Day 3. Bridge, Causeway, Castle, and Bushmills

Day 3. Amazing.

We traveled from Ireland into Northern Ireland and stayed the night in Bushmills, a small town along the Antrim Coast. 

I'm a huge proponent of staying at B&B's while abroad.  Meeting the locals and making friends are part of the whole travel experience, and B&B's can provide you with a sense of home while far and away.  No country could prove the B&B theory more then Ireland and Northern Ireland. In Bushmills, we stayed with Rae & John at their Cottesmore Bed & Breakfast, where we felt like family.

Our Day Along the Antrim Coast

We really planned to hit the pavement hard this day, to explore the outdoors along the northern coast.  It was the one day on our trip that really depended on cooperative weather, and we were certainly rewarded. The Emerald Isle's weather is not far off from New England's; as in, wait 5 minutes, and the sky will change. On this day, we luckily stumbled upon, hiked through, climbed over, and discovered the details and views of the area's striking coastline - under a 65 degree Bluebird sky.

Early in the morning, we headed first to the site farthest from our B&B, and during the day made our way back to the village of Bushmills. Following what's known as the Causeway Coastal Route we visited the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, then headed south to Giants Causeway, on to Dunluce Castle, and finally toured and tasted Bushmills Irish Whiskey.

In the evening, Rae & John recommended this local restaurant, Tartine.  Above and beyond, this dine-in was the best meal during our trip to the Emerald Isle.  Tartine covered the span of our drooling palate with pre-dinner craft brews, and a three course dinner of soup, fresh-baked brown bread, Guinness stew, a vegetable roulet, and pear and apple tarte to finish.  Good thing we hiked all over, we needed that appetite.

Amazing.

Now I'm hungry.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Paying to cross the bridge was worth it for the unobstructed views on the tiny island.  We nearly had the entire island to ourselves and were able to enjoy the quiet morning.

Giants Causeway

Just. So. Cool. Nature's playground...or Finn's. Word of advice from savvy research: this is a FREE site. We parked at the Causeway Hotel, and snacked with a tea & yummy scone (White Chocolate Raspberry, a little bit of Heaven) in the hotel bar.  We then walked UP and OVER the new Visitors Centre (of which the parking attendants attempt to funnel you directly into), and hiked the path to the Causeway. If you'd like to check out the new Giants Causeway Visitor's Centre, the fee is £7.50. I hear it's pretty nice, we just didn't want to pay and rush through.  It worked out in the end...as we hiked up and over the center, we participated in a Northern Ireland tourism survey and met the man who has run the most marathons in the UK. I think.  Anyways, as a museum professional, I dig surveys.  I enjoy helping local organizations better serve their audiences - museum people actually read evaluation responses.

Don't miss Finn's playground, and make sure you hike the path as close to the chimney as you can.

Dunluce Castle

Can you even imagine living here? Wouldn't have wanted to been one of the servants when one-third of the castle fell into the ocean.

  

Bushmills Distillery

Although we've toured many-a breweries, this was our first distillery. I loved the barrels and the aging process, and it was honestly just a fabulous walk through. Yay for free samples, because I would never ever have ordered a whiskey on my own. We met the oddest (and by far, best sense of humor) almost-retired man and his wife. I think he hit the free samples pretty hard. 

Day 2. Brú na Bóinne, Belfast, to Bushmills

The walking, the driving, the trains, the airplanes....they're all part of the adventure that speaks to traveling abroad, as well as the sites and places we find and really experience in any given amount of time. For me, getting from Point A to Point B is the always the most exciting part of the adventure.  I'm a lover of airports and stations, small cafes and window seats.

That being said, the morning of our second day in Ireland included driving from our Day 1 site, Trim, to the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre. Which means...my turn to drive.

Our rental car was a Mii.  In my mind, this car directly translated into a GoKart.  With the driver's side of the vehicle on the right and the actual driving on the left, I was overly excited to try my hand behind the wheel.  I turned right out of our B&B's driveway (onto the left side of the road, of course) and directly into a busy roundabout.  From there, we followed our GPS.

Well, sometimes GPS just doesn't get it right.

