I considered not putting more Ireland pictures here, since they aren't necessarily bookish and I'll be putting a bunch up on my family blog anyhow, but I want to share them with all of you too, so here they are.
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| Belfast City Hall |
After being in Dublin for 4 days, we rented a car and drove up to Belfast. I was really curious to experience any difference there might be between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but in the words of our cab driver, "It's all just Ireland." Meant in a good way, of course. There aren't even any border markers. The main difference seemed to be that they use Pounds Sterling instead of Euros, although the atmosphere did seem a bit heavier. The highlight of our trip into Northern Ireland was driving the Causeway Coast.
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| Panorama of the Causeway Coastline |
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| Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge |
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| Giant's Causeway |
I loved driving along the coast and seeing a peak of Scotland, where some dear friends live: so close, yet so far. After our two days in Northern Ireland, we drove towards the Connaught area. I loved the landscape here. It wasn't, perhaps, quite as dramatic as some of the coastlines, but it made my heart sing.
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| Connemara--way more impressive in real life! |
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Remnants of peasant farming still visible in Connemara.
Hard to imagine the amount of people this area once held. |
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| Also the Connemara/Mayo County area. |
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| Sunset on Lough Corrib, Cong |
It's still difficult for me to grasp just how incredibly lovely this country is. So many times we just had to stop and soak it in. It was literally breathtaking.
Count me among those who are very happy you shared your photographs here--otherwise I would have missed out on those lovely images.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful pictures, Melody. It sounds like you had quite a dreamy trip. I'm so happy for you.
ReplyDeleteBelle
Cong is lovely, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI love the landscape in Mayo, it is somewhat surreal...
Travel pictures are always a Very Good Thing. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteTell me about the picture labeled Giant's Causeway. Is that a man-made rock causeway? The rocks are so geometric.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, I love being able to experience & share some of the wonder of different places.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, Giant's Causeway is a natural rock phenomena that occurs when lava cools in a specific manner. Isn't it bizarre? If you Google it, you can find all kinds of amazing pictures.
Isn't Giant's Causeway amazing?! It looks so cool in pictures, but to actually see it in person makes it even more impressive. Did you go across the rope bridge? I did - but could not look down, when I was on it, for fear of having a panic attack and going over the edge. I almost can't believe they just let people walk across! Some people were trying to make it sway when we were there and I almost punched them in the face. Almost. But I was too concentrated on getting across while still breathing. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing.
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