Our Year in Ireland: UK Trip: Sept 11-12

Moriah eventually fell asleep, and we all slept well. The boys had been really excited to sleep on bunk beds! Saturday, we got up and ready quickly and slipped out. I'm sure the kids woke up a few others in the hostel - hopefully they fell back to sleep.

North Antrim Coastline

'Causeway Coast'

We drove along the North County Antrim Coast, stopping at sites along the way.

'Magheracross (plain of the cross) looks out over the busiest of the Celtic searoads that flowed between ancient Ireland and Scotland. Down through the ages, hundreds of thousands travelled this great marine thoroughfare described in Irish tradition as 'a bridge of currachs [traditional dugout boats]'. Stone Age and Iron Age settlers, kingdom-building warriors and raiding clans, exiled holy men and seafaring saints, ruthless slave traders and plundering Vikings, conquering Normans and fleeing Spaniards, whiskey smugglers and countless fishermen, busy coasters and grey warships, and an endless stream of Scottish and Irish emmigrants have helped to shape the Ireland of today.'

Now blending in with the cliff, the ruins of Dunluce Castle. And, if you look at the horizon, in the center of the water, the little spot of land is Islay, one of the Scottish islands.

Dunluce Castle

'The Castle ruins occupy what has been a site of human settlement dating from at least the Iron Age, 1500 years ago. Standing 100ft above the sea, Dunluce (lit. 'strong fort') was changed from a promitory fort (a half circle cliff-edge fort) to a keepless Castle in 1305 AD by the Normans. Through time it became a Jacobean manor inhabited by the clans MacDonnell & MacQuillan in the 16th century and was eventually abandoned in 1660 after part of it collapsed into the sea during a stormy October night in 1639.'

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Our next site was one I have been looking forward to seeing since we've been here in Ireland. We had a long walk to get there, but nice views the whole way! Blackberries grow wild here and are ripening. Silas had a little breakdown - long walks are not his favorite.

Almost there...

Giant's Causeway
'Giant's Causeway is an area of approximately 38,000 columns, the result of volcanic activity. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, due to its outstanding geology. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with 4,5,7,and 8 sides. The tallest are about 36ft high. As well as columns, many of the rocks have been named due to their shapes and their connections to the Giant Finn MacCool. Legend tells the story of how Finn actually created the Causeway and the stones around it as a challenge to his Scottish rival Benandonner.'

The boys were excited to be 'rock-climbing'.

I read this just now from the brochure.

For your safety:

Please be aware that there are dangerous waves breaking on the rocks. These can be sudden and unexpected.

The Causeway stones are uneven and slippery. Wear appropriate footwear and avoid the dark rocks around the edge of the Causeway.

Be aware of falling rocks from the cliffs across the site.

There are many unfenced drops around the site. Keep away from cliff edges.

Please take care to supervise children at all times across the Giant's Causeway site.

"avoid the dark rocks around the edge of the Causeway"

Water receding after a "dangerous wave breaking on the rocks" exactly where the boys were standing a minute before. I had moved them away since I noticed the waves here were getting bigger.

It was as awesome as I had imagined!

At this point, we took the shuttle back to the visitors' center and ate lunch in the tea room. Daniel was loading up the kids in the car while I went to get a souvenir in the gift shop. A postcard caught my eye. How did we miss this part?! I wondered to myself. I bought the postcard and showed it to Daniel. We decided we better go see this - this will probably be our only chance...

The 36ft columns called, The Organ. Pretty impressive!

Right after I took this picture,...

...they both just let her go, letting her fall back off the rock. Nice, Boys.
We heard her head bonk, but she shed no tears - she's a tough girl..by necessity.

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Dunseverick Castle
'Dunseverick Castle and its rocky peninsula were given to the National Trust in 1962 by farmer Jack McCurdy. The term Dun (fort) indicates a royal site. It may have been a royal stronghold in the Iron Age and traditionally was one of the great duns of Ireland. Once the capital of Dalriada[this ancient Antrim kingdom], it was linked to Tara by a great road and was the departure point for 5th century Irish raids on Scotland. St Patrick reputedly visited Dunseverick in the 5th century. It was attacked and captured by Vikings in 871 and later destroyed by them in 926. The ruined 16th century stone tower remains from the period of struggles for supremacy between the main families - the MacDonnells, O'Neills, O'Cahans, and MacQuillans.'

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View of Rathlin Island, where about 30 families live. 'White cliffs encircle much of the island where, in 1306, Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, supposedly sat in a cave and watched a spider climbing a thread. The spider's perseverance inspired the dejected King to return and win back his kingdom.'

