Another Brilliantly Sunny Warm day in Ireland

Monday March 7 we took off up the coast of Ireland exploring on our own. Alas I lost my semi Irish Navigator Branden, but nevertheless  we managed to have a full day of driving up and down the coast and appear to have survived rather unscathed.

First stop was Carrikfergus. When I was in Ireland four years ago this castle did not open until 10:00 am and we needed to be in Londonderry and so weren’t able to get in. But I did this time and it is nicely preserved. And the gentleman at the front desk was quite friendly and helpful.

The picture above was taken at the town square and as you can see and might be somewhat flabbergasted, into the direct sunshine.

It was nothing short of an amazing morning with this brilliant bright and warm sunshine. After a nice cup of coffee, served by the nice young man with the funky orange hat at Sainbury’s cafe, we had a most pleasant exploiation of this well preserved/restored castle.

These canons are well preserved but somewhat scary in their size and presence. Just imagine these things going off with ear shattering cacophonous resounding, And that was well before the invention of earplugs and/or earphones.

The Giant’s Causeway was our next stop. It took us at least an hour, maybe a bit more to get there from Carrikfergus. But just imagine driving up the coastal route in Ireland traversing countrysides that resemble patchwork quilts of the deepest greens speckled with white and black dots that turn out to be sheep and perhaps a wee cow.

This is my second journey to the Giant’s Causeway. The first was with a group of friends in November of 2007 when we came over from the Colony’s to visit out friend Branden and help him celebrate thanksgiving in Ireland. It was one of the best parties I had ever been to. Thanksgiving in Ireland is a blast!!

Since I have been here in Ireland i have been layering with a shirt, a sweater and then a coat. Some days are better than others and some days I have been freezing to death. Of course after having lost over 100+ pounds I appear to have lost all my insulating body fat.

The Giant’s Causeway, Dun Luce Castle, and the Rope Bridge. Stay tuned. 🙂