Northern Ireland

(Sorry for the extremely long post)

For the past couple days we have been in Northern Ireland.  N. Ireland is still a part of the UK, separate from the republic of Ireland - and thank goodness because without my work visa I can't leave the UK until my student teaching is over with.  So here goes my LONG list of what we did when we got there.

We first took a ferry from Troon, Scotland to Larne, N. Ireland.  Then we traveled the Causeway Coast with the North Channel right next to us.  It was absolutely beautiful.  We had great weather, only driving through a few short showers - totally normal for the UK.  We stopped at a cute place for lunch, but there was no food served in the entire town!  Sooo we moved on to the next town!  Very unlike America with food (and gas stations) everywhere.  We stopped at the Glen Cloy Inn - I would recommend it.  Here's another word to add to your UK food dictionary: champ.  It's mashed potatoes with green onions.  Yummy.  Then we stopped at Ballycastle, which does not have a castle.  It was a bustling place with a beach though - the locals even thought it was warm enough for t-shirts and shorts.  Next comes my favorite adventure of the day: Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge!  Although I am terrified of heights, I walked the 80 foot high rope bridge right over the water [as slowly as possible].

My legs were shaking after I crossed.  Luckily they shook themselves back into place when I crossed back over.  The view was definitely worth the 1 km trek there and back.  I would highly recommend it.  Then we headed on to Bushmills, where I stayed at my first ever B&B.  I would not recommend staying in Bushmills simply because the town is very small without a lot to offer.... other than.... Giant's Causeway! 

Giant's Causeway is what happened when volcanic lava met with the water.  Most of the stones are hexagonal, but various polygons appear. (I love how I sound like a total math nerd.)  Legend is that a giant built the stones as a path to Scotland, although he did not make it very far.  We spent a couple hours climbing and taking loads of pictures.  Next destination = Bushmills Distillery.  If you are a whisky fan, I would recommend.  I, however, am not.  It was interesting though.  Not as large as the Anheuser Busch facility/tour.

The next stop is my favorite castle so far - Dunlace Castle.  It wasn't commercialized like the Stirling Castle and it was mostly ruins.  It was built on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  Absolutely beautiful!

Believe it or not, we stopped at one more place that day - Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne.  Unfortunately we had to hurry that visit up since the park was closing.  It was worthwhile, but not as cool as the rope bridge, Giant's Causway, and Dunlace castle.

Alright... greatly slowed things down today.  We headed to the Dark Hedges outside of Ballymoney (which was actually 20 minutes away).  These "hedges" weren't really hedges at all - they are trees that have intertwined above the roadway.

This makes you wonder... why do I live in America?  Northern Ireland is so unbelievably beautiful!

Then we headed to Belfast to see the brand new Titanic Belfast exhibit.  Walked you through the building of the Titanic, the sinking, and the discovery of it underwater in 1985.  Very cool.  Here's a picture of the building. 

Back in Edinburgh tonight.  Exploring the castle, the Royal Mile, and a ghost tour tomorrow.