If your wanting to experience a taste of quintessential old England suburbs that hold some of the most enchanting villages you will ever lay eyes on, look no further than the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds are a set of villages in south central England that cover a 25-by-90 mile area of the English Countryside. There is no main “sight” to go see in this area, just the actual villages themselves. Most villages include a town cathedral and a main street with shops that you can visit. Not many tours come out to this area, so if you have the opportunity, it is best to visit by car. For a laid back day and a taste of the old world, this visit will be worth it.
Our last day in England was St. Patrick’s Day. I had planned it that way, of course. I have always wanted to celebrate St. Patrick’s day in a different county as it is one of my favorite holidays. It probably would have made more sense to have planned it when we went to Ireland, but we went there for our honeymoon and we wanted to get married in the summer. England was the next best option!
The morning of St. Patrick’s day in London was cold and wet. I was happy that it finally rained at least one of the days we were in London- that’s what any tourist expects and almost wants on a visit to London. I wanted the real “feel” of dreary London and I got it.
First, we went back to Westminster Square for a final look at the abbey and Parliament. We then walked to the other side of the Thames River to the London Eye. Now, I’m not one for giant ferris wheels and I feel very strongly that something of this nature greatly takes away from the charming buildings of 18th century London, but I had to take a ride on the eye because I knew it held superb views of the city and you can’t get views like that anywhere else. On the eye, you get a real perspective of the enormity of London. When you are tubing around underground London your whole trip, you really don’t realized where you have been in perspective to everything else around you.
We captured some great pictures that day especially since it was an overcast. The eye takes you one time around at a very slow pace and gives you ample time to take in all the views of the city. You stand in a giant pod with a few other people, where you can move about freely to look at each side of the city. It is well worth the money.
Westminster Abbey
We then hunted down the famous Abbey Road and Paul McCartney’s home. Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles used to record, is directly across from Abbey Road. After taking some great pictures, we rummaged around trying to find Paul McCartney’s home. In the middle of all this, it started to rain and then it started to pour! It took a few minutes of running around in the rain to find some place we could take cover which was not easy to find in the residential area we were in. We finally found a restaurant to take refuge where we ordered a hot pot of tea and soup. My hair, pants, and shoes were soaked and my thick wool coat had gained 10 pounds of soaked up rain- so much for enjoying London’s dreary weather 😉 The restaurant was named Richoux and there were pictures hanging all over the walls of all types of celebrities hanging out there. I guess it could have been some kind of famous restaurant and we didn’t even know it.
Abbey Road
We decided to head back to our hotel to get on some dry clothes and head out for our St. Patrick’s day bash. Although my husband was hesitant, I insisted we go to Soho for the night’s celebrations. As I’ve mentioned, Soho is the entertainment center of London, and although it can be a bit sleazy, and you definitely need to be aware of your surroundings, Soho is the place to go for any type of night life in London.
It turned out Soho was just the ticket! We had the time of our lives. We started our night next to the theater district at an old pub. It was packed on the ground level, but you could climb up to a loft where you could look down at the bustling street below you. This is probably my fondest memory of London because to me this was real London, the hustle and bustle of life at its fullest. I sat and stared out the window grasping my cold cider for almost an hour. Oh, and that’s the other great thing about London, they have all sorts of ciders on tap in the bars. So delicious and much better than regular beer!
Later, we met a few Irish kids and a girl from Wales and ended up hanging out with them for the remainder of the night. We had an amazing time! This is the kind of experiences that sticks with you after you have come home. To actually get involved at a personal level with the locals in their culture is what really heightens your experience when traveling. I will definitely never forget that night or them.
Our first full day in England we began with visiting Buckingham Palace. Although we didn’t get to see the changing of the guards, we saw the horse parade and followed the parade down to the bottom of the street that leads from the palace to the horse parade area. The horse parade area was nothing but a big square pad of dirt which I found amazing how they transformed it into the women’s outdoor beach volleyball venue for the 2012 Olympics 4 months later. If you walk under a breezeway past the horse parade you will be on the street where all the government building sit, including number 10 downing street, the seat of the prime minister. If you walk farther past this in one direction, you will run into parliament square that holds the grand parliament building, Westminster Abbey and the Supreme Court building. The other direction will take you to Trafalgar Square.
