John and I drove along the Irish coastline to Giant's Causeway, a beautiful stretch of coastline that is now a national park in Northern Ireland. It was quite the trip.

Ireland is beautiful, and the scenery is what really drew us here. The first stop was in Lisburn to withdraw some Northern Irish pounds from an ATM and we grabbed a quick lunch. Heading further north, John and I chatted and admired the coastline, dodged sheep and tractors, and generally relaxed.

We arrived in Northern Ireland during Marching Season, a time when tensions between the two sides are at a premium, and we passed through towns decorated with flags and Union Jacks, heralding the coming parades. John told me of his trip here 10 years ago, when things were much worse, and of bombing sites he saw. Even today, to pass a Northern Irish police station is to see heavy fencing, barbed wire and tight security.

We booked into the Causeway Hotel, a small hotel with a hopping pub located next to the Causeway. We had dinner and watched TV. I gloried in the use of a blowdryer to dry my hair (the drowned rat look doesn't go down too well everywhere!) and then we slept.

The next day, we wandered down the Causeway, marvelling at the rock formations as I took photo after photo of the scenery. It is hard to express the place in words - you'll just have to see the photos!