Liverpool , England

Liverpool is not as big as you think it would be. We didn't have any plans so we got off the ship and decided to do the HOHO bus tour. It takes about an hour so we just did the whole tour and then came back to the beginning and got off at Matthews St. to search for the Cavern and buy some Beatles souvenirs. We then went to Albert Dock to do the Beatles Story. We got there around 6:00 p.m.  and the girl at the front said it would take about an hour. They give you a free audio head set to listen to throughout the tour. There were a few people behind us as well. We got to about number 30 on the audio part which was as far as the Yellow Submarine was when  the workers at the end said they are closing at 7:00p.m.  and we had to stop and turn our headsets in. There were about 10 people left and the gift shops was all ready closed. Wow...wished they would of told us that at the beginning. So we missed the end of the tour.  There really was no one to complain to but there is Trip Advisor for when I get home. Then we found a pub called "the Pig and Whistle" which wasn't crowded at all and when we asked the girl for a good recommendation she poured 3 beers for us to choose from like a taste testing session. We laughed and talked to her and another regular that came in. I hope they don't get too tired of us saying.."What?"

Belfast

We decided to see the 8th wonder of the world.....The Giant Causeways. Legend is the giant Finn McCool used the columns as stepping stones from Scotland to Ireland  to visit his giantess lover. Or they were lava formations....you decide.

Driving along the coast.

We took the Odyssey tour company and Alana was our guide who is young, cute, energetic and full of information! We absolutely loved her. We had an hour at the Causeways which isn't enough time and made the mistake of taking the Redtail path to the right. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful and scenic but did not leave us any time to actually walk around the Causeway stones. And I'm a pretty fast walker. Be sure to take the path to the left or take the shuttle if you are on restricted time. I took some quick pictures of the hexagonal rock formations and was afraid the shuttle wouldn't get me back in time being a long line so I walked and actually beat the shuttle going back.

Next stop was the Carrick Bridge which was also an hour to spend there. It's about a 20 minute walk to the suspension bridge and the most photographic moments of our trip. You have to wait for everyone to cross one way before you can cross so expect a little wait. Could be 10 minutes or so.  The two Irish guys on each end are cracking jokes that you might not make it and please don't report them to the safety board.  

A Scottish scarecrow.

Notice the sign and how many people are actually on the bridge.

On to Ballycastle which is a quaint little town to have lunch on Alana's recommendation so we can get out in a timely manner. One thing you should know about Ireland...they don't do iced tea. So I guess I'll have a beer.

We drive through the scenic Antrim coast on the way back and a quick tour through Belfast to see the history of the Protestsants and Catholics and view the Peace Wall which is so interesting. I'm glad we got out of the city to see the country because this is what I was waiting to see the whole time. So Ireland.