Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland- Day 15

What can I say about Giant's Causeway?! It was amazing! I seriously loved it and I could have spent a whole day at Giant's Causeway and the surrounding area.

Legend has it the causeway used to extend all of the way to Scotland and was built by a giant. Or maybe it was formed by lava and natural processes 60 million years ago. :)

Enjoy the pictures of the causeway and the area surrounding it!

Pictures don't do the causeway justice. You have to see it in person. :)

It's so cool that nature formed the rocks into columns... or maybe it was the giant.

I love this picture of J! Isn't he cute?! :)

We spent a couple of hours at Giant's Causeway! We all loved it including or maybe especially the little ones!

 

This is the view from the parking lot of Giant's Causeway. It's so green and beautiful! Pictures don't do it justice.

On our way back to Belfast (and not too far from Giant's Causeway), we stopped by the spot where we could hike to Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, but alas the trail was closed for the day and we weren't able to go. It was okay, though, because the view from the parking lot was gorgeous! 

Looking out at the view from the parking lot of the bridge.

Of course, Dad, Matt and I had to get a selfie here.

Apparently that strip of land in the distance is Scotland.

We took the scenic way along the coast back to Belfast and can I just say how beautiful that drive was?! It seriously was amazing! I have no words to describe it properly.

I didn't get very many pictures of the drive since it's hard to get good pictures while in a car, but it was so cool even if it was rainy the whole time.

To see Giant's Causeway and then to drive along the rocky coast of Northern Ireland with the sea on one side and the rocky, green hills on the other and then driving inland from the coast going through the green hills on narrow country roads through the middle of nowhere in one day was a memorable and unforgettable day!

I have one more story about the day that I want to remember. I was in the car with Dad and Grandma this day and towards the end of the day before we went to our hotel in Belfast, we had a quest of finding an ancestor's home (which we knew was still standing) just a little north of Belfast in a town called Carrickfergus.

We found Castle Dobbs (the home where our ancestor lived) on a country road just outside Carrickfergus. It was getting dark and we drove along the dirt road that led up to the house but a locked gate prevented us from getting any closer to the house.

The owner happened to drive up as we were turning around to leave. We talked to her briefly and I'm afraid Grandma was sorely disappointed when she didn't invite us in. I think Grandma was hoping we would be able to go to the house and that whoever lived there would invite us in since we are related (although a few generations back) and that we would have a nice chat about our ancestors.

But the lady who lived there had no interest in inviting us in (and can you blame her, we're some crazy Americans coming to the house a little before dark saying we're related to them.) Any way, that my friends was the end of an amazing and adventurous day in Northern Ireland!

Stay tuned for more adventures from my trip...