Shannon the Navigator

For some strange reason, my parents seemed to think I was best suited to navigating our journey around the west coast. Granted I had consulted a road map before our trip, but I had been hoping to pass along the responsibility to my mother. Looking back now I suppose everything went relatively well and I only had to tell my father to drive on the left side of the road once.

We left Belfast in the afternoon, heading to Derry via the famous Giant's Causeway. I had been hoping to visit this World Heritage Site for awhile and was thrilled to have the opportunity to share it with my parents. On our way along the coast we met fabulous sea views. We drove past the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge which leads to a charming little island. However I would probably avoid the bridge on a windy day.

 

Before our trip Northern Ireland had a catastrophic snow storm which left thousands out of power and sadly trapped many flocks of sheep. Even more than a week after the storm, there was still snow left in areas such as the island you can see below.

When we arrived at Giant's Causeway we were happy that it was not high tourist season. It must be very busy in the summer, but well worth the visit regardless of what time of year. The coast is incredible! For those who do not know the Causeway is world famous for its unique geological structures. There are over 40,000 basalt stone columns along the coast that were formed around 60 million years ago, but were only exposed from the erosion of the last ice age.

The legend of the Causeway tells of the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill who built the causeway as a bridge to Scotland. Different rock structures along the coast are named after his household wares, including his boot, pipe organ and chimney stacks. You can see the chimney stacks at the top of the far coastline. Apparently they are 100 metres tall!

 

After our enjoyable visit to Giant's Causeway we headed to Derry (Londonderry) for the evening. We spent very little time in Derry, but it would be worth revisiting because it is the UK's 2013 City of Culture and has several special events occurring this year. We took the time to walk the old city walls built in 1619 and see the city's Peace Bridge. Another highlight of Derry is the murals painted on buildings in the bog-side community. Like Belfast, Derry faced significant conflict during the Troubles and these murals reflect those difficult times.

 

 This view was from our hotel window. The old city walls can be seen with white graffiti words.

 

Derry's Peace Bridge.

 

 Here are a couple mural examples, the dove on the right was my favourite.

 

 We took a morning walk along the walls to snap some pictures and learn more about Derry's history from helpful historical plaques!

 

Slowly but surely I am getting through these travel tales! It is a busy time of the year for me so I am mostly writing assignments and not blogs. Stay tuned for more though because I have a couple blogs left to share about tombs, abbeys, mountains and castles!

 

Ciao!

Shannon