The Coast of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is home to what some people claim is the 8th wonder of the world. The Giant's Causeway is a series of hexagonal lava stone columns that line the coast. This natural phenomenon was amazing to see close up!  There is an entirely scientific reason for these 40,000 Basalt columns, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_causeway, but the legend is so much more fun!

 Legend has it that the Irish Giant, Finn McCool, built the causeway so that he could walk across the channel to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. When Finn realized that Benandonner was a much larger giant, he quickly ran back to Ireland.  To protect Finn, his wife disguised him as a baby. 

When Benandonner came after him, he saw the size of the 'infant', and assumed the father must be gigantic.  Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the causeway as he left in case he was followed by Finn. 

For Jesse and I this was the highlight of our trip to Northern Ireland.

On the way to the Giant's Causeway, we passed this mountain where the face of a man can just barely be made out. This sleeping giant is said to have inspired Swift in his tale of the Voyage to Brobdingnag in Gulliver's Travels, and even older stories like the tale of Finn.

The bus took us up the coastal route passing quaint seaside towns, mountains, lots of baby lambs, and these beautiful castle ruins.

The castle was abandoned when part of the castle slid into the sea after a violent storm.