Maps for Reference

We realized that it may be a little difficult for those of you reading this blog to get a good idea of all of the different places that we are talking about in Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland. So, as a quick overview I have attached two different maps with the routes that we have taken over the last fews days highlighted in blue. You can click on the picture or save it to make it bigger if you want to be able to read the small print.

To give you a reference that you may find meaningful, Northern Ireland is approximately 5,300 square miles which is about the size of Connecticut. The entire island of Ireland (i.e. Northern Ireland + the Republic of Ireland) is only 32,500 square miles which is about the size of South Carolina. So even though it looks like we are taking excessively long drives, you need to remember the scale that we are talking about. Still, very little of the driving is taking place on what we Americans would call "major highways" - mostly we are driving on smaller two lane (& sometimes only 1 lane) roads similar to what you would see between the smaller country towns in SD & SC, etc.

Our route on Satuday, July 31

Our route on Sunday, August 1

Northern Ireland: Day 5

We spent Sunday exploring more of Northern Ireland’s coastal regions. We started our day at the Giant’s Causeway which is a spectacular scenic attraction made up of 40,000 basalt columns that extend from the foot of the cliffs into the sea. The local legend is that the Giant’s Causeway served as a battleground between the Irish giant Finn McCool and Scottish giant Benandonner.

A view of the Giant's Causeway from above

Columns that make up the Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway!!

We continued down the Causeway Coast (the coastal highway along the northern region of Northern Ireland) to the remains of the 16th century Dunluce Castle which is set right on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Dunluce Castle

A view of the surrounding cliffs from Dunluce Castle

Next, we grabbed some lunch in Bushmills and took a tour of the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery. The tour lasted about 35 minutes, and we learned about the process and ingredients used to make Irish whiskey. All whiskey produced at Bushmills is made from just 3 ingredients: malted barley, water, & yeast. The primary difference between Irish whiskey and Scottish whiskey (scotch) are the methods used to dry the barley (scotch barley is typically dried over peat moss which gives it a more smoky flavor) and the number of times the whiskey is distilled (scotch is distilled twice, Irish whiskey is distilled three times). After the tour, we were able to sample one of Bushmills’ whiskeys and spent some time chatting with a group of folks that we met on the tour from California.

Bushmills Whiskey Distillery

One of our last stops for the day was the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge. As its name says, it is literally a rope bridge that connects two small islands along the coast. The original rope bridge was constructed over 350 years ago as a means for local fisherman to have the best access to catch migrating salmon. Over the years, the bridge has been fortified to accommodate the large number of visitors to the site who come to enjoy the same views and high thrills!

Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge...don't look down!!

Carrick-a-rede Island

We finished our day with drive around the remainder of the Causeway Coast. We stopped for dinner in the lovely little coastal village of Cushendun and enjoyed some great food (Cori – salmon & cider; David – steak & Guinness). As we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, we started speaking with some locals who had just sat down to eat. One of the gentlemen offered to briefly leave the restaurant with us so he could get a map from his car outside and recommend a few places for us to visit during the remainder of our trip! Like we have said, people here are so friendly and we have really enjoyed getting to chat with some of the locals. A little way down the road, we stopped in the quaint little fishing village of Carnlough for some icecream and then headed back to Ballymena so that Cori could get ready for another few days of work this week.

The food & drinks were so good that we had to take a picture!

Carnlough Village

NI and Ireland: Day 3 & 4

At the beach in Castlerock

We went to the Northern Ireland MILK Cup Championship games on Friday night in Ballymena. The MILk Cup is supposed to be one of the most prestigious soccer/football (depending on where you’re from) tournaments in the world. Ironically, Northern Ireland Elite played the USA Elite for the trophy. We were able to cheer on the USA to a 3-0 victory. Us Americans were a little outnumbered and we wished the NI’s could have scored a goal because the place would have gone crazy.

Saturday we spend the day driving around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We started at an ocean village called Castlerock. It was right on the ocean and was an adorable place. We enjoyed walking on the beach and seeing all the gorgeous surroundings. We were definitely wind-blown after our walk, some of the locals said a storm was coming so we hurried to the car just in time for it to start raining. We made our way up the coast a few miles to Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne – the ruins of a home and temple built by Earl Bishop Hervey. The buildings are built right on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Sadly, the home fell into disarray and it nothing more than the surrounding walls.

