Derry, Northern Ireland

I haven't had much of a chance to travel lately, but I did get a chance to go see my granddad in Derry earlier this month, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my trip.

Derry is not somewhere I'd normally pick for a city break, so the main reason I went was just to visit.  But the city ended up surprising me.  Northern Ireland's second largest city certainly has a reputation for its troubled past, but signs of a new unity and rejuvenation are everywhere, like the new peace bridge representing a new connection between a historically divided city.   It has certainly come a long way in recent years and has even been named 2013's European City of Culture.

It is definitely worth taking a look into the history of this city. There's quite a few walking tours you can do of the bog side, murals and Bloody Sunday, ect. I did the one of the murals, which was pretty cool to learn about, two of my second cousins took me, which was quite cool because they knew quite a few facts having lived in Derry all their lives.

No trip to any part of Ireland is complete without a trip to the pub for some traditional music and a cold pint. There's a great place called Peader O'Donnell's that is worth a visit that usually has some live music on and a pretty good atmosphere.



The city is also a great base for exploring nearby Donegal, including the fabled Giant's Causeway or a day trip to Belfast. Unfortunately it was a bit too cold and blustery for the causeway this time around and I ran out of time to go see Belfast, so maybe next time!

One of my favourite parts of Derry is the Craft Village.  It so quaint and quintessentially Irish (There's even a thatched cottage).  It's a great place to get something unique and grab some lunch.  Both the Boston Tea Party (try the apple pie!) and Cafe Mondo have great light lunches with sandwiches and homemade soups (yum!).  If you're wanting to bring back some souvenirs, there's a great little Irish shop, a place to buy Derry crystal, and my favourite was a little shop selling all sorts of things from local artists.  

There are many more glamorous cities in Europe, but Derry is definitely worth checking out if you haven't before as its definitely full of some surprises.