For the second to last weekend in Ireland I finally got to cover off one of the great wonders of the Emerald Isle, no not the Guinness Factory, Giants Causeway, or GC to it’s mates.
Soph’s parents were over for their final weekend of a 3 month jaunt and given none of us had been up to Belfast we decided a road trip was in order. Leaving early Saturday morning (despite hitting the hotel bar the evening before) our first port of call was Belfast.
A town known as much for ‘The Troubles’ as anything else, Belfast is a city slowly undergoing a renaissance of sorts, as it attempts to move on from, but not forget, the past. As if to prove my point, the Belfast parade was taking place as soon as we walked down the main drag, with a mish mash of colour representing the diverse cultures of Belfast; Chinese, Italian, Greek etc all on floats of varying quality … even the Mayor came out to say G’day to us.
Next up we partook in a walking tour of the city, probably not something I would recommend, sure it is insightful and gives a good detail of the history of Belfast (including being the city where the Titanic was built) however, as a tourist, most people are interested in hearing about the Troubles, something you get the feeling the local guides are reluctant to talk about.
Unfortunately we did not do a black cab tour, despite being recommended by several people once again Matthewman thought he knew best! So, if heading to Belfast, defo do one – they are relatively cheap as well. At our own peril (given we had Republic plates on) we did take the rental car through the Falls area, where many of the murals are painted, and to say it is quite depressing would be an understatement. You do get the sense there is still very strong feelings just below the surface and it will take some time yet before this is gone, if ever.
After the day in Belfast we took a drive up to coast road toward Giants Causeway, a sensational drive and well worth doing, especially for those who have heard about the width of the roads in the Republic, which are not wide enough to play cricket on in some spots, you don’t have to contend with this issue up north.
After a few beers and snooze at a great B&B in the (insert name I cant remember) falls area, where there is a great trail running through rainforest (something I never knew Ireland had) we continued on to the Carrick-a-rede bridge. A rope bridge strung by the local fisherman 300 years ago (yet only recently replaced!) from the mainland to a cliff island to catch migrating salmon. This is picture postcard Ireland, green rolling hills, sheer cliff faces, blue water, the only problem is the bridge has a limited capacity so if you get there around the time of a Japanese bus or a heap of Eastern Europeans (all of whom think it is ok to stand in the middle whilst their companions take pictures of them posing) then take your time getting out there or suffer the boring consequences.
Mouse on the Bridge
From here we next hit Giants Causeway, again this is Ireland at it’s best with the rolling green hills leading down into the ocean where they hit a volcanic formation that can only be described as magnificent. As lava flowed into the ocean thousands of years ago it dried like cracked mud would in the outback, leaving perfect hexagonal formations of rocks. As with most tourist attractions in Ireland you are able to climb all over them, allowing you to get up close and personal with this natural wonder. But words can not do this justice so check out these pics:
For this week I’ll leave you with the wonderful Irish folklore story of the Giants Causeway. Apparently the local Irish Giant (Finn McCool) was warring with his Scottish counterpart across the way so began building GC to go over and have it out with him. Well as he got closer to Scotland he realised just how big the Scottish giant was so came running back to his wife with the terrible news. Being a typically resourceful Irish lass she dressed Finn up as a baby and left him in a massive cradle, when the Scottish giant got over and saw the size of the Irish Giant’s ‘baby’ he fled in fear, tearing up the causeway behind him.
