The Morning After...

The Morning After…

We were up, ate breakfast and were loading on to the bus by 7:45 a.m. We headed north with stops along the way. First stop, Ballynahinch: this is a town where one of our guests ministers. He had asked if we would pray for the community. We did.  Next stop, Hillsborough: this is the castle where the Queen of England (UK) stays when she is in Northern Ireland. It was a quick stop just to see the home, not a tour inside. Further up the coast we made a stop at Larne, a fishing harbor. They have a public restroom and a small convenience store so we did the necessary and stocked up on candy bars and drinks—you would think we hadn’t eaten properly these past several days!

Queen's Residence in NI

Some of the guys at Larne

Back in the bus and further north for a lunch stop. Deirdre had called ahead and the restaurant was going to let us use the dining room. We had brought bread, jam, peanut butter, crisps (potato chips), fruit and bottled water. They prepared coffee and tea. You could order from the menu if you preferred soup or something more substantial. It was a very lovely dining room! It was very generous of them to allow us to do that!

We drove along the coast for a while enjoying the beautiful scenery and the Irish Sea. Our driver, Sam, pointed out things of interest. We neared Carrick-a-rede Swing bridge and he pulled off to an observation point so we could see it from a distance. This was a photo op for those who would NOT be walking the quarter mile from the parking lot to the bridge and crossing. Since everyone was out of the bus, it also seemed to be a perfect opportunity for a group picture. We weren’t allowed much time; the drive to the north coast takes a while and we had lots to see.

The next stop was the swing bridge. I had done that hike two years ago and was quite content to just hang out in the bus and coffee shop. A few others passed on the walking/climbing but most were eager to try it! And did they enjoy it!! Adrian said it was ¼ mile to the bridge and would take 10-15 minutes to walk….now remember, this is uphill and a stone path with ups and downs.

Sam, the driver, slipped us in to Giant’s Causeway. We only had about 45 minutes before the last shuttle bus back up the hill and he didn’t think we should have to pay the 8.5 pounds each. Several walked down to the water while others paid to ride the shuttle. The rock formations are amazing. You really should Google it! They are from volcanic activity a long time ago leaving the stones in hexagonal columns. If we had had all day, there are several trails. Giant’s Causeway is one of only 6 places in the world with these formations. There were lots of photo ops and the more adventurous did some climbing up on the stones.

Leaving Giant’s Causeway, we headed to Dunluce Castle but it was too dark at 4:45 to see it. So we headed south to a restaurant for a 6 course supper at carvary. It was Tulleyglass Inn. The meal was 15.5 pounds or $24.00 each. This was not provided by the CGB. : )   Andrew’s wife, Lorna, had been in Belfast for classes (working on a theology degree) so she drove up to Tulleyglass. After dinner, there was a 90 minute ride back to the castle, then a team meeting and farewells to those who are leaving tomorrow. Later we learned that those departing Chicago tonight are waiting for the plane to be de-iced. It sounds like the weather ‘back home in Indiana’ is causing problems!