Week 6 Weekend and Week 7 through Wednesday

Week 6 Saturday through Week 7 Wednesday

Most of the DCU class returned to Dublin Friday afternoon. I stayed over that night with a small group to take a tour of the northern coastal area. I saw truly beautiful seaside towns, cliffs, beaches, and mountains that I would say rivals the beauty of the west of Ireland! Most notable sights of the day were the Carrik-a-Rede Rope Bridge and the Giants Causeway. We reached the rope bridge first. It is a 3 foot wide rope bridge swaying 100 feet over the rock and ocean filled chasm between the sea cliffs and the island of Carrik-a-Rede. Fisherman put the bridge up every Spring as they have for 200 years, using it to reach the island and place nets to catch the passing salmon migrating to the rivers. I crossed the bridge onto the island and can report it is not for the faint of heart or anybody who fears heights. The real challenge is that the only way back is to cross it again! It was very cool! We then had lunch at the Old Bushmills Distillery, the world’s oldest legal distillery, licensed by King James the 1^st in 1608. Then traveled to the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World heritage site. The Giant’s Causeway is vast expanse of regular closely packed hexagonal stone columns dipping gently from the coast line into the surf. Scientists say was formed by volcanic activity millenniums ago and the lava cooled and cracked this way. The ancients believed the causeway was not a natural feature but was built by a giant who lived in Scotland so he could come to Ireland to answer the challenge of an Irish giant who dared him to fight. The story goes on to say that when the Scottish giant arrived in Ireland he was spotted by the Irish giant who determined he would lose the fight because the Scot was so much bigger than he was. So the Irish giant went home and had his wife dress him in baby clothes and sit him in front of his house. When the Scot spotted the baby he ran in fear saying he wanted no fight with any giant big enough to have a baby that size. As he crossed the Giant’s Causeway the Scot ripped up all the stones so he could not be pursued and that is why you only see what is left of the causeway on the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. It is very beautiful and is surrounded by stunning high cliffs that I was challenged to climb with our group, and did to their amazement. This old guy is currently in pretty good walking shape and the reason is my iPhone says I have averaged over 13,000 steps a day since I arrived in Ireland. We traveled back to Dublin by train and I was shocked the very pleasant ride was only 8 British Pounds (about $11). Monday was a Bank Holiday meaning nobody worked and we did not have class. I needed the break to catch up on things and complete a PowerPoint presentation for Wednesday’s class. The class all got together in our apartment for Tuesday Taco’s last night followed by a fun game of Cards Against Humanity. That game is so wrong but a lot of fun.

We have a museum tour tomorrow and then we are off to Berlin at 6 AM on Friday morning for our school trip weekend (we get one paid by the college to somewhere else in Europe every 4 weeks). I am really looking forward to that trip. More on the Germany adventure when I return.

Irish Language:

Jacks = Restroom

Mineral = soft drink

Banjaxed = broken

Pictures: Carrik-a-Rede Rope Bridge in the top two pictures. A look back at the cave on the mainland from the Carrik-a-Rede island; Giants Causeway (2  pictures); On the cliff way above Giant’s Causeway.