Having seen and fallen in love with Ireland, I just had to see Northern Ireland too as I knew I'd missed out on a substantial portion of the beauty of the island by only being able to see the southern portion so we made a second trip. I asked my lovely Irish friend, Ann, where we should stay and she recommended the town of Portrush. She and her family had summered their during her childhood and she had fond memories of its beauty and its location so that is where we stayed. We were pleased to find it as she described it and met wonderfully friendly people, ate delicious food and found a wonderful home base for exploring the area.
Being HUGE C.S. Lewis and Chronicles of Narnia fans here, we were thrilled to learn that Dunluce Castle, the inspiration for Cair Paravel, was nearby. I will forever have this gorgeous vision in my mind as I read or listen to the Narnia books
And no trip to Northern Ireland would be complete without a visit to the Giant's Causeway. The site has a nice visitors center where you can learn about the Giant's Causeway, eat a delicious lunch and buy some nice souvenirs if you'd like. Then you can walk or take a shuttle to the Giant's Causeway. (We walked!)
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| The Camel of the Giant's Causeway |
Another must do in the area is Carrick-a-Rede bridge - a rope bridge 100 feet above a ravine.
I do not like heights, and was very nervous about this part of our vacation plans. However, I managed it just fine and it was well worth it. Even the walk to the bridge from the car park was stunning.
We finished our long weekend with a visit to the Titanic museum in Belfast. While there is information about the sinking of the Titanic, the museum offers so much more with information and a look into the shipbuilding industry in Belfast. It was a very interesting visit...and they had good food in the small cafe as well. It was a lovely way to spend the day before our flight departed.
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| The berth where the Titanic was built |
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