Buckingham palace is great, but it’s definitely not the grandest palace I’ve ever seen. You can only tour this palace for 2 months out of the year when the queen is away on holiday.
Horse parade pad
As for Parliament, you can only do tours when the houses are not in session. This includes Saturdays throughout the year and six days a week during their designated months listed on the website. This really bummed me out until I found out that when parliament is in session, the public is allowed to come in and watch it live in person! In the process of this you are able to view several other rooms and hallways of the building including the grand Westminster Hall, which I think is a great trade for not getting a full blown tour, if not better due to the fact that it is completely free whereas a tour is not! Once we were admitted in, we surprisingly had free rain to move about to the different rooms as we pleased. We were able to see both houses in session, the feisty house of commons and the distinguished house of lords. What an experience! You can stay as long or short as you like, which is wonderful for a tourists who has many things planned in their day. Visitors sit in the balcony for easy access in and out. If you are early prior to going into the sessions, they will take you in a room and explain all the ins and outs of Parliament to you. It is very interesting although the room was very small and hot and I had to keep kicking my husband to stay awake which was kind of embarrassing! Ha!
Viewing the inside of parliament was the one thing I absolutely had to do on my visit to London. So many people go to London without actually visiting the house of Parliament and I think many people don’t realize that they can tour or go in and view the sessions. I am glad I did my research ahead of time and was able to partake in this great opportunity. It was such an experience to say I have done this when not many people have. If you go online you can view the schedule of times the houses meet and schedule your visit accordingly. You can attend debates, question time or watch committees. All is listed on the website. http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/ You do not need to buy tickets in advance, only make yourself known to the Visitor Services staff who are standing on the side of the building (or ask a cop). Entrance is based on a first come first serve basis, and you would need to leave time for security check.
According to the online site, the guided tour takes 75 minutes and includes the Commons and Lords Chambers, the Queen’s Robbing Room, the Royal Gallery and Westminster Hall.
Westminster Hall
The famous Westminster Abbey is located directly across the street from Parliament. Be aware it can be closed for unexpected reasons like the queen being there (which was the case when I was there) or closing early on Saturdays. Due to these road blocks, I never actually got to go into the Abbey although I was right by it for 2 days of my trip!
Westminster Abbey
After touring Parliament we had to get back to our hotel to get ready for the play I’ve wanted to see all my life- Les Miserables. I grew up listening to the soundtrack and know every word to every song, but I have never seen the play or movie. London’s elaborate theater district rivals with Broadway with roughly 40 venues for performance. We saw the show at the Queens Theater, a charming little theater house. I remember how the floor of the stage was quite slanted, lower in the front and higher in the back and the center of the stage turned like a giant wheel making the illusion of the actors running or moving in the scenes. Due to this layout, and the actual theater being fairly small, I think no matter where you sit you feel like you are almost in the stage. As for the actual show, it was everything I thought it would be- phenomenal. The actors were superb and every voice was amazing. I was so glued to the stage that my husband thought I was mad at him!
Purchasing Tickets:
I wanted to ensure a perfect seat so I researched online and purchased my ticket prior to coming. I read online reviews to decide what seat would be the best. I am glad I ensured a good seat, but I also know you can get greatly discounted tickets if you show up right before the show and ask for any available seats. I didn’t want to take this risk and not be able to sit with my husband or be stuck on the end of a bad row or something, but my sister and her husband actually did this while they were in London and it worked out great for them. I actually would advise to buy your ticket in London whether you get a discount or not, because we had such a hard time finding the venue amongst the oodles of them that we almost missed the first part of the show. You can never anticipate what your day may end up being like once you are actually on your trip, and over planners and organizers that just have to have their tickets prior to going sometimes get punished for it. Again, if there is anything I have learned from traveling it is that you just cannot plan for everything no matter how hard you try. It is great to research and prepare in advance so you know all your options, but when it comes down to it, in many situations, it is best to just go with the flow and decide when you are there based on the how you feel that day, how much time you have etc.