We got back in the car for a nice, scenic drive to the town of Derry/Londonderry. It uses both names because of its proximity to the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The city center is surrounded by a large brick wall which allowed us to circle the city from above. We enjoyed some of the sights including – St. Columb’s Cathedral, Guild Hall, and many shops and pubs.

Mussenden Temple on the Cliffs

Entering the walled city of Londonderry

From there we made our first trip into the Republic of Ireland. We knew we didn’t have a lot of time to spend touring Ireland, but we wanted to say we had been there so we had planned to drive across the border, get out of the car and stand on Irish soil, then head back for more sightseeing in NI. Once we started looking around we couldn’t help but continue on further down the Irish roads – many of those only one-lane wide. We basically toured the entire Inishowen Peninsula (the northern most region of the island). We were literally at the end of nowhere. Our drive consisted of sunny skies followed by spinkles and down-pours of rain (repeat cycle over and over), sheep in the road, and some of the most breathtaking view of the ocean we have ever seen! The greenest grass and fields met the bluest ocean – with specks of white (sheeps) and black (cows) scattered throughout the green. Our tour of the peninsula included the northern most point in Ireland – Malin Head, which also fittingly had the northernmost pub serving, of course, Guiness! We drove through the Gap of Mamore – a very steep and winding road that cuts through some of the areas higher elevations. It was an awesome view – probably one of the top highlights from our day! Most of our drive was right on the coast – we feel very lucky to have experienced this area. It doesn’t seem like a normal tourist destination, but we are very glad we could make the trip!

Up the hill into the Gap of Mamore - watch out for sheep!

Heading back down....

So worth the view!!

The short time we spent in Ireland only made us hungry for more and we hope to return to the Republic of Ireland very soon!

The end of Ireland!

"You know why it is so green in Ireland?..." (NI: Day 2)

"...because it rains all the time." - Irish Woman to David at the top of Slemish Mtn

The Gorgeous Green Island

To say that Ireland is green would be an understatement. This island is so many shades of green that is it impossible to describe with words. We started the morning with a traditional Irish breakfast - tea, coffee, fried eggs, sausage, bacon (actually similar to our "ham" cuts), grilled mushrooms, soda bread, toast, baked beans, oh yeah orange juice - so very hearty indeed. Today was Cori's first day at the Michelin plant so David spent the day sightseeing. He toured the city of Ballymena (where we are staying) and also a few surrounding villages - Gracehill and Broughshane. He was able to sample some local beers at a little pub named The Thatch Inn. It actually is true to its name because it is the only building in town with a thatched roof. Broughshane probably has some of the most beautiful flower arrangements we have ever seen. I am sure the rain helps, but maybe the ladies are slipping the plants some Guinness too?!?!? David also was able to enjoy some of the hiking/walking spots - Slemish Mountain and the Buttermilk Bridge Trail along the Maine River. He enjoyed the view from Slemish so much that he decided to do it again with Cori when she got off work.

The Thatch Inn

Flower Power!

Slemish Mountain is really what we would consider a hill (only 1500 ft above sea level), but the hike up to the top was a very strenuous one and the hike down was very slippery - roundtrip about 1.2 miles. The car ride to Slemish is winding, narrow, and surrounded by plots of grasslands with sheep and cows. Slemish Mountain is important to the locals because according to history St. Patrick in his younger years was actually held as a slave for 6 years in this area. He escaped but later returned to devote the remainder of his life to bring Christianity to the Irish. On our hike down we met a local man who says he makes the trek up Slemish Mtn everyday. He was going up the mountain as we were about half way down, then by the time we were 3/4 of the way down he passed us on his way down. Apparently he knows the best routes. Later when we were walking in town, we heard a honk and turned around to see our hiker friend drive by and wave. People here are sooooo friendly and caring. David was given a tuna and corn sandwich by some friendly ladies after his first hike up and back the mountain.

Irish Sheep

The views from the top of Slemish Mountain

We were pretty tired after the hike and went in search of some good food and drinks. We found both and have retired to our room at the Adair Arms. We are still a little jet-lagged from the trip and hope to get some sleep before the weekend. We have some fun things planned and are looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful place.