Aaron took this picture of her comfy postition.

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We had a 1 km walk to get to our next adventure...Silas was in a better mood, but Aaron was upset that we were insisting on holding his hand along the cliffedge walk.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

'The bridge hangs 80 ft above the sea and wobbles and twists as soon as you stand on it. Made of planks strung between wires...there are rope rails and a safety net, but it's definitely not for those with vertigo.' That is how the tourbook describes this experience - I wasn't sure that we should really do it 'til we got to the bridge and saw everyone else doing it. That's a good enough reason for Aaron lately, so it's a good enough reason for me.
'Carrick-a-Rede (from the Scottish Gaelic Carriag-a-Rade) means the rock in the road. The road is the sea route for Atlantic salmon on their westward journey past Carrick Island. For over 350 years, fishermen have strung a rope bridge 30 m above the sea to allow them to access the best places to catch the migrating salmon. Crossed regularly by local fishermen, the bridge now presents a challenge to thousands of visitors each year who come to enjoy the same views and high thrills.'
Essential Information:

Steep steps

Strong footwear recommended

Dangerous rock faces - no climbing

Surfaces can be slippery when wet

180 steep steps to bridge

No alcohol on the island

For your safety: No more than 8 people on the bridge at any time.

Daniel and Silas went first...

..they made it to the other side..

...and came back.

Aaron's, Moriah's, and my turn (my legs were already shaky from the 180 steep, slippery steps it took to get here with Moriah on my back)...

...but we made it...

...Aaron was very brave and even let go of the rope to wave at Daddy. I did no such thing.

I think they neglected to mention the 30 steeper, slipperyer metal steps immediately before/after the bridge. My legs were jelly.

A different perspective. As I walked over to this viewing place on the path along the cliff edge, I literally skirted the ascending cliff so as not to stumble with Moriah on my back...jelly legs, not exaggerating.

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Daniel went to see this last castle on his own. He took this picture of the sign..I find it funny. 'We hope you enjoy your visit.' Then read the list of potential hazards. Reading between the lines, it actually says, 'We hope you enjoy your visit; it may be the last thing you ever do.'

Kinbane Castle, 'a 16th century ruin with spectacular views.'

He ran quite a ways to get this self-timed picture.

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We drove south and inland. We stopped to enjoy this - the first of many rainbows we were blessed with during our trip.

We stayed the night in the city of Antrim. Travel guides say to use B&B's or Guesthouses when traveling for the best experience, but I don't think this holds true when traveling with three kids under five. We liked the basic, chain hotels where our roudy group could remain annonymous.

Belfast

Sunday, driving into Belfast. I like taking pictures of road signs - proving we were really there.

The first thing you notice upon entering the city, Goliath and Samson are the twin shipbuilding gantry cranes situated at Queen's Island. The cranes dominate the Belfast skyline and are landmark structures of the city. Harland & Wolff is the shipbuilding comany that built Titanic and her sister ships, Olympic and Britannic, in this very shipyard, though these two mammoth cranes weren't here until 1969 and 1974, respectively.

Our 'Black Cab Tour'
'Ever since the onset of the "Troubles" in 1968, popular art has played a conspicuous role in proclaiming the loyalties of Belfast's two most intransigent working-class communities, on the Protestant Shankill Road and the Catholic Falls Road. The gable walls of dozens of houses in these areas have been decorated with vivid murals expressing local political and paramilitary affiliations. Likewise, kerbstones on certain streets are painted either in the red, white and blue of the United Kingdom or the green, white and gold of Ireland. Even with the successes of the current peace process, many are likely to remain. Some tourists make the journey out to West Belfast just to see the murals. The simplest way to do this is to pre-book a 'Black Cab Tour'.'

The current peace began with a ceasefire in 1997. I remember bombings in Belfast as 'current events' and I am only in my 20's (for a few more months anyway). Because the issues that divide are ongoing, and I am an outside observer, I am not going to comment on this sensitive subject, other than to recall a few of the basics our cab driver told us. Very simply, the 'Protestants' are loyal to the English crown, and the 'Catholics' want all of Ireland to be self-ruled.

Protestant Shankill Road Murals

In recent years, murals like this one have been sponsored by community groups and the government.

This mural is a collage of pictures of children and reads, "Nothing about us without us is for us."

Wherever you are standing in the large green which is surrounded by all these murals, it looks like the gun is pointed right at you!

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We left here, and drove toward the Catholic area of Falls Road.

