Holywood!
Our 12th Anniversary is on the 7th so we decided to celebrate it today, since this weekend will be so hectic.
Our wonderful friends Big Jared & Amy said they would watch the children for us so we could go out for the afternoon! (Thank you so much you guys, you're the best!)
We pondered a few different options and finally decided we would like to hop on the train for a trip to the beach! We chose the town of Holywood for three reasons.
1. It was the closest beach to Belfast so we wouldn't have to be away from the children for as long.
2. I was born in a town called Hollywood so love the name. (Florida people....not California.)
3. I had a map that the wonderful town had mailed me!
It was a weird feeling walking to the train stop minus the kids....it's been so long since we have been out alone!
We made it on the train and I must stress again that the train is my favorite way of travel! Beats the cab or bus hands down. It was so nice to be able to sit at a table and chat with Jason uninterrupted. Cheap too!
I took this out the window. (Remember that all photos on my blog can be enlarged by clicking on them.)
We got out at the Holywood stop and started walking left along the beach, very beautiful.
Bye train!
Soon however we realized that we were running out of sidewalk and decided to get out our map to check where we were. (So glad we had that map!)
Aha, we should have went right at the train station! We headed back, through an underpass, and into the city.
Once we got to the city we checked our map again and found the public bathrooms, always good to know where those are! They also had a city map that pointed out where we were. Good to know we were on track. :-)
We stumbled across their famous Maypole: "Holywood is famous for its maypole at the crossroads in the centre of town. Its origin is uncertain, but according to local folklore it dates from 1700, when a Dutch ship is said to have run aground on the shore nearby, and the crew erected the broken mast to show their appreciation of the assistance offered to them by the townsfolk. The maypole is still used for dancing at the annual May Day fair."
And the Johnny the Jig sculpture: "Created by the eminent Holywood sculptress Rosamund Praegar in the 1950's, it commemorates a boy killed on the roads and preaches the sanctity of children's lives."
We also found the Old Priory: "The oldest remains date from the early 13th century. From 1615 to 1844 it was the parish church. Its tower dates from around 1800. The churchyard is the last resting place of many distinguished citizens, including the Praeger family. Robert Lloyd Praeger was a naturalist of international renown and his sister Rosamund achieved fame as a sculptress."
We, very respectfully, wandered around the ruins for awhile reading headstones. Very interesting and lots of awe of the ancient stones.
Next we headed for the beach! I loved walking through the town, had very much the feel of our small town back home. Everyone knew each other and were calling each other by first names, children on bikes, mother's pushing prams.
The beach was crunchy! Millions of shell layers on the ground!
Obligatory, cheesy, self-taken, beach photo.
We found this cool breakwater structure we just had to walk out on, despite it being super slippery.
Hellllooooo down there....
We played around with the rocks, sands, and shells for awhile - building dams and writing in the sand.
Further down we found a rickety looking wooden bridge.
Random beach shots:
War memorial we found:
Whew! All that beach play made us hungry so we walked back up to town and found somewhere to eat. We checked out a few different places but finally decided on a cute Asian restaurant. I don't remember the name of it (Koi something) but I highly recommend it, friendly staff, amazing food, and great atmosphere. It was an odd hour so we had the place all to ourselves!
Dinner, yum!
and a fried ice cream to split for dessert!
We walked around town a little bit more, found the information center but it was closed. Soon however it was time to catch the train back. Goodbye Holywood, thanks for letting us celebrate out anniversary with you!
The train ride home didn't go so smoothly. We got on a train that was going back to Belfast. It stopped at each stop like normal, until we got to the main station....normally after the main one it stops at around 4 more and then we are at Adelaide....but this time the train just took off really fast and did not stop at any more! We watched as we just flew past the Adelaide station! Now, being the calm person that I am, I did not panic. Even though in my head I was thinking "OMG, what is happening? Did someone highjack the train?" I just calmly leaned over the aisle and asked the woman next to me.
"Um...we were supposed to get off at Adelaide. Where exactly is this train going?" lol
She very kindly explained that this was the express train to Lisburn, a town outside Belfast! She felt bad for us but said we would be able to get off in Lisburn and take a train back to Belfast, no problem.
Note to self: Figure out how to tell the difference between a normal train and an express train. lol
We had a lovely time and Holywood will forever be a special place for us! It was so romantic to go hand-in-hand on an adventure together!
Oh....I would also like to mention that Jason is an amazing and loving husband! He gave me a gift today! A 4 hour "Spoil Me Rotten" package from a spa that includes:
* 60 minute facial
* 60 minute massage
* Deluxe Manicure
* Deluxe Pedicure
* Eyebrow tint and tidy
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He told me I deserved to be pampered for awhile! I can't wait to use the certificate!
Happy 12th Anniversary to us!