Our first stop was the "Giant's Causeway", which is a World Heritage Site. You can barely make it out in the background, but those are basalt columns extruding up from the shoreline below. In addition to a lot of hill climbing, Vera counted 164 steps on our trek to get there.
The "Causeway" was formed during a volcanic eruption in which basalt was extruded into the sea and fractured into these large columns.
Some of us were adventuresome and climbed to the top. The guy in the orange vest is there to help out just in case anyone got stuck on the very slick surfaces. That's Dave in the middle debating about whether he needs help or not.
Next stop was Dunluce Castle, where parts of "Game of Thrones" was filmed. It is easy to see why they picked the site. Much of Northern Ireland was used for the filming of the series, and the main recording studio was in Belfast. It was a great boon to the local economy.
The castle sits on a high cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Years ago, part of it fell into the sea during a violent winter storm.
The views are quite stunning.
Next stop was the Bushmills distillery. Vera and I went for the "Hot Toddy", as we are both recovering from a cold that had been spreading through the bus.
The Carrick-a-Rede Rope bridge was our last stop. For years it has been used as a way for fishermen to access a prime fishing spot. It is still used that way today during the Spring salmon season, and of course for tourists like us.
Lots of stairs down (and back up).
Almost all of us ventured across. Now the long trek back up many steps to the bus. Needless to say, everyone was quite tired at the end of this day.
I know! What an amazing bridge!!! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep your eyes forward, right? That worked for me, and heights like this can be a challenge!!
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