italy

Fountain of Neptune in Piazza Maggiore, Balogna

Two Towers (slightly leaning) of Bologna, constructed from 1109-1119

1400s Statturm (town tower) of Innsbruck, after a long day of driving

Bridge over Inn River, decked out with Pride Flags

Alps making a brief appearance from the clouds before the sun sets

May 16

After a rainy drive back to Frankfurt, we had a midday flight to Dublin and a much sunnier drive to Galway, where we had a bit of time to walk around before grabbing dinner in the city.

Being in Ireland a few weeks before the abortion referendum, we witnessed very heavy campaigning on both sides

Feeling very Irish and festive in Galway

After dinner and a few beers, the town was even more active

May 17

With another full day and overnight in Galway, we had time to take the Ferry to the Aran Island of Inishmore where we rented bicycles to explore.

Dun Aonghasa (Fort of the Angus), pre-historic fortifications from 2nd century BC

Looking back up the rocky coast as we climb to the top

Sheer drop at the edge of the fort

Somewhat brave tourists testing the edge

Marveling in the view before we head back

Ruins of the seven churches

Modeling the rental helmet (safety first!)

Main port of the island, before we catch our ferry boat back to the mainland

May 18

We explored a bit more of the area before making our way slowly to Derry, Northern Ireland, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Dunguaire Castle, near Galway

Interior of the castle

Ancient burial site at Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery

inside the restored burial site

Lough Beagh in Glenveagh National Park

Looking down on Glenveagh Castle from the steep lookout trail

Closeup of the castle

The Peace Bridge in Derry was our first stop in Northern Ireland

Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall

May 19

For our last full day in Ireland, we started the day exploring the history of the Ireland Troubles in Derry, explored the beautiful Giant’s Causeway, and finally ended the day in Belfast. Defying the Irish weather odds, we had another beautiful day.

Touring the murals of Derry painted in the mid-90s, showing the Republican perspective of the Troubles. “Peace” was our first stop

“The Sunday Matinee” depicts an outgunned youth behind a glass shield

“Bloody Sunday” mural, depicting events of January 30, 1972

Free Derry Corner, a traditional meeting place for speakers to address crowds

Bloody Sunday monument

Exploring the basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway

Closeup look at the rock formations

Good perspective of the height and breadth of the causeway, that legend had stretching all the way to Scotland

More of the beautiful scenery as we hike above the causeway

Amazing green rocky coastline seems to go on forever

Further up the coast, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge to a small island

Perspective on the bridge, island, and surrounding mountains

Redevelopment of Belfast Port and the filled in dry dock that was the birthplace of the Titanic

The Titanic Experience Museum does a great job of telling the full history of the ship

Belfast City Hall

Looking back on the H&W ship building company from our hotel

May 20

The rain finally caught up to us, but all we had on the schedule was driving to Dublin airport to start our long journey home to Toronto back through Frankfurt.