Northern Ireland is awash with the colour pink, due to the fact that the Giro d’Italia has decided to grace us with it’s presence. I don’t profess to know much about the race other than it involves bicycles, bicycle riding and hopefully lots of men in lycra shorts!
The roads are being swept and cleaned, pink posters bidding everyone a warm welcome are being hung from lamp posts and there are strategically placed pink painted bicycles at every roundabout and layby with available space.
Tourism is good for Northern Ireland, we are blessed with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, but the bad press we have received over the years has, I am sure made many people reluctant to visit. Hopefully this event will pass off without any kind of drama.
Recently the Northern Ireland Tourist Board posted a video of a cyclist performing stunts at various locations around the proposed route of the race. It shows places like The Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge to name just two. While watching the video I felt a sense of pride at coming from this little country with it’s green fields, breath taking scenery and welcoming people.
I’m pretty sure I touched on this before with a previous blog entry, but it’s amazing how accustomed we become to our surroundings, taking them for granted and unable to see them sometimes as they really are. My friend Paul came over at the end of last summer and it was only then I realised, while sightseeing with him, how much of my own homeland I had not even seen, and viewing it through the lens of a camera added yet another angle.
Why would I pay to go anywhere else when I already have so much beauty on my own doorstep. I look forward to seeing a lot more of it in the coming years.
Good luck to all those taking part in the Giro d’Italia and I hope you enjoy the video.
The Indecisive Eejit 
Lots of things to say “nice” to in this post.
Maybe one day I’ll get there :-)
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Now that would be nice :)
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It never ceases to amaze me how much we have to discover about our own countries. I’m blown away by the fact that you can take all of continental Europe and fit it into the province of Quebec with room to spare! So yes, like you – I think – so many places in the world I’d love to visit – but my province and country has worlds hidden and just as fascinating as any other.
Great video – showcasing such a beautiful place – maybe one day I’ll get to visit Ireland – it has always fascinated me. :)
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That would be lovely if one day you could. We are lucky to have an abundance of things right on out doorstep. :)
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That was a very cool video, though I’d run off to Ireland any day, if I could!
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Surf, Sea and cups of Tea. You’d fit right in here lol
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“Surf, Sea and cups of Tea.” Definitely. :D
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Can’t mkae it over for the Giro but will find the time when the Tour trundles through Yorkshire. You are right Northern Ireland is beautiful.
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Do you live in Yorkshire? Its beautiful part of the world :-)
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No Gloucestershire
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Ah its nice too. I’m hoping to go to Yorkshire sometime this year :)
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York is well worth a day or two of your time
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I shall bear that in mind. But be warned you may get a notification telling you to put the kettle on :)
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A pleasure!
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Hope the race day is nothing but fun!
Ireland is high on my list of places to see. (I understand you even have surfing!)
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Ahh surfing, that we do. You would love Whitepark Beach, it’s one of my favourite places. Although when Paul was here we saw kite surfers at Ballywalter and that was awesome to watch.
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I’ve only been up to Derry, twice, getting Mr Lokii-Pants! We were a little intimidated by the neighbourhoods we went through in our Mayo reg Mini, so didn’t stick around for sightseeing :(
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Meh. I’d be a little scared going through some of those neighborhoods myself, so never worry lol
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So true, even the shit hole parts of Aberdeen look nice through a camera lol
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It really does make a difference. I seem to notice things I never did before lol perhaps it’s like a third eye!! *cue Dr Who type music*
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[…] Riding around the Emerald Isle […]
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