June 18 : Second Night in Belfast and The Giant's Causeway

 

Today we left Belfast for a day excursion to the geological area known as the Giants Causeway.

Along the way we stopped in Carnlough, which is a fishing port on the northern coast.  The attraction here was a plaque to a carrier pigeon named Paddy.

The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland.

The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven or eight sides.[6] The tallest are about 12 metres (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres (92 ft) thick in places.

It is a very scenic vista and a wonderful change of pace from the history lessons about the “Troubles.”