BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND
BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND
We were up at 6:30 this morning, and were welcomed by cool weather and more rain. It is supposed to rain all day today. Not promising for our trip to see the Giant's Causeway about 60 miles from the city of Belfast. This natural formation consists of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, mostly hexagonal in shape, that reach up to 12 meters or 39 feet high.
As this shore excursion left at 8, we had breakfast in our room. The bus ride took us through the village of Bushmill's where Irish whiskey is made before a photo stop at Dunluce Castle whose main claim to fame is that the kitchen fell into the sea along with the staff. All were killed. After that the owners wisely decided to abandon the castle. Our next stop was at the Visitor Centre for the Giant Causeway where we were issued audio guides. We decided to walk to the bottom rather than take the shuttle bus. We were glad we did because with the help of the audio guide we learned quite a bit about the formations and their names. Once at the bottom, we walked through the Giant's Gate and passed the Giant's Boot and decided to climb to the end of the trail, a good hike - most of it uphill. I should mention that we had perfect weather - at one point, known as the windiest spot in Ireland, there was just the hint of a gentle breeze. Temperature was 15 degrees and overcast. We made our way back down to the Causeway and took the shuttle back up to the Visitor's Centre. We hooked up with Sandra and boarded the bus for the return to the ship.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that we were taking the coast road through the picturesque towns of Ballintoy and Ballycastle. We stopped for photo opportunities at White Bay and Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. A mist hung over the bridge but cleared just in time for us to get a picture.
We arrived back in time for me to join other passengers for a tour of the Bridge - Norma took the opportunity for a nap. The bridge was interesting - I learned that the cost to build her was in the Billions! Soon, I tired of all the talk of pistons and thrusters (it all sounded faintly pornographic to me) so I excused myself early.
We dressed for dinner and went to a show (a troupe came on board) with former dancers and musicians from Riverdance and Lord of the Dance that told the story of Belfast. We enjoyed it much more that any of the shows on board - not that we've been to any.
We met Sandra and Bill for pre-dinner drinks before adjourning to the French specialty restaurant, Chartreuse for some more rich food and, of course, wine. We sipped on Pouilly Fume and Chateauneuf du Pape.
We were up at 6:30 this morning, and were welcomed by cool weather and more rain. It is supposed to rain all day today. Not promising for our trip to see the Giant's Causeway about 60 miles from the city of Belfast. This natural formation consists of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, mostly hexagonal in shape, that reach up to 12 meters or 39 feet high.
As this shore excursion left at 8, we had breakfast in our room. The bus ride took us through the village of Bushmill's where Irish whiskey is made before a photo stop at Dunluce Castle whose main claim to fame is that the kitchen fell into the sea along with the staff. All were killed. After that the owners wisely decided to abandon the castle. Our next stop was at the Visitor Centre for the Giant Causeway where we were issued audio guides. We decided to walk to the bottom rather than take the shuttle bus. We were glad we did because with the help of the audio guide we learned quite a bit about the formations and their names. Once at the bottom, we walked through the Giant's Gate and passed the Giant's Boot and decided to climb to the end of the trail, a good hike - most of it uphill. I should mention that we had perfect weather - at one point, known as the windiest spot in Ireland, there was just the hint of a gentle breeze. Temperature was 15 degrees and overcast. We made our way back down to the Causeway and took the shuttle back up to the Visitor's Centre. We hooked up with Sandra and boarded the bus for the return to the ship.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that we were taking the coast road through the picturesque towns of Ballintoy and Ballycastle. We stopped for photo opportunities at White Bay and Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. A mist hung over the bridge but cleared just in time for us to get a picture.
We arrived back in time for me to join other passengers for a tour of the Bridge - Norma took the opportunity for a nap. The bridge was interesting - I learned that the cost to build her was in the Billions! Soon, I tired of all the talk of pistons and thrusters (it all sounded faintly pornographic to me) so I excused myself early.
We dressed for dinner and went to a show (a troupe came on board) with former dancers and musicians from Riverdance and Lord of the Dance that told the story of Belfast. We enjoyed it much more that any of the shows on board - not that we've been to any.
We met Sandra and Bill for pre-dinner drinks before adjourning to the French specialty restaurant, Chartreuse for some more rich food and, of course, wine. We sipped on Pouilly Fume and Chateauneuf du Pape.
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