Still on the Protestant side, our driver pointed out one of the many gates that blocks the road between this and the Catholic neighborhood on the other side. Only 20% of Belfast neighborhoods are integrated, he told us. While everyone works together, they live apart. The gates are closed and locked every night and all weekend. 'Prevention is better than cure,' he said more than once.

Extending from the gate in the above picture, this is one of many dividing walls between neighborhoods. The round, gray spot on the green part of the wall over the van is the result of a petrol bomb taking off the paint.
While we were here, he alluded to the fact that these issues aren't really religious, they are political. He said, for example, that he is 'Protestant', yet it's not as if he ever opens a Bible.

Taking an indirect route, we entered this Catholic neighborhood.This row of houses comes up to the backside of the wall in the above picture. He pointed out the bomb cage over the back patio areas. He told us, "These families have lived here for generations, and they're not going to move."

The Catholic Falls Road Murals.

The headquarters of Sinn Fein.

Many of these murals depict freedom struggles around the world.

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Back in the "Titanic Quarter" on Queen's Island. I don't think the boys fully apprecitated how special these cranes were compared to all the others they've ever seen.

We took a tour of The Thompson Dry-Dock and Pumphouse - an amazing experience that will be hard to convey in a few pictures and words. The photos above show the Olympic (slightly older) and the Titanic here in the Harland & Wolff shipyard where they were built. In the main photo, Titanic is on the right; in the inset photo, on the left.

The Pumphouse - housed the steam engines and the pumps they powered for the Thompson Dry Dock, at the time of its contsruction, the biggest dry dock in the world. It was built for the biggest ships in the world, the White Star Line's sister ships, Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic.

A picture inside the dry dock; the men are standing in front of the gate (will make more sense in a few pictures down).

Just outside the Pumphouse sits the HMS Caroline, a light cruiser of the Britsh Royal Navy, commissioned in 1914. She served in WWI, and has sat here in the Alexandra Dock since 1924 still on 'active duty' as a navy HQ during WWII then a training base after that. The locals have a nickname for her having to do with the fact that she never moves, but I can't remember it.

This is the 'dry dock'. It took seven years to build, and basically, the rolling gate at the far end dams the ocean on the other side. Through control valves, water can be let in to fill it, the gate opened, and a ship floated in. Then, using the power generated in the pumphouse, the pumps drain the dock dry in 100 minutes! During Titanic's time, steam power was used. Some years later, steam gave way to electric power, and the huge steam funnel you'll see in the next photo, was taken down.

Perspective. The Olympic and the Titanic were exactly the same size. More photo's were taken of the Olympic, as is typical of the 'first child.' This is the Olympic here in the dry dock next to the pumphouse!

Looking from the perspective of this photo.

The bottom point of the ships sat on these stacks of iron beams topped with a timber beam that wouldn't damage the ship. They were all carried by hand using a pole that stuck out either side, taking several men to carry each one.

The gate, which has started to leak in a few areas, is now reinforced by these supporting beams.

Another perspective. The spot I am standing is at the very end of where Titanic rested in the dock. The rest of the group is a little less than half-way to the other end of the 'ship'. The gray building straight ahead was built to the exact height of Titanic's first (lowest) deck as she was sitting in the dock. Here it looks like the gray building is not much taller than the pumphouse, but refer to the pictures above as to how much taller the first deck was than the pumphouse. Massive! "In her time, the Titanic was the biggest man made moving object in the world."

The tour continued inside the pumphouse.

The toolshed, with tools from the time the Titanic was built as well as articles from more recent times. The cots against the wall are a sad reminder of the dangers that were involved in shipbuilding. At least one man died while working on the Titanic. He was pinned by a falling beam as the ship set out from this dock on her maiden (her only) voyage. He was taken to the hospital where he died the next day.

The electric engines look just like the former steam engines, we were told.

Behind the 'arch' on the right is the solid-concrete cylinder. I'm not going to embarrass myself by trying to explain what part this plays in the power plant (though it did make sense at the time).

The control panel from the 1950's. State-of-the-art at the time. This makes my parents seem old!
Just kidding, Mom & Dad. You're still young at heart ;)

This was a great experience to remember, I thought! I took this picture so I can show Moriah in the future that she was there - taking it all in.

Trying to get a good picture of the cranes before we left Queen's Island.

This was requested by Daniel.

Making our way to the port to take a ferry ride - much anticipated by the boys!

We parked in line 10 with all the other mid-sized cars, then took advantage of the play area - consisting of hopscotch, a beanbag toss, and a huge game of Connect Four. An interesting combination, it kept the kids occupied while we waited.