Ireland Day 2.5, 3-4

More Ireland pictures:

Day 2 (con't):  We spent more time in Belfast that evening.

We ate at the oldest fish and chips restaurant in Belfast.  It was super delicious!!

Then we took a walking tour around the city of Belfast with a guide who grew up there.  We learned more about the troubles and how Belfast has recovered from those times

I took a picture of this because this "H&W" is the same company that built the Titanic.  Where I am standing is right in front of the clock tower shown above and it used to be a water way where boats (including one that Queen Victoria sailed on) docked to get off in Belfast

The mountain up there is named "the sleeping Giant"  see the face?  I barely did but it's there.

We got to stop in the Duke of York pub for a Guinness.  I am not a beer fan but it's actually pretty good, that Guinness

Day 3:  We got to visit the Titanic Museum

It has 4 points to it to resemble the fronts of the boat

Nell is saying something rediculous to me, no doubt

This is the spot where the Titanic was built in the water...pretty cool

After the tour, I got a latte...the fanciest latte I have ever had.  So, I took a picture

Then we boarded the coach and drove up the beautiful Ireland coast headed to LondonDerry - or Derry as the the Irish people call it.

We stopped a couple of places to view the beauty that is Ireland's coast

You see that land way off in the distance?  Yeah, me neither.  But, apparently on a clear day you can see Scotland's coast

This is the carrick-a-rede rope bridge.  We did not go down there to cross it but it looks amazing

Irish beach

Next stop was Giant's Causway.  Here is the story behind Giant's Causeway.  Ireland is very into their myths so there is a tale for everything:

According to myth, the columns at the Causeway are the remains built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Finn MacCool, was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. Finn hides from Benandonner when he realizes that his foe is much bigger than he. Finn's wife, disguises Finn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the 'baby', he said "if that is the baby, then his father must be HUGE."  He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him.

All this rock was the result of volcanic activity.  The lava came up through cracks and formed rocks like these.  They look like landscaping rocks that have been placed there

Remember the game Q-bert?  It totally reminded me of that game.  This is Nell and Dad playing that game right here ;)

Next we made it to the city of LondonDerry (Derry) for a tour of the city and walk across the peace bridge.  We heard more history of LondonDerry and it's turmoil during the troubles.

We walked through this old military camp which is now a park

The view from the military camp into the city of Derry

We walked across the peace bridge built in honor of the peace resolutions of the city/country

Part of the wall that once surrounded the military camp

A better view of the peace bridge

That night we had dinner in Derry at a delicious restaurant

Day 4:  We drove around the Inishowen Peninsula for a scenic tour and to visit the northern most point of Ireland.  Sadly, the weather we had that morning was cloudy, windy, and COLD.

We stopped at an old round fort

Then we made it to the northern most point.  The weather had cleared up some by the time we got there

Later that day we got another tour of LondonDerry.

This is a memorial to the ones who lost their lives on Bloody Sunday

A view of the city from the top of the wall the used to surround the King in Derry at the time.

The wall

More views of the wall

Just part of the city as we strolled through

Here is the wall and one of the gates

Pose in front of the wall....BTW - I have this jacket on in almost all the photos from my trip.