The theater area is close to the racy nightlife area of Soho and close to this area is the major shopping district and Piccadilly circus. This area is like the Las Vegas or New York of London. This is where all of the entertainment, night life and partying happens. After walking back from the theater, we actually ended up in Piccadilly circus. After I got home people asked me if I had been to Piccadilly circus and I told them I didn’t think so. I didn’t realize at the time that I had in fact been there not only one but twice on the trip. And each time I thought it was a totally awesome area. Piccadilly circus is like the Time Square of London, lined with amazing buildings and major high end shopping. We walked the perimeter of the artistically curved building upon entering and exiting the theater area in Soho. The huge curved buildings in Piccadilly are amazing and very appealing to say the least. We were amazed as we walked along them, they seemed to just keep going and going! This area has a completely different feel from other parts of London, which is why I say there is something for everyone in London depending on where you go.
I wanted to switch, but by the time we arrived after a 14 hour flight and transferring from tube stop to tube stop, I didn’t have it in me to go looking for a new one. I figured it was only a place to sleep after all.
Our hotel was located in the Bayswater area which is more residential and about a 5-10 minute walk from the Paddington tube station. This area was pretty far from most tourist sights except for the Royal Albert Hall which you could walk to via Hyde Park. The area surrounding the hotel was charming. The reviews online were great, which I still can’t understand, because the hotel was by far the worst I’ve stayed in Europe.
Bayswater areaBayswater area
The hotel was ran by young adult middle eastern folks and upon entering the lobby you almost fell over from the heat mixed in with the reek of incense that they had burning in huge pots in the lobby. Strange, but not necessarily bad. Other than the odd smell, the lobby and hotel restaurant seemed nice enough. The worst part came after getting off of the elevator into the claustrophobic hallways.
Now I have been in many European hotels, so I am used to their smallness, but holy crap, these halls were so narrow it was hard to get our luggage through them! Along with the narrowness, they were disgusting dirty. The carpets were filthy and faded to the point they just needed to be completely ripped out and replaced. The lower part of the wall had some weird mesh cloth on them that was ripped and peeling off. The walls were dirty and needed to be repainted.
Other than the expected small size of the room, although smaller than most average rooms in Europe, it was a little better. The room had wood floors which saved it from looking like the nasty hallway, but the bathroom could have passed as a small outhouse. The floor looked like what is used in gym locker rooms and the sink was ridiculously small with nowhere to sit your toiletries. The corners of the bathroom were fifthly and the beds were pretty uncomfortable as well.
Again, I need to remind you that I have been in many European hotels that have never bothered me. I can handle tiny; hell I can even handle not clean. I am not a clean or germ freak in any way. But I can’t handle non-functional or filthy. Still, you surprise yourself on what you can handle when you are out of your element, comfort zone, and lacking sleep. For someone who hates flying over sees as much as I do, anything looks good at the end of it. So needless to say, we stayed. Despite the negatives of the hotel, the view from our window was lovely, capturing the charm of the outside surrounding area.
After settling into our hotel, it was evening and time to find a place to eat and wonder around a bit before passing out for the night. We ended up walking through the huge Hyde Park and ran into the grand Royal Albert Hall on the other side. It was dark now as we walked further past trying to find a place to eat. It was pretty quiet, and we soon realized we were in the University area. The buildings were grand and beautiful- I would have never guessed it was a university until I started reading the titles above the entrances of the buildings. There was hardly anyone around at all, except a student here and there. We walked further and after giving up on our search for a traditional English pub, we found an Italian restaurant that was good enough.
Albert Hall
This ended our first day in London.
And further …
If there is anything I’ve learned from my London hotel experience, it’s that no matter how many reviews you read or how much time, energy and research you spend on your little laptop back at home, you will NEVER truly know what to fully expect until you actually get there. Don’t make yourself crazy trying to find the perfect hotel. Be flexible and perhaps willing to grab a hotel when you get there. Hotels are everywhere and many are similarly priced in the same areas. Do general research and then just go with it. It’s actually kinda fun. If I hadn’t already booked and paid for an entire week for our London hotel months prior, there is no way I would have stayed.
Also, if you don’t pre-book you have the flexibility to leave the city early for your next stop or stay longer if you decide you want to do more things. Don’t restrict yourself. You’re trip is expensive and you should be comfortable. But again, sometimes a lemon is all part of the experience, so don’t let it ruin your trip. Just go with it. Things never turn out perfectly. The only way to know what your truly getting is to actually pick it when you get there. Pop into 2 or 3 places in the area you are most interested in and have them explain their prices and show you a room. It is worth it in the end.
