One of my favorite countries, at least of those I've visited, is Ireland. Ireland is known for its relation with the United Kingdom witch it used to be part of. Today, Ireland enjoys independence, peace and a rising economy. In Ireland you won't find big metropolins or towering skyscrapers. You won't find high snow-topped mountains or deep canyons or craters. What you will find there are sympathic hospitable people, quiet towns and villages with European architecture (especialy in Dublin and Belfast), sheep wondering on the open roads, archeological sites, pleasant parks and nature reserves.
Three million people live in Ireland, and some 1.5 million in Northern Ireland. Not a very big population, but a population of quality. When visiting Ireland, sleep in bed and breakfasts in private houses, so you could get to know these unique people.
Towns worth visiting are Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Galway, Derry (LondonDerry) and Belfast. In the evening, there's nothing like sitting in a pub with a glass of the local Guinness or Murfy's, enjoying the unique atmosphere.
The beaches in Ireland are very pretty, full of bays and peninsulas. Don't miss the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast and the Giant Causeway in Northern Ireland.
A few words about driving on the left side of the road
In most of the countries in the world, driving is on the right side of the road. Many rules are based on that principal: turning, circles and so on.
In Ireland, like in the United Kingdom and a few more countries, driving is on the left side of the road. The driver sits on the right side of the vehicle, and the vehicles coming across pass you on your right.
A left turn is done the way we are used to do a right turn - close to the edge of the road. A right turn is done the way we are used to do a left turn - including all the meaning of it. Passing a vehicle in front of you - from its right. (and not from its left).
When you get to a circle, you turn left and then clockwise (and not counter-clockwise, like we are used to in most countries). Don't forget to yield to the vehicles allready in the circle - coming to you from your right.
If you're riding in a narrow road, and a vehicle is coming towards you from the front - remember to pass it from your left.
It took me a few minutes to get used to it, like a dog thrown to the water and starts to swim. When I came home, it was even easier to get used back to driving on the right. All my life I've been driving on the right, but now it's not that obious.
