Saturday (05/23/2015)
We rented a car from Budget at Dublin airport and went to Northern Ireland using the rental company's map and a guide book we have for all of Ireland.
Although it is on the same island as the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland is a separate country. It is part of the United Kingdom along with Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales and some small islands) and uses the pound as its currency. The Republic of Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom and uses euros.
As we had visitors, the plan was to meet the Giant's Causeway (Giant's Causeway), the Carrick-a-Rede (a “falling river” style bridge), the capital Belfast and also visit a lesser-known attraction, the Beaghmore Stone Circles, not necessarily in that order. All this in one weekend.
Beaghmore Stone Circles
The way to Beaghmore Stone Circles It was really interesting, because we passed through several cute towns and many cow and sheep farms, with impeccable houses, pastures and gardens. I got the feeling that Northern Ireland is richer than the Republic of Ireland, but that the people are just as friendly, because we had to stop in a few places to ask for directions and they were charming, even with a much stronger accent. We were discouraged when people said they didn't know the place, but we didn't give up and after a while, we managed to get there.
As we expected, the place is not that great and maybe that is why many people have never heard of it, but its history is interesting. The complex has 7 stone circles up to 1.20m high that date back to 2000 BC and until 1945, it was buried under a thick layer of peat. No one can explain what the circles are, but they do know that some of the stones are aligned with the point where the sun rises on the summer solstice.
Dunluce Castle
We continue to the Giant's Causeway, passing through cute coastal cities like Portstewart and Portrush, which are known as a holiday destination for middle-class families. We passed incredible homes and many caravan parks until we reached the Dunluce Castle, 13th century fortress that is nestled into a very steep rock.
Giant's Causeway
There are so many signs for the Giant's Causeway that it's almost impossible for anyone to miss it. We managed to park our car right next to the entrance, thanks to signs indicating that there were spaces, and we paid £9 per person to visit this place. UNESCO Heritage.
For those who don't know, this place has bizarre and regular formations of basalt columns, which seem to have been fitted together on purpose, they are so perfect. The main legend of the place is that an Irish giant built this causeway to Scotland to fight a battle with a Scottish giant.
The view up to the famous Calçada is very beautiful and is worth exploring on foot, with the help of the audio guide that is included. We started the trail from below and then went up to see the view, but I think the best option is the other way around. For those who prefer more comfort, they offer buses with each journey costing 1 pound and you can also pay in euros.
We left there at 7pm, with the visitor center closing, and unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the bridge. Carrick-a-rede, which is very close to Calçada. I read that this bridge connects the mainland to a small island just 25 meters above sea level and it is the kind that shakes when you step on it, making it one of the most daring attractions in the country. They say it is worth a visit! =)
Our Bed and Breakfast
We continued our journey to our hotel, which had to be outside Belfast, because the few options we found at the last minute were very expensive (over 300 euros!). We chose to sleep in the Down Royal House, which is located in Maze, less than half an hour from Belfast. Again, we had to ask for directions several times to get there, but thank God the Northern Irish are also extremely friendly and helpful. We arrived at the hotel around 9 pm and were surprised by how comfortable and clean this Bed & Breakfast was. The 9.1 rating on Booking made perfect sense to us!
We left our things and went out in search of somewhere to have dinner, without much expectation, since the owner warned us that most restaurants would be closed at this time. We passed by a few pubs that they were no longer serving food and luckily, we found a very neat Chinese restaurant open in the city of Lisburn, the Golden Garden. That's where we had dinner and look, I don't know if it was because we were hungry, but the food was delicious.
Sunday (05/24/2015)
We had breakfast at 9am sharp, as agreed with the hotel owner. He asked us as soon as we checked in what time we would like to eat and said he would be leaving for church around 10am (Isn't that cute?). They prepared a typical Irish Breakfast for each of us and everything was delicious! It really is a small breakfast, as we only felt hungry after a long time.
Belfast
We arrived in Belfast without much difficulty, but we had to ask for directions to get to the city's main attraction, the Titanic Museum. The museum is located in the area known as Titanic Quarter, on the right side of the River Lagan, while the historic city center is on the left side of it.
We paid £15.50 per person to enter the museum, plus £4.50 to park inside. Yes, it is expensive, perhaps the most expensive museum we have ever visited, but we thought it was worth it. We spent about two hours inside and learned a lot about the history of the city of Belfast, the company that built the Titanic and the Titanic itself. The museum is very dynamic and complete, with a lot of material on display to be read, seen and heard. There is even a mini rollercoaster inside to impress visitors! It may be a bit over the top, but it made the experience more interesting.
We drove to the region Cathedral Quarter and because it was Sunday, we stopped for free on one of the streets. We walked along Royal Avenue, full of shops and restaurants, and we stopped at the end of it, where the Town Hall. We were lucky that there was a little market with all kinds of food and that was where we had lunch. We walked to the Grand Opera House, of 1894, and we passed by the most famous pub in the city, the Crown Liquor Saloon, from 1880, which is located in front of the Opera. The facade is beautiful, as is its interior.
We took the car and passed in front of the St Anne's Cathedral, which is the city's main church. It is Anglican and took about 100 years to complete, being completed in 1904. It is impressive on the outside and I read that it is charming on the inside, mainly because of the colorful mosaics made in 1930.
On the way to Dublin, we found a bridge similar to the one in Harry Potter (the original is in Scotland):
