The mere mention of Northern Ireland made me think of its 20th century troubles with the British and it is a tragedy that it remained my first association of the place for a long time. After visiting this northeastern part of the island of Ireland, my mind conjures up beautiful images of the place and I am thankful for a much happier association. My trip was more about the countryside, with an evening out in Belfast. First up, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge & the one hour drive from Belfast is a breeze with beautiful views of a vast expanse of nothingness.
There are a few Game of Thrones locations in and around Belfast. The Dark Hedges is one of the most photographed areas in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, this beautiful avenue of beech trees, planted in the 18th century, is under threat from excess tourism and the government has banned traffic from a part of this road. It was used in Season 2 to represent "the King's Road" which a young Arya Stark traveled on the back of a cart.
As I near my destination, I pass a small village located in County Antrim. It looks as if it has been planted out of nothing, amidst the blue waters and green fields. A few days here in the middle of nowhere is a sure shot way to achieve and maintain a state of bliss.
Ballintoy is a village on the coast of Co Antrim, which featured in S2 of Game of Thrones when Theon Greyjoy returns home to Lordsport Harbour. It is located near the road leading to the entrance of the rope bridge.
From the car park, the rope bridge is a 15 minute walk along the coastline. The sea is very clear with different colors - the shallows of the west side are a beautiful blue in the calm sunny weather and the deeper water of the east side a green and dark with shadows of the cliffs and caves.
The summer months are the best time to see the sea birds (kittiwakes, razorbill, guillemots, fulmar, cormorants), as they come ashore to breed and if one is lucky enough, they can spot dolphins, porpoises & sharks as well. The bridge and the island were closed for a few days due to heavy rains and I was lucky it had been re-opened to the public the day I visited. There were a few slippery sections, which were off limits though. Despite its best intentions, the morning sun did not bring much warmth and I shivered in the cold weather.
The bridge, opened in 2008, spans 20 metres and is 30 metres above the rocks below. It is thought that salmon fishermen have been building bridges of different kinds, to the island for over 350 years. There is hardly any salmon left for fishing today. There are large caves in the area, which once served as home for boat builders or as shelter during stormy weather.
The original bridge had only a single handrail and featured in world's scariest bridges a few years back. There have been instances where tourists who walk across couldn't handle the return and had to use the boat instead! Well, I enjoyed it and would have loved to stay there for a few minutes. Unfortunately, the attendants do not allow any one to stop or stay on the bridge, longer than necessary. I spent some time savouring the view, before hitting the road again.
We stopped for an early lunch at The Giant's Barn, probably the only restaurant for miles and miles. It serves home cooked Irish dishes but as most of them are meat based, I opted for vegetarian soup and Irish Coffee. There were desserts with Irish Whiskey & even a Guinness Pie, which tempted me a lot but my heart was set on Strawberry Pavlova. It is made fresh by the owner's mother every morning. The dessert is a massive portion of fresh whipped cream on top of crispy meringue, with strawberries swimming all over - sugary heaven !!!
After lunch, one can relax in the outdoor seating area or have a walk on the long empty road -
It was time to move on & proceed towards The Giant's Causeway, probably the most visited attraction in North Ireland & one of the top natural wonders in United Kingdom.
Giant's Causeway is an area of basalt columns, formed due to intense volcanic activity around 50 to 60 million years ago. As the lava inched towards the sea and cooled, layers of basalt columns formed and the pressure between these columns sculpted them into stunning shapes. There are about 40,000 of such stone pillars.
There is a shuttle service to explore the area but it is a much better idea to walk & soak in the surroundings.
If you are in Ireland, you can be rest assured there is a story for everything. Little wonder then that for an otherworldly place such as this, there is a very famous legend. The story goes that mythical Irish giant called Finn MacCool built the causeway to get to Scotland and battle with a rival giant called Benandonner. When he got there, he found that the Scottish giant was asleep but also much bigger than himself, so Finn returned back across the causeway. When Benandonner woke up, he strode across the causeway intent on fighting Finn.
Finn's wife dressed up her husband as a baby and when Benandonner arrived, she said Finn wasn't home and to be quiet so as not to wake the baby. When Benandonner saw the baby he decided if the baby was so big, Finn must be massive. So he turned back and fled across the causeway ripping it up as he went. All that remains are the ends, here at the Giant's causeway and on the island of Staffa in Scotland where similar formations are found.
I was glad to make a friend, as I had someone to take my photos in such a stunning place. We talked a lot about world cultures & places we want to explore. I didn't realize how time flew and pretty soon, it was time to head back.
On our way to Belfast we passed a cemetery, which the driver said, is the resting place of the man who invented crosswords. He topped it off with the statement "his grave is six down, four across" ! I found it hilarious and is a joke I remember to this day. When I checked for more details, I found out that some people say his grave is in Tralee, a town more than 500 kms away and even that story is not backed up by the internet. Typically Irish - as they say "never let the truth get in the way of a good story" !
Belfast, the capital city, is famous for being the birthplace of Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sunk in 1912. This legacy is remembered in the dockyards 'Titanic Quarter', which includes the Titanic Belfast museum.
By the early 19th century, Belfast was a major port and became the capital of Northern Ireland after the partition of Ireland in 1921. The city suffered greatly during the Troubles (violent sectarian conflict) and was one of the world's most dangerous cities in the 1970s and 1980s. The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 brought about much needed peace and stability in the region.
I roamed around the city hall and the nearby market area, the lights adding to the beauty of the place. As the temperature dropped drastically, it was my cue to head indoors.
I was lucky to visit the region, as it was not part of my initial plan and I am glad I took this trip. It was the perfect example of how our perceptions about a city or country can change drastically when you make an effort to visit the place. TRAVEL is always an immense learning experience !
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