Belfast in a Day

I've never really thought much about Belfast. The only image that comes to mind when I hear that name is IRA bombings. That's how limited my knowledge of the city and Northern Ireland itself is. Pathetic and unworldly, I know.

So, when my friend suggested heading up there from Dublin, I was honestly baffled. Why??? What's there to do???
Turns out Belfast and the surrounding areas have some wonderful sights, including a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Since we only had one full day (not nearly enough time!), we signed up for the Giants Causeway Day Tour offered by Mini Coach, which leaves the Belfast International Youth Hostel every morning.
[Random note. By the way, the hostel looked very, very nice. Perhaps even cleaner than the Travelodge we stayed in. My friend doesn't "do" hostels, but I would've definitely stayed there had I been on my own]

Leaving the hostel, and saying hello/goodbye to the cute bee......we drove along the coastal route for a brief glimpse of Carrickfergus Castle. Not very interesting, aside from the strategic, yet meaningless, placement of toy soldiers around the perimeter of the castle:

Then, off to the Bushmills Distillery!

Having done the whiskey production tour in Dublin, we passed on the opportunity here. Instead, we spent the time at the bar, tasting some yummy whiskeys. Well, my friend did most of the tasting, while I happily gulped down a cup of hot coffee : ) Better to stay sober when a full day of bus rides and sightseeing lies ahead for Waru.

After we all had some sort of drink in our systems, we were back on the bus. Passed through a lot of Irish greenery to make a quick photo stop at the ruins of the medieval Dunluce Castle:

Very picturesque with its dramatic cliffside setting and oldness. I wish we could've walked inside the ruins to explore more!!! Although that might be rather eerie…

From there, we headed towards the highlight of this tour - the Giant's Causeway. Yup, the UNESCO Heritage Site I mentioned earlier. It's been a UNESCO site for over 20 years, but I never knew about it!!! Weird…
The Giant's Causeway is famous for the hexagonal rock formations lying along the coast:

Apparently created by volcanic eruptions, but the naming comes from a local myth…something about the rocks being shaped by a giant. I don't tend to believe in giants, but it's a bit difficult to imagine that the lines of uniformly shaped rocks could be attributed solely to the forces of nature! I mean, the shapes are so consistent, it's easy to picture them being manufactured by hand and/or machinery!

We spent some time walking along the rock formations, and found that they weren't restricted to the coastline; some tall, hexagonal columns could be seen embedded in the surrounding hills as well.
What a unique place!!!
For some reason, I think there might be a similar sight in Japan, on a smaller scale. If any readers out there know of its existence, please let me know. Would love to check that one out, too : )

Our last stop of the day was the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. A beautiful seaside park-ish place, where you can take a walk along the coast and cross the famous bridge (for a small fee).As you can see, the bridge is a rope bridge, but it's very Westernized (in other words, modernized, secured, and well-maintained), so that the adventurous, wobbly feeling of being on a rope bridge is pretty much nonexistent. Not for the adventure/challenge hearted, but worth it for the scenery:

Wonderfully crystal clear green waters and green-covered rocks.
There was a rainbow out in the ocean for a while, adding more to the "wow" factor.

Back in Belfast, we went out for dinner at the delicious Ginger Bistro (the sticky toffee pudding with ice cream was without a doubt the yummiest yummiest yummiest one I've ever had!!!), and ended the night with some Guinness at the Crown Liquor Saloon. Great atmosphere. Great setting - old wooden tables, carved ceilings, and beautiful stained glasses.

And best of all, Waru was allowed to drink as much as she wanted, since the bed that she'd be collapsing on was only a few steps away.