pink shag carpet etc etc. I slept in head-to-toe pajamas just in case!
The first day we got up early and took a driving tour of County Antrim. This is the northern part of Northern Ireland, so it was cold, but also impressively beautiful. We drove along the coast for a good 2-3 hours, passing beach towns and tiny villages along the way. At several points we could even see Scotland! We got into a minor fender bender when Joe drove too close to another car and the side mirrors hit each other. It made the glass in our side mirror fall off and shatter, but thankfully neither car was substantially damaged. We will have to pay for a new mirror, but it could have been much, much worse. We were within inches of totaling both cars!
Our main destination was the Giant’s Causeway, a very unnatural looking natural rock 
formation leading into the sea. Lava flows cooled and hardened in very symmetrical hexagonal columns millions of years ago. As the lave cooled, the whole thing fractured into these tiny columns. You can see over 40,000 of these columns from the beach, and each one is only about 1-2 feet in diameter! This place got its name from a local legend: There was once a causeway linking Scotland with Ireland. The local giant Finn McCool had a bone to pick with his Scottish counterpart, so the Scot went over to Ireland to fight it out. Finn McCool plays a trick on him, causing the frightened Scot to run away, ripping up the causeway so the crafty Irish giant couldn’t pursue him.
Whatever the legend, the place is really extraordinary. Those columns were so interesting to walk around on. They formed stair steps that allowed you to climb to the top of hills or down into the sea. Even though it is technically the off-season for tourists, we still saw a ton of people there. I can’t imagine what the crowds must be like in June - August. Of course, that is the whole point. Northern Ireland is benefiting from relative peace compared with The Troubles of the 60s - 90s. The Good Friday peace accord has gone a long way to creating stability and encouraging more people to visit. After years of virtually no tourist industry, Belfast and the whole of Northern Ireland are now experiencing increased interest in its many charms.
With that said, political and religious tensions still r
un high in parts of Belfast. We walked around the Protestant and Catholic strongholds to get a glimpse of the murals commemorating victims and events on both sides. Perhaps not surprisingly, the IRA is still supported in the Catholic parts of the city. I had thought that since the IRA gave up its arms and became less violent that the people here would rally to the peace cause. Unfortunately the story is a lot more complicated than that, and many Catholics really feel as if they are occupied by a foreign invader (England). On the flip side, the Protestants feel under attack from the guerrilla warfare and vigilante justice of the IRA. The murals were both a reminder of the terrible crimes of the past, and a depressing realization that the conflict is so complex and emotional.
On a happier note, we spent Saturday night living up Belfast’s swinging nightlife. We were so tired from all the driving so we had lots of redbull and that seemed to keep us going just fine. For some reason, Belfast has a reputation for great cocktails. We kept off the beer for once and stayed with the yummy fruity concoctions all night. One really interesting thing about going clubbing in Belfast is the mix of people. Never in my life have I seen so many middle aged people dancing and chatting alongside the hip young crowd. I spoke to a Belfast native about that and he just said that the Belfastians(?) really enjoy their drink. Whatever the cause, it was really funny to play the game “spot the oldest guy” in addition to our more normal people-watching games like “find the shortest skirt”, or “find the ugliest person”. All in all the redbull, cocktails and bizarre people watching made for a really entertaining evening.
Overall I really liked Northern Ireland. I was a little hesitant to go just because I didn’t really know what there was to see. We ended up with a varied, relaxing trip across beautiful country meeting truly friendly people wherever we went (a rarity in stuck-up London!). Highly recommended.
