LANIGAN'S TRAVELS

June...........  

Northern Ireland  - Day 4 in Ireland

After a great night sleep we woke up in time to have a quick breakfast at the hotel before we meet the Black Taxi driver.  We finished breakfast right before 9:00 and walked out to meet our driver.  His name is Norman.  Very Irish, lots of tattoos and super nice.  The Black Taxi's have a very large back seat area and there is a fold down seat.  He hops in the back with us, folds the seat down (which faces us) and tells us he likes to get to know what people are looking for before he begins his tour. 

We told him we would like to see the murals from both the Catholic and the Protestant side.

He gives us the brief down and dirty on the Troubled times without any reference to his political stand, which was nice.  Then he jumped in the front and off we went.  He told stories along the way.  We asked questions.  Throughout the hour+ that we spent with him we realized that he was Protestant, had a very good friend killed that was involved with one of the armies and that he personally lived through this very troubling time in Belfast.   

The story of this was is so sad.  The Europa hotel was the most bombed place in Belfast even though it is in the City Center which was supposed to be neutral ground.  It is directly across the street from the Crown Saloon, where we were the previous evening.

Other points we learned:

1) The walls are still up in the city.  

2) There are many gates that still get closed at night across streets that go between Catholic/Protestant areas.

3) Even though it is said to be peaceful now, we got the impression there is still a lot of anger and resentment.  

I will say it was tough to see the actual city that was on the news so much showing the bombings.  Made everything we had only seen on television very real. 

Sample of the walls that remain

I could go on forever about what we learned here but will just share a couple of the photos.

After such a serious morning we needed some relaxation.  Time to continue North!
Along the coast, we see some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen.  Stunning, breathtaking, awesome!  There are no words to describe the beauty.

We stopped in a little town named Carnlough.  We went into a tiny store that says they sell coffee.  What a treat!  The woman tells us she is normally not open on Tuesday but she had a delivery come in so she had to be there.  We talked to her and found out that her children live further North. She told us we had to take a road called Torr Head Rd.  She said it is the scenic route and it is even more spectacular than what we have seen.

In Carnlough

So we do.... and She was right!  The roads gets smaller and smaller and the views get better and better.  At the tip of the road is the actual Torr Head Coast Guard station. Built in 1822 it also served and the North Channel signaling station.  It was abandoned in the 1920's.   From the ruins you can see Scotland. We waved :-)

As we were standing at the ruins, we turned to see a real sheep herding going on behind us.

Some of the sheep being herded

The farmer and his dog were moving sheep from one area to another of his property.  I have never seen sheep being herded before and it was well choreographed.  The dog knew exactly what to do and the sheep farmer just basically walked around to open gates and let the dog do his stuff.  The dog got in trouble by the farmer at one point and the farmer yelled to him to stop and lay down.  The dog immediately laid down and didn't get up until he was told he could.

Me resting on the "Giant's Boot"

 We continue North and reach our next destination.  The Giant's Causeway.  The legend is a Giant caused this and then there are the stories that say a volcanic eruption caused this.  Whichever you believe, it is quite a site to behold (I personally believe the Giant story).  We spent hours there hiking up for the views and down to the water.  There a approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that create this wonder.

Basalt columns - massive!

Jim playing on the "Giant's Boot"

Basalt down by the ocean

Quite an afternoon!  We had hiked so much we were exhausted and ready to find a town.  The previous evening Heather and Matt (from the crown Saloon) had suggested a Bed and Breakfast in Portrush.  We decided we should check it out.  We get the map and head toward Portrush.  We find the B&B and it has a "No Vacancies" sign.  Darn!   Jim goes in anyway to see if they could recommend any place else that is right on the water.  When he comes back out I am shocked to hear they actually DO have an availability!  Yippee!  The down side - it's on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator.  We get to carry ALL of our luggage to the third floor.  Boy was it worth it!  We immediately opened our window and let the sounds of the waves come crashing in.  Jim goes back downstairs to give them our breakfast order and comes up to tell me we have been invited to join them for dinner at the restaurant right down the street.

In summary, Sam (Samantha) and Tim moved from South Africa six years ago and opened this B&B.  Fascinating people that we really enjoy.  We have a great dinner, great conversation and a very Irish atmosphere.  Sam and Tim leave and we decide to stay for a drink before walking back.  We end up meeting Kerry, the owner of the restaurant in the Bushmills distillery and his friend, Claire whose husband owns the best restaurant in Belfast.  We can't stop talking to people and absolutely love it!
Time for another good night of sleep.

New Terms:
From Sam and Tim at the B&B.
When someone comes in and says they need to Shower Their Head , it means they need to clear their head and zen.
When someone says something was the Crack (Craik) it means they were having fun.

Quote from our Black Taxi tour driver:  The difference in the Budweiser in the US and the Budweiser in Ireland is that in Ireland, they have alcohol in theirs!