The tube taking us from the airport to inner city London seemed to take about a half hour or so. It was a Sunday afternoon and we passed through many residential areas where I noticed the locals out enjoying the day in the parks as we all do on Sunday afternoons. I have always found it interesting that no matter where in the world you go on this earth, we are all generally the same. We all spend time with family, work, play sports, grocery shop, eat, sleep, get married, have babies, worship, have parties, poop and pee. Language, skin color and location are very small differences when you really look at the big picture. Our similarities are far more the same.
While riding into the city, I noticed the distinct difference of housing layouts and structure from the homes where I live. In the United States, everyone has large homes and yards for themselves. We even rent off sight storage unites to house all of our excess junk! The reality of this really bothers me. The London houses were the classic narrow brick homes stuck together all in a row, with small gardens and gates in the front just like you would see in the movies. The quintessential English rooftops and clay chimneys were charming. It just seemed to me like life was a bit simpler here and I liked it. Why do we need all that stuff anyway??
We had to change trains to get to the Paddington tube stop that was in the Bayswater area where our hotel was. We were now in inner city London, but we wouldn’t have known it, because we had been underground for some time. We had to emerge in the city to switch to the next tube station and I will never forget that moment we walked out into the busy world of inner city London for the first time. The feeling of “We are finally here” came back. I felt like a mole coming up into some other world, engulfed with the hustle and bustle of life, traffic, smells, and buildings- it was a great feeling. There is something surreal about actually being in such a famous and historic city that you have learned about in books and seen in movies your whole life.
Once we got on the next tube, we arrived at our destination and one of the main tube stops, the Paddington Station.
The house on Gunnersbury Park was the first place I lived in London, and it was one of the filthiest pits in the city. For starters, it was much too small. There were over 25 bodies living there and we only had 8 rooms between us – and that’s not even mentioning the backpackers, dilletants, idlers and debauchers who were always turning up on the doorstep in need of a place to stay. Name a country and you can bet we had one of their sons or daughters sleeping under our roof at some point. We were all good friends and we did everything together. You could cook with the Italians, argue politics with the Portuguese, samba dance with the Brazilians, gamble with the Polish and get dismally drunk on discount wine with the Australians, in the same evening. At one point we had an entire Lithuanian family spend the winter living in…
Malahide Castle is a charmingly romantic, ivy draped castle that is only a few miles north of Dublin.
History:
The castle originated in the 12th century and the towers were added in the early 1700’s. It was owned by the Talbot family for 800 years and was originally received by the fist Talbet when he came to Ireland with King Henry II of England.
During the time of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 (more catholic vs. protestant war) fourteen members of the owner’s family sat down to breakfast in the Great Hall and all were dead by evening. The tour of the castle includes this Great Hall and it’s a truly intense feeling to stand in a room with such tragedy.
Ghosts:
Malahide Castle is reported to be extremely haunted having up to five different known ghosts. I didn’t “feel” any weird vibes when I was there or anything, but I have read reviews from tourists that claim to have felt and even seen suspicious things while touring the castle. Whether it be fact or myth, these legends make this castle that much more enticing!
My Opinion:
More than anything, I just loved the beauty of the castle. The lush ivy that drapes all over the castle is magical. You can walk out of the back of the castle through a gorgeous gate and view an old graveyard and ruined church (I am a sucker for old graveyards.) There is also a botanical garden behind the castle that you can walk through. The Castle sits on almost 300 acres of estate parkland.
This castle is a far stretch from being the most amazing castle in the world, but it is definitely worth visiting especially if you are staying in Dublin due to it being so close. You can do the castle in an hour or so and be on your way to other things. I personally loved this castle and thought it was a great experience.
I hate this feeling. This feeling is almost enough to deter me from traveling oversees all together, but I tell myself after a day of rest, it will all be worth it. I always feel physically ill when I get off a plane after sitting for 13 hours or more. My stomach is sick and I ran into the bathroom the last hour of the flight because I thought for sure I was going to throw up. I am just counting down the minutes till landing. After they turned off the air when we were waiting to get off the plane it got so stuffy I wanted to hyperventilate. I haven’t slept at all, my neck kills and I’m starving. I think about how funny it is that by the time you actually get to the place that you have been anticipating and planned for over a year, the only thing you want to do is shower, have the privacy of your own bathroom and find a bed. Human needs outweigh all.
