The first stop was the bridge which is a really old rope and wood bridge. I was really scared and unsure if I would cross it until I actually got down to the bridge. It really is more stable than you would imagine. The only scary parts were 1) the height--I just looked up the whole time, and 2) when I got to the middle of the bridge a huge gust of wind came and I kinda froze up for a minute. Other than that it was fun. There are pictures of me actually crossing it but Aviva has them.
So on our way between the bridge and the Giants Causeway we actually got into a traffic jam with sheep!!! This was probably my favorite experience of the trip because it is what you think of when you think of Ireland. I actually sent one of my friends a post card with this exact scene on the front!
The next stop was the Giants Causeway which is a World Heritage Site. Now the story behind it is that a long time ago there was this giant of a man in Ireland named Fionn who would thought he was the strongest man in the world. He would always yell across the ocean to the giant in Scotland named Benandonner and tell him to come over to Ireland so they could fight. Benandonner would say that he didn't want to get his feet wet coming over there so Fionn built a Causeway between the two islands so that Benandonner could come over and fight without getting his feet wet. However, when Benandonner finally did come over Fionn was so frightened by his size as he was way larger than Fionn that Fionn's wife dressed him as a baby and when Benandonner came she told him that Fionn would be back soon. Benandonner saw Fionn dressed as the baby and decided that any man who had a baby that big must be enormous so he fled back to Scotland ripping up the Causeway as he went. The only remains of it are on the Irish coast and on the other side in Scotland. OR there is a lame story about lava melting a long time ago. In any case it was amazing and indescribable. The pictures do not capture what it is like and how awesome it is there.
The last stop on the tour was Derry/Londonderry where we did a walking tour of the city. It was crazy to be able to physically see the divisions within the community between the Protestants, who support England, and the Catholic Nationalists. All over you can see the different flags being flown and the huge fences and signs of past turmoil. Went went over to a part of the city called Free Derry where the Republican Nationalists proclaimied themselves free from English rule. There are a bunch of political murals and graffiti expressing their views. The craziest part was that our walking tour guide (different from our bus tour guide) was a nationalist and when he spoke about the IRA he tried to tell us that it was no different from any other army in the world. I decided it was probably smart not to argue with him. In any case, it was something I have never experienced before and it makes you think about how much we take for granted in the U.S.
I am so very proud of you. I would never have had the courage to walk across the bridge! You are awesome. Love you.
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