Schmidt's Adventures

We got an early start and attended church service at St. Patricks Cathedral. We walked around the corner and found a cute neighborhood cafe and had breakfast. After our warm, delightful breakfast, we walked the Temple Bar area. Dublin Castle was our next stop. We did the self tour and roamed the castle which is in the middle of the city.  On to Trinity College campus and to view the Book of Kells. The campus looks like something out of a movie. The old building around the courtyard and archway in the middle beautiful. The Book of Kells was written on vellum- which is actually very thin calves skin. Several different artist created the book. Some say 4, others say really only 2. Very detailed artwork and the scriptures. The book is in a specially sealed and we viewed them thru a glass case. We were told that the pages are carefully turned each day, one at a time to prevent fading and to keep them separated. The  book is almost 1000 years old. After the Book of ...

Again, the weather gods were smiling today. A break in the weather and we headed to the rope bridge. Carrick-A-Rede means the rock in the road. For over 350 years, fishermen have strung a rope bridge over 30 meters (over 97 feet) above the sea to allow them access to the best places to catch migrating salmon. We had a beautiful walk along the coast to reach the bridge. You had to climb down very steep metal stairs to get to the bridge. It was windy on the bridge, but we went across. Checked out the views from the little island and then back across and up the stairs. It was exciting and scenic experience.  Down the road to Giant’s Causeway. The Causeway is made up of over 40,000 interlocking hexagons columns. This was probably one of the most fascinating, geologic things I have ever seen. The hexagons and columns varied in size. Some held water which created a different pattern. We  climbed all over the area. Truly amazing!! A fe...

Woke up to rain and wind again. Not too bad since today was another driving day. When we reached Derry(Irish) or Londonderry(British), the sun was out, so we decided to stop and check out the 17th century walled city. We parked near the wall and began our exploring. We visited St. Columb Cathedral. Built in 1633.  It was beautiful and at the edge of the wall. The city wall was built 1613-1618. Section are between 12-35 feet wide. A “dry moat” was created. The wall has 7 gates. Cannons were still mounted along the wall. There are markers on the ground at each gate. A mighty fortress to protect the city inside. We walked the entire circumference. Many interesting building along the interior of the wall and great view of the surrounding area. Had a lunch stop at an English pub- Granny Annie’s. (we were in Northern Ireland) Continued our drive to our place in Ballycastle. Last stop at Bushmills Distil...