Finally off the plane; liberation! Even though I’m half dead I feel like I could fly! Oh crap, the worst part; customs, waiting for your luggage, finding the train into town, language barrier etc. etc. etc. This will be enough to throw me over the edge. I am beside myself at this point. I think to myself, “I chose to do this as a vacation? I inflicted this on myself? I rather be at work right now!!”
London customs were absolutely ridiculous. It was the worst customs line I have ever been in. Maybe we just came at the wrong time, who knows, but it was literally an hour and a half long wait and there were no bathrooms until after you went through customs. Not even kidding.
Line for United Kingdom citizens- 0 people
Line for everyone else- 100 People
I almost fell asleep standing up. The Australians in front of us reeked and every time I got a big whiff of them I wanted to throw up again. I look at my watch; it’s 5 a.m. where I live. I find a clock on the wall; 1 p.m. in London. I have been up for a full 24 hours now.
We are finally on the train to the city. I get my first glimpse of a small residential neighborhood and already see the vast difference from my own country; street plans, clay chimneys, old narrow brick homes stuck together one by one . . . All my negative thoughts instantly melt away and I don’t care anymore how crappy I feel.
Located in the heart of Dublin, this Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland until 1922 when Ireland won its independence. It’s crazy to me to think that liberation has been so recent. When returning home from Ireland I realized how little many people really knew about the basic political structure of the country. Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is still part of England and is still ruled by them today. The republic of Ireland is just that, a republic who rules itself. The republic’s capital is Dublin and the republic covers about five-sixths of the island.
Dublin city gets its name from the “Black Pool”or Dubh Linn that was set on the site of Dublin Castle.
The present day Dublin Castle has served many functions since it was built in 1204 A.D. by King John II of England as a fortification and seat of the English government. It is now an Irish government complex used for ceremonial purposed and conferences.
The majority of the castle complex dates from the 18th century due to the original Norman castle having burnt down in 1684. The only remaining part of the original castle is the Norman Record Tower from 1228. This is the last intact medieval tower not only of the castle, but also of medieval Dublin itself. The tower was once used as a top security jail for prisoners. The castle has a very interesting history, but may not be what you may think of as a castle. It looks more like a government complex than a castle.
Chapel Royal & original medieval tower
The main area of the castle consists of a large square cobblestone courtyard enclosed by the state apartments, conference center and other state buildings. The original 13 century Norman Tower is in the corner of the great courtyard.
The “Chapel Royal” which was formally the kings chapel in Ireland, adjoins to the original medieval tower on the outer side of the courtyard and has a beautiful neo-gothic exterior.
You can walk to or view the castle Gardens from inside the castle which consists of a large grass park area that embeds a giant Celtic design. This is the site of the black pool or Dubh Linn. This is where Dublin was founded. The fortress looking Coach and Horse House which is now a conference, exhibition and dining center falls in the backdrop of the grass area making a truly beautiful sight.
Black Pool
The history of Dublin Castle prior to British rule is definitely worth knowing before you go. Here is a brief run down:
*In 837 the Vikings originally came to the spot of Dublin castle and created a fort. The local Irish soon burnt down the fort and drove them out.
*They returned in greater numbers and under a new commander with Danish Vikings in the 930’s and created a fortress on the same site. Their settlement quickly became the main Viking military base and trading center. Dublin was created into a thriving organized settlement and urban development.
*The Vikings were later defeated by the Irish army in 1014 but allowed to stay.
*The Norman invasion came in 1169. The Vikings were kicked of the spot and the Normans became the next occupiers of Dublin. The Normans strengthened and expanded the city walls and the castle.
An excavation of Dublin Castle revealed underground ruins of the original castle, as well as the remains of the original Viking fortress.
The undercroft underneath the present castle dates from 934 & 1234 and feature the Viking defense bank encapsulated within the butt of the Norman Powder Tower. A double archway and postern gate are also still visible.
Underground Ruins
What you can tour:
The state apartments and underground ruins are led by guided tour only. The underground tour of the ruins is amazing and are worth touring Dublin Castle if nothing else. The state apartments feature a few lavish rooms that are nice but don’t even come close to the interior of other castles I have seen since.
