The Adventures of the Restless: Northern Ireland

09/20/2013 marked day two of our trip. We woke up in Isaac's Hostel in Dublin, and set our sights to Northern Ireland. Though we ran into a snag with the GPS - like, I can't type in a name of a location (such as Giant's Causeway) - since it wants a direct address. -Dad, am I doing something wrong or is that just how it works? - Then - nothing in Northern Ireland would show as a real place on the GPS. We finnaly figured out that we had to change the map to the UK, not Ireland. -This of course, is due to the fact the lower portion of Ireland is actually 'The Republic of Ireland', and the Northern portion is considered the UK.

Anyway, today marked the realization of a dream coming true. We have been planning this trip for a long time, talking about it longer, and dreaming of it even longer. We researched all the places we wanted to go and things to see - but we didn't expect it to be this amazing. Dublin was a touristy town, so it wasn't a place of dreams - but Northern Ireland, and the trip to, was so beautifully unreal that it was almost magical. I really wish the pictures that I am posting here did it justice, but there was just no way to capture the beauty.

The drive north promised lush, rolling hills and farmland. Old buildings and bridges lined the motorway in between the farm land. Photos from 'The Drive' below. We headed straight for Carrick-A-Rede bridge. This a bridge that joins the mainland to a small, close island. It is a rope bridge over the ocean, with some of the most beautiful views I have ever laid my eyes upon. The cliffs were vast, and still green. There were caves in every direction we looked, and the water looked so inviting - don't worry, I'm not that crazy...It's cold up here! I found myself venturing away from our group - just to stare at the scenery and take it all in. Some photos from 'Carrick-A-Rede' below. A few miles (yes, northern Ireland uses Miles, while southern Ireland uses Kilometers. One also uses Pounds while the other uses Euros) west, we ventured to the Giant's Causeway. This is a place where the stones have all formed into various length pillars - that are all in the shape of a pentagon. Something that is just so cool to see from a natural formation. Photos from 'Giant's Causeway' below.

I'm not really going into much detail about each of these places, because I really have no words to accurately describe what we lived today. Northern Ireland was everything I dreamed for and more. It really is the most breathtaking place I have ever been - so much so, that I could see building a life here and becoming a farmer :)

Anyway - Enjoy the photos below.

The Drive: