IRELAND.... a trip to remember forever

In between May and July 2010 has been a month of excitement and travel and the opportunity to capture well over 3,000 photos. Beginning in early June and ending at the end of June my wife and I were able to visit Ireland (both the North and the South ) and to spend a couple of weeks weaving in and out of its big cities and tiny villages (mostly the tiny villages).

Dublin (the Guinness tour and The Book of Kell in the old Library at Trinity College were must sees; and for a great a dinner, Gogarty's Pub - great traditional Irish food... and it didn't matter that it rained cats and dogs... that's Ireland. Dun Loughaire (ya have to stop by Walter's for some fish and chips and a Guinness). A short drive up the M5/A2 to Belfast and through Ballystruder to Carrickfergus Castle and then a stop in Londonderry (or for the rest of Ireland just Derry) - Oh, a must see church in Londonderry is St. Augustine's Church - on top of the wall where the Troubles happened (their motto is: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers "Hebrews Ch.13 V.2" and I can tell you after meeting and talking with a woman greeter there they certainly take that message to heart. The woman was a joy to listen to and she told us of the history of the city, the church, the times of Troubles (she was married at the time when bullets where flying past the front of the church doors)- We could have talked with her for hours, but after our hour visit, we realized we needed to move on to see the rest of the city. We were there when they were about to announce the results of the British inquiry of the shootings in the North. It was then up the Northern Coast to Portrush (a beautiful village at the very top of Ireland. We stayed there a few days and made day trips to Dunluce, Bushmills (and yes, we did the tour... and a wee bit of the taste... a very wee bit). Balleycastle, Causeway Coast, Mourne Mountains and Fermanagh Lakelands, miles of one lane roads on our way to Antrim and Bellymona and so many other towns - a breathtaking experience (not to mention they drive on the left - opposite from the US).

One of my biggest fears is "HEIGHT"... One of my greatest joys is a fantastic view. Both come together at Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (it's a rope suspension bridge near Ballintoy and the bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. Bridges usually don't bother me (like the Golden Gate, San Mateo, Brooklyn etc... this one did... 65 feet long and 80 feet above the crashing sea and rocks. Oh, did I mention that it's a wind swept bridge? What fun! (Oh and I walked that rope bridge - one inch at a time...)

On the way past the Giant Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede is the little harbor of Ballintoy. Peaceful little village that, like on the day we were there, you can look out across the sound to Rathlin Island and beyond to Scotland. Well worth the short out of the way wander.

Well, I could go on and on and on about the Irish portion of our trip, however, the theme of my blog is "Photography" and "Looking Through My Eyes". I'd probably best get on with the "Looking" part. This is the first video compilation of our trip and my photo memories. There will be more as I review the over 3,000 (plus) photos I took. There will also be photos from the Normandy and North Eastern area of France, and our little side trip through Belgium. I hope you enjoy these. If you do, your comments are appreciated.

I mixed the Ireland photos around so some are from the North and some from the South... Ireland is so beautiful that for this blog it doesn't matter... it's IRELAND! (BEST VIEW IN NON-FULL SCREEN FORMAT... I used low resolution for posting)