Changes in Lattitudes

Thursday morning we woke up to "warm" temperatures and more blue sky.  We were amazed at how far we could see from our house when it cleared....absolutely gorgeous.  We said goodbye to Ann and headed out to our next destination - Portrush, Northern Ireland. We were due to meet the other 2 travelers, Candace and Carol, whose work obligations prevented them from joining us earlier.  Most people said it would take us 5 hours to make the drive, but knowing how much Beth and I loved taking pictures, we were sure it would take longer.
 
We weren't on the road more than 15 minutes when we made our first picture stop at an old graveyard at the side of the road.  I don't know why I love old cemeteries and churches, but I do.  I think it is a sense of history, of love, of faith and devotion which are ideals that captivate me. This  one happened to over look the ocean with fields int he background and was stunning.  There were more than a few Celtic crosses, actually the entire trip was filled with Celtic crosses, claddagh rings and other famed Celtic symbols. It got to be a bit repetitive actually, but in the cemetery the cross took on new meaning.  They were gorgeous, with such intricate details.  I honestly could have sat there all day, reading the graves and being at peace in such a gorgeous resting place.

But we had miles to go, so we jumped in our car and made it north of Sligo before we stopped again.  We were driving down the road when Beth saw a castle in the distance. We decided to take a side road and see how close we could get to it.  We winded down quite a bit and never got very close to the castle.  BUT we stumbled upon one of the most naturally beautiful places I have ever seen.  It helped that it was sunny finally, but the deep blue water against the stone rocks next to the vibrant green grass with an actual castle in the background was just breathtaking. Pictures don't do it justice at all. We stayed there for almost an hour taking pictures of the land, the water, the nearby cows and of course each other. I think this is going to be one of my favorite memories of the entire trip. Obviously because it was so picturesque, but mostly because it was completely unplanned.  I am SUCH a planner, with my day, week, month, life in general, but have recently been reminded that plans don't always work out the way you intended. I have seen that as a negative lately, thinking "why didn't it go the way I had planned?" and this little spot, and pictures from it, will always be there for me to know that the most beautiful things can be spontaneous.   I'm not going to stop being a planner, but this does give me hope.

One of the most unexpected things about Ireland is the amount of daylight.  During the summer there can be 18 hours of sun, meaning the sun comes up at 5am and doesn't set until 11:00pm!  So while there was still plenty of sunlight, it was already almost 9pm so we jumped in the car and headed north.  We had all wondered what crossing into Northern Ireland would be like.  I didn't know a lot about the specifics of the Troubles, I had just heard of them and knew that Northern Ireland was not exactly the nicest place to be a few years ago.  In fact when I told people i was traveling to "Norn Iron", most asked if I was scared.  (I wasn't).  We wondered if we would get an extra stamp on our passport since we would be crossing into a different country.  Turns out there is absolutely NOTHING, not even a "Welcome to Northern Ireland" sign.  The only indication we had crossed the border came from gas station signs advertising prices in pounds, instead of the Euro from the Republic of Ireland.  I was disappointed for sure. 

We arrived at MaddyBenny Bed and Breakfast after dark and were greeted by owner Karen White, who immediately told us she could put her "mother worrying cap away" since we had arrived.   Booking online hotels is always a crapshoot, so I was pleased when I saw the place was exactly what I wanted.  I had booked a self catering cottage for Doolin, but I really wanted the bed and breakfast type atmosphere for NI.  The beds were comfortable, there was history, horses, peacocks and chickens everywhere and free wireless!  After catching up with Carol and Candace we went to bed, far later than we should have, but much happier and excited to be in a new part, with new friends. 

OK - I am verbose...so that is all for this blog.