Monday, March 7, 2011

In The Interim

Okay, so I haven't been the most faithful blogger.  In fact, I'm posting this blog entry mostly out of shame for leaving the thing alone for so long.  There haven't been a ton of exciting developments since my last post, since classes have been more demanding lately.  But since things are only going to get busier from here on, I figure I'd better write a bit about the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge visit we had a couple of weekends ago.



A forty minute bus ride from Coleraine is the tiny town of Ballintoy, Co. Antrim.  Just down the road is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland: The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.  Each year, thousands of people come just to cross a rickety, waving, shaking catwalk which will take you to Carrick-a-Rede Island, essentially a very large rock that has been used for centuries by enterprising fishermen.  It was thrilling, though something to stay away from if you have a fear of heights.



The whole surrounding area has plenty of natural beauty, which we were able to explore as the remote village was only serviced by two buses the entire day.  After having a lunch of pan-fried mackerel, chips and a pint, we hiked about and appreciated what has so far been the most rustic Irish locale we've visited.  A road past an old Anglican church and graveyard takes you to the harbor.  When the late-February winds blow green sea across ragged black rocks, and when you literally see a rain storm leave Scotland and head directly for you, it tugs you from the year 2011 and drops you in some kind of Wordsworth poem.



That's it for now.  This coming weekend contains a trip to Edinburgh.  During the following week, on St. Patrick's Day, is a bus trip to Dublin.  A day after that, a weekend in London.  Whoa.  Better rest up.

2 comments:

  1. Love the beautiful photographs of the water, the bridge,and the rocks! I also loved the commentary especially the Wordsworth reference!
    Love, Mom

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  2. great post! felt like i was there! hope it's thrilling. :)

    ReplyDelete