This was our first experience with Ireland's "L and R" roads.  Totally dependent on our borrowed GPS, it led us very quickly towards what seemed like the middle of nowhere.  As I zoomed Mii-GoKart down the paved paths and under dark looming trees, through fields of tall waving grass, and emerald rolling hills, this early morning drive turned into a surprisingly beautiful if not serendipitous 45-minute journey through one of Ireland's most treasured and oldest landscapes.

Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre: Knowth & Newgrange

Arriving at the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre, we had the pleasant discovery that our visit (to this OPW Heritage Ireland site which interprets the paleo sites of Newgrange, Knowth & Dowth) was FREE! On any other day that month, the cost to visit both Newgrange and Knowth is €11 per person (roughly $15 each).  It was our lucky day. This turned into a $30 savings for us...all because the first Wednesday of every month (when we visited, at least) is free for all visitors.  This really was a pleasant surprise, especially because the expense of visiting these places (the most expensive of Ireland's sites) was the reason we wanted to buy the OPW Heritage Card.

Path to the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre

In order to visit both sites, you board a bus at a meeting point, travel with your guide to the site, and are given a guided tour.  Then you take the bus back.  Zero time for self-exploration.  Knowth and Newgrange were both scripted tours, and although both guides were great - they spoke clearly and were clearly very knowledgeable - each guide both had their unique, and rather entertaining, quirks. Our first tour was a bit rushed, and the second, well, let's just say the poor guy really wasn't feeling well and looked like he had his fill of tourists for whom simple instructions are difficult.  As much as I loved the info that the OPW Heritage Ireland tour guides gave, they lacked a bit in personality.  My career has been mostly based in education and the visitor experience, and teaching people how to give a great and impressionable tour.  Therefore, the visitor hopefully returns, and spends more time and perhaps, more money.  Essentially, I'm a judger.  I'm probably the LAST person any guide wants on their tour, especially if they're having an off day. In all reality and with some perspective, our second tour was BY FAR the most memorable experience touring huge touristy places in Ireland, and I'll always laugh with (not at!) our guide and his annoyance of visitors.

Knowth and Newgrange were gorgeous and incredibly amazing; "Ireland's Stonehenge." Certainly not to be missed by the archaeology/history nut. We also met the nicest couple, who have a very cool traveling/blogging/photographing family.

Knowth

Newgrange

North view of Newgrange

Newgrange Carvings

Belfast & Crown Liquor Saloon

Leaving the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre (and Newgrange and Knowth), we traveled north towards Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. A whole 'nother country! Being as we visit Boston and NYC often enough, Belfast is comparably very small and apparently, also the city where Titanic was built. Every tourist shop we passed on our city walk advertised the Titanic to death.  I'm not sure I'd relish in the thought that my city built the ship that is most famous for the fact that it sunk.  Not so good for their current shipbuilding industry, eh?  They however, seem quite proud.

Our stop in Belfast was obviously full of intense purpose...we craved sustenance and beer. The highlight (and only stop) during our Belfast visit was the infamous Crown Liquor Saloon, gorgeous in its carved ceilings, granite bar, mosaic tile, gas lamps, and real ales. And, good food, to top it off! Guinness stew and Fish N' Chips. We definitely went for the full Irish experience, and perhaps a bit of comfort food.

Yum.

Downstairs pub.

Enter via the crown tile mosaic.

The Dark Hedges

This backwoods experience was all based on intense research...welcome to the Dark Hedges, the site of a bit of Game of Thrones filming and our last experience of the day.  Out stop here was after Belfast on our way to our next night's bed & breakfast in Bushmills, Northern Ireland.

I might take the time to actually edit some of these photos; spruce them up as all digital photographers do nowadays.  I love the path, the depth, and the drama created by the cowering trees and the narrow road. The Dark Hedges was certainly off the traveled way; they exist as part of a farmer's field, and don't appear in tourist books.  Finding unique places and exploring nooks and crannies of new countries always adds to the appeal of our adventures, and we were able to visit during that magical time of late afternoon/dusk.   A super cool treat towards the end of a very touristy day.