The Chapel is open to the public to view. We did not go in the chapel; I’m not sure if it was closed or if we just didn’t realize it was there and we could go in.
There are two museums on site you can visit well, The Garda (Police) Museum which is situated in the original Norman ‘Record Tower’ and The Revenue Museum, which is situated in the Crypt of the Chapel Royal. We did not visit these museums also because we were unaware they were there (once again, always do your research prior to going, our guided tour did not even mention these.)
If you are in Dublin, this castle is a must see. If you are not in Dublin, I would not come solely to visit this castle.
These lush cliffs were one of the main highlights of our trip to Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are located on the west coast of Ireland and are over 700 feet high at their highest point and stretch for nearly five miles.
cliffs of moher ireland HD Wallpaper 3
These cliffs are home to a high number of nesting seabirds and I absolutely loved watching the dozens of birds swarm below me amongst the massive cliffs above. It was truly a surreal and peaceful sight. Many people get fairly close to the edge of the cliffs, allowing for great photo opportunities, but can also be very dangerous if you’re not careful. You can walk along the top of the cliffs to the small O’Brien’s Tower that was built in 1835 by Cornelius O’Brien. This tower was built as an observation point for the hundreds of tourists who even then, visited the Cliffs.
The Cliffs of Moher truly took my breath away. It sounds a little dramatic but I was so moved that I started to tear up a little. This was my first time oversees and I had never seen such a place. I was amazed at what our world had to offer. These cliffs reminded me again of the length of beauty there is in the world that I had no idea existed and left me wondering of all the hidden beauties that I would never even get to scratch the surface of.
I do have to say that after I went to “Beachy Head” in England, (which is the highest part of the famous white chalk cliffs highlighting the coastline,) the cliffs of Moher were somewhat minimized. Don’t get me wrong, the Cliffs of Moher are gorgeous but they are a different type of amazing. Beachy Head is truly Jaw-dropping.
On the way to the cliffs we passed through Limerick, where we drove past the setting of the book, “Angela’s Ashes.” If you have read this book, it’s an obvious must see. Driving back to Limerick from the Cliffs of Moher, we made a few stops though the region of Burren which consists of a coast of beautiful volcanic rock. It was absolutely gorgeous to see the deep blue waves crashing upon these remarkable black volcanic rocks. After the stop in Burren, I remember falling asleep and waking up to the shoreline of Galway Bay. I had no idea where I was but remember seeing old fisherman scattered up and down the rocky coast with seabirds flying above them; it was a truly beautiful sight. This is one of my fondest memories of the entire trip and unfortunately the only picture I have of it is in my memory.
Trinity College was founded in 1592 and was allowed to be built by Queen Elizabeth I of England. The campus buildings mostly date from 1700–1831 including the grand library that includes the famous book of Kells. For those that don’t know what the book of Kells is, in summary it is a decorated gospel manuscript containing the four gospels of the New Testament created by a Celtic monk around 800 A.D. This book is famous around the world.
Trinity College was a protestant school until as early as 1793 when Roman Catholics were admitted but restricted. The school was modeled after Oxford& Cambridge of England and is Ireland’s Oldest University.
When entering in the main public entrance of the campus if you look to your left there is a very old and architecturally beautiful dormitory building that is still in use. I remember thinking, “Those are their dorms? That is amazing!” If you get the chance to tour the campus, the library is where you want to go. We didn’t realize how amazing the grand library of the university was until we got home. We could have easily strolled through it many times on our trip! This is why it’s so important to research before you go so you don’t end up kicking yourself when you get home for not going to see something that was right under your nose.
Trinity college is a must see and easy to do as it is right in the city. Just walking around the outside buildings is a great experience and if you can catch a game, I would highly recommend sticking around and enjoying the local scene!
Located in the heart of Dublin, this Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland until 1922 when Ireland won its independence. It’s crazy to me to think that liberation has been so recent. When returning home from Ireland I realized how little many people really knew about the basic political structure of the country. Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is still part of England and is still ruled by them today. The republic of Ireland is just that, a republic who rules itself. The republic’s capital is Dublin and the republic covers about five-sixths of the island.
Jackie's World Travel 