April 23-25

Today would be one of travel, with a four-hour drive to Belfast before us, then dropping the car off at Hertz at Belfast City Airport before getting a taxi to our Home in Belfast Hosted by Joseph, our Airbnb for three nights at a cost of $353.41, a relative bargain as far as our housing costs had been so far.  The drive went smoothly, with mostly motorway the last half and dropping the car off an easy enough process, except having to spend a bit of time explaining the damage to the car. 

The taxi ride at 23.40 Pounds ($31) reflected the Airbnb being in a distant suburb, but that was just the cost of doing business, so to speak.  Our unit was an ADU in the backyard, a lovely and large space that would make for a good home during our stay.  As a reminder, we are now in that part of Ireland that is Britain, so we are Pounds, not Euros here. After checking in with the owner and unpacking, we walked across the busy street at a signal-controlled crosswalk where we picked up our dinner at Kelstar, a fast-food joint nestled between a Pizza shop and a bottle shop that featured all kinds of alcoholic beverages. 

We picked up items to drink at the bottle shop, and then next door ordered a cod and chips and one chicken strips (known here as Goujons) and chips, a tremendous amount of food for 17.85 Pounds ($24).  When the order was ready, we stopped at the Centra market in the complex for dairy and snacks, then crossed the street where we entered the house and ate as much of the food as we could hold.  Honestly, we hardly put a dent in it, but it was as good as fried take-out food can get. 

The next morning, we caught a taxi into the center of town (a bit of anxiety here as we weren’t sure they would find us, but it all worked out) and were dropped off at the Europa Hotel where we were to meet our Morning Giant’s Causeway Half Day Tour from Belfast through Viator for 61 Pounds ($72).  Our driver, doubling as our tour guide, kept us entertained during the 90-minute drive to the Causeway, perched on the northern shore of the island.  Along the way we stopped at Balintoy Point for the view west and east. 

This point and the harbor of the same name served as the filming location for Pyke and the Iron Islands in the television series Game of Thrones and from the lookout we could see the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.  It links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede (from Irish Carraig a’ Ráid, meaning ‘rock of the casting’) and spans 66 feet and is 98 feet above the rocks below.  The bridge, open all year round (subject to weather, is mainly a tourist attraction and is owned and maintained by the National Trust and in 2018, it had 485,736 visitors . 

Soon we were back on the bus and not long after we parked near the entrance to the Causeway and not far from the Causeway Hotel.  We by-passed the Visitor Center and its expensive entry fee and while Joanna set off by herself to walk along the cliff tops, I boarded a shuttle bus that took me down to the beach and a close-up view of portions of what is known as the Giants Causeway.  This is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption.

It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and a national nature reserve by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland in 1987.  In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant’s Causeway was named the fourth-greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom.  The tops of the columns form steppingstones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea.  Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have between four and eight sides.  The tallest are approximately 39 feet high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 92 feet thick in places.

Legend has it that the Giant’s Causeway was made by a giant Ulster warrior named Finn MacCool, who knew of a rival giant living across the water in Scotland.  Finn built a stone bridge over to Scotland to spy on his rival and found out that the Scottish giant was much bigger.  Finn retreated to Ireland and had his wife dress him as a sleeping infant, just in time for the rival giant to come across the causeway to spy on Finn.  The rival, shocked at the infant’s size, fled back to Scotland in terror of whoever had sired this giant baby, and knocked down the bridge behind him.

By not walking the cliff tops, I’m afraid I wasn’t able to appreciate the full scope of the experience here, a shame as I’m sure it was impressive.  So, I cut my time at the beach short and shuttled back up to the top and then walked up to hotel and entered the restaurant side of the house where I was seated and ordered a raspberry scone with butter and jam and Latte, all of which was a delight to consume. 

Joanna joined me not long after and soon we were heading back to Belfast, landing there not long after noon.  Given our short time in Belfast, we could only give the causeway the morning.  Future visits would require a night or so in that area to full enjoy it, and the sights of the north, particularly the Bushmills distillery.  We walked across the street and entered the Crown Liquor Saloon, an outstanding example of a Victorian gin palace, and one of Northern Ireland’s best-known pubs.  It was refurbished in 1885, and at least twice since, and is owned by the National Trust and is leased to Mitchells & Butlers who run it as a Nicholson’s pub.

It was crowded and we didn’t want to take the time for a long lunch (we would return the next night for dinner) so walked up the block to stop in at the Sandwich Station, where we split a ham sandwich and a diet coke for the rock bottom tab of 6 Pounds ($8), just the right amount of food to see us through the afternoon and onto dinner later.  In our next post we’ll cover the walking tour we did that afternoon and the rest of our stay in Belfast. 

Links

Home in Belfast: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/707127892001692873?source_impression_id=p3_1789479562_P33TQIh2mnKaFUod

Kelstar: https://www.thekelstar.com/

Giants Causeway Tour: https://www.viator.com/tours/Belfast/Morning-Giants-Causeway-Half-Day-Tour-from-Belfast/d738-8962P90

The Giants Causeway: https://www.ireland.com/en-us/things-to-do/attractions/giants-causeway/

Causeway Hotel: https://thecausewayhotel.com/

The Crown Liquor Saloon: https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/scotlandandnorthernireland/thecrownliquorsaloonbelfast#/

The Sandwich Station: https://www.facebook.com/p/Sandwich-Station-100048098894293/