Cheerio from Northern Ireland!!

Ballymena, Northern Ireland - Day 1

Hey! 3 flights & 1 crazy car ride later, we have made it to Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It was quite an experience driving on the other side of the road & car and trying to figure out all of the street signs! The countryside is beautiful and very green! On the flight into Belfast, we were even greeted by a huge beautiful rainbow, although we are still looking for the pot of gold! O well, we will settle for a Guinness, a good meal, and some sleep in a nice bed!

hmmmm...when in doubt follow the car in front of you.

Check back to read all about our adventures on the Green Isle.

Charleston Chew

Cori’s Mom, Connie, came to visit us in South Carolina for a week. We spent the first few days showing her around Greenville and she even got to watch one of our kickball games. We travelled to Charleston, SC for the weekend and had a great time touring the city and local beaches. We went on a carriage ride through historic Charleston and saw some of the old buildings and learned about some of Charleston’s history. We were also able to see two lighthouses (Morris Island, Sullivan’s Island) and spent some time swimming and playing in the Atlantic Ocean. We also ate a lot of great seafood and were able to enjoy each other’s company.

Morris Island Lighthouse

Sadly, Cara’s stay with us has ended and she and Connie made the 24+ hour drive back to South Dakota. We really enjoyed having Cara around and got to do many exciting and memorable things during her 10 weeks in SC.

3 Amigos!!

We are actually writing this blog entry as we are sitting in the airport in London, waiting for our flight to Belfast, Northern Ireland (NI). Cori has responsibilities at the Michelin tire plant in Ballymena, NI which is about a 30 minute drive from Belfast. We plan to also do some sight-seeing in NI and Ireland. This will be our first time driving in the United Kingdom – on the other side of the road & other side of the car! Hopefully we are able to acclimate ourselves and don’t have too many problems getting around. Keep checking back as we will try to update the blog throughout our trip. Cheers from the UK!!

Tents & Mansions

Last weekend we took a camping trip to Oconee County and Sumter National Forest in the Northwest corner of SC. We were a few miles from the NC and GA borders. The first night it poured rain all night. We were able to set up the tent, fix a quick meal, and start a little fire before the heavens opened up on us. So we retired to the tent earlier than we had originally intended. The next day was filled with hiking in the beautiful Sumter National Forest searching for waterfalls. We found two gorgeous falls during our trip - King Creek Falls & Blue Hole Falls. It was pretty hot that day so we took some time to play in the water and cool off!

King Creek Falls

Blue Hole Falls

Tired dogs after a day of hiking

Cara's boyfriend ( & now fiance) joined us in Greenville for the 4th of July weekend. Thursday night we went to a Greenville Drive baseball game and showed him around downtown. On Saturday we took a trip to Asheville, NC and visited the Biltmore House. The Biltmore House is the largest single family dwelling in the United States - 175, 000 square feet, 250 rooms, 99 bedrooms, 42 bathrooms, indoor swimming pool & bowling alley, library, observatory...you get the picture! It was built in the early 1900s by the Vanderbuilt Family when most people didn't have indoor plumbing or electricity, the Biltmore House and both and much more! Needless to say, the house and estate grounds were immaculate and it was a very memorable experience! The 8,000 acre grounds also include many beautiful gardens, ponds, walking trails, a farm, and a winery so it was definitely a busy day to see it all! After such a busy day, we took Sunday to just relax at the pool, barbeque, and watch fireworks with some neighbors. As we celebrate this 4th of July, we want to thank all of our friends and family who have served or are still serving in the military and help us maintain our independence in this great country! God Bless you All!

The newly engaged couple! Congrats Matt & Cara!

View from one of the Biltmore House's balconies

Matt, Cara, David, & Cori in front of the largest house in America

We have also found out last week that David got a job as an Industrial Engineer with Michelin and will be starting in August. He will be working at a different plant than Cori and his plant will be supplying the rubber products used in the tire making process. We have been very blessed and appreciate everybody's prayers and support. David is still working to finish his PhD but the opportunity for a position at such a great company was something that he couldn't pass up.