Ireland Day 4 - Giant's Causeway

After breakfast and loading our two buses, we had to say goodbye to Balbriggan again and headed to Northern Ireland. On the way, we made a short stop to buy lunch. During the approximately one and a half hour drive, we passed hundreds of hedges surrounded by lush green meadows and fields, occasionally dotted with sheep and black and white cows. Finally, the coast came into view and at around 12:30 pm, we reached the Giant's Causeway.

From Wikipedia: 'The Giant's Causeway has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. It consists of about 40,000 evenly shaped basalt columns, which are approximately 60 million years old. The Giant's Causeway extends for about five kilometers along the cliffs and ends in the sea, reappearing on the Scottish coast as Fingal's Cave according to the ancient legend of Fionn mac Cumhaill.

According to an Irish legend, the causeway was built by the giant Fionn McCumhaill. It is said that Fionn was insulted by his Scottish rival, Benandonner, that he decided to build this causeway to defeat Benandonner in a duel. He pulled huge rocks from the cliffs of the coast and placed them in the sea to create a safe path to Scotland. When he finished building, he challenged Benandonner to a fight. To save his reputation, Benandonner had no choice but to accept the challenge and so he set off for Ireland. Meanwhile, Fionn, who was tired and exhausted from the construction of the causeway, sought a way to recover before facing the Scottish giant. He disguised himself as a baby and waited with his wife for Benandonner's arrival. When Benandonner appeared, Fionn's wife assured him that he was not there. At the same time, she invited him for tea and promised that Fionn would be back soon. When Benandonner saw the supposed baby while waiting, he paled at the idea that the father of such a large child must be gigantic. Fear overwhelmed him that Fionn would come to visit him. He ran back to Scotland over the causeway, destroying it behind him.'

The Giant's Causeway impressed us with its breathtaking landscape. We took hundreds of photos, climbed the rocks, and even performed a song in this unique setting. So, with the sea behind us, we sang 'Loreley' by Friedrich Silcher and even had a few listeners.

At around 4 pm, we set off again and made a brief stop at Dunluce Castle on the way to our accommodations in Londonderry. The castle ruins served as the backdrop for the Greyjoys' house in Game of Thrones.

Finally, we arrived at St. Columbs Park House in Londonderry, where some of us were accommodated. We were treated to a delicious barbecue there. We spent the evening in our accommodations and some of us also visited a pub that was suggested to us because of the karaoke taking place in the evening. It was a fun evening, and of course, we performed a piece. We decided to sing 'Loreley' again and as an encore, we sang 'Rock mi'. It was a successful evening:)