Saturday, June 5, 2010

Day 8: Carrick-a-Rede and Giant's Causeway


Today was one of those days that are difficult to describe in words. It was even one of those days where pictures simply do not justify the beauty of what you see. The pictures are gorgeous, and I have more than 160 pictures from today alone to prove it, not to mention a dead camera battery. It was one of those days where you wish your eyes had been camera lenses and could capture everything you see into a still picture.

(Group in front of Carrickfergus Castle)

The day started at 9:30am when we left on a bus for what we thought was Downpatrick. We thought we were going to the Saint Patrick Centre for a little while and then headed to Belfast. Turns out the plans had changed because of the gorgeous weather, so we were headed to Carrick-a-Rede and Giant’s Causeway. Both places offer landscapes that remind me of backgrounds for a desktop computer. They’re just that gorgeous. Both Carrick-a-Rede (which means rock in the road in Gaelic) and Giant’s Causeway are at the coast at the very north of Northern Ireland. It’s basically one of the farthest points north. It took several hours to get there because we took the coastway, which is a road that runs the entire length of the coast by the Irish Sea. We were even able to see the coast of Scotland through the mist. Usually the group falls asleep while in the van, but almost all of us stayed awake for the whole trip up because of the gorgeous views. On the way, we stopped at Carrickfergus Castle to take a few pictures. We also stopped to walk by the sea on the beach and for lunch and ice cream when we were about halfway to Carrick-a-Rede. The ice cream shop we stopped at was called Maud’s and they have very interesting ice cream flavors. I couldn’t decide, so I had one scoop of honeycomb ice cream and another scoop of Nutella ice cream. Both were quite delicious, and they should be available in the US if you ask me.

(Beach and the Irish Sea on the way to the north coast)

Upon arriving at Carrick-a-Rede, we truly saw how beautiful it was. The entire walk is a little over a kilometer. The walk is mostly gravel but there are few sets of steep stairs that are made of rocks. We stopped several times while walking the kilometer to take pictures. Near the end, we had to cross a rope bridge. I was very excited to cross it, but it’s a bit scarier when you’re actually on it. It was definitely worth it though. I did make the mistake of pausing in the middle to look down and take a few pictures. The rope bridge led to Carrick Island where you could walk around and take pictures. It definitely is hard to explain the beauty, but I can say that a trip to Northern Ireland would not be complete without seeing Carrick-a-Rede.

(Carrick-a-Rede view)

After Carrick-a-Rede, we headed to Giant’s Causeway. This was less than a ten-minute drive away from Carrick-a-Rede. We had to walk down a hill and path to get to the rocks. Once we got there, it was absolutely amazing. I’m not sure how all the rocks got there, but it is one of the coolest looking places I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, this is where my camera died, but luckily, I’ll be able to get pictures from everyone else. Also, this is a view like Carrick-a-Rede that is difficult to explain, but gorgeous to see.

(View of Giant's Causeway)

Following our journey at the north coast, we headed back. This time we took the motorway since it was faster and we had already seen the view. Upon arrival in Dundrum we decided to go have dinner in Newcastle, the neighboring town. We went to a place and got pizza. I had Primavera pizza, which was very good, and I’m sure I’ll appreciate the leftovers. After dinner, we decided to stick around for a pint. I had Magner’s Pear. Because we were tired from such a long day, we headed home afterwards and now it’s time for bed.

Goodnight!

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