We're back from Northern Ireland. It was an adventure with some hiccups along the way. Here is a quick recap: Realising you, not them, are driving on the wrong side of the road can make for a fun jolt of panic. Yes, the Irish do in fact eat Irish Soda Bread - and it's good! Desperately having to run to every pit stop from the Giants Causway to Derry every five minutes you get to know where the good bathrooms are the the ones to avoid. Getting your 'wee problem' diagnosed at the hospital. Making friends at the pub and finding my very own leprechaun! Running from the country club managers only to discover you've ran into a grove of stinging nettle and later developing hives. And, to top it off, having your flight delayed for two hours then canceled but making the best of it by hanging out at the local ASDA all makes for a fun vacation!  

This is our trip to Northern Ireland. This is a wee gem of a place that deserves more attention then it's given. But that may be why it's so lovely here. It's an emerald secret! The people are so nice. I've never discovered any greater place for hospitality.  And they really do say 'wee' for everything. 

Let's take a wee walk down this wee path and pick up some wee flowers...

Here is our wee menu with the wee specials on the board..

Not kidding. 

We opted to rent a wee car (bonus: the wee lad gave us a wee upgrade!) and drive up around the northern coast. It was amazing and probably more beautiful than the Hawaiian coast. I had reservations about driving in this country. Okay, you could say more like anxiety attacks about driving. It's a different country, different side of the road, a manual with the gears on the opposite side, and now being accustomed to the use of my two feet for my mode of transportation it was a scary thought. At first it was awkward but fortunately it became a piece of cake. Until I reached the city, and had to find parking, and discovering that the car does not go in reverse! I couldn't figure it out and was about to call the rental agency when Eric, being the smarter one of the bunch, decided to read the operation manual. Yes, the car in fact does reverse with a slight lift on the gear shift and we were all saved. 

We stayed at the lovely Ten Square Hotel in the heart of Belfast our first and last night. It was the best hotel I have stayed at in a long time. The staff were amazing and the bed was like sleeping on a cloud. 

We arrived in Belfast in the late evening so we didn't see much that night. But the next morning we drove along the northern coast to Cushendun. I can't describe how beautiful this drive was. It was so green and lush and the sea was a deep shimmery turquoise. Our entire trip we had beautiful weather which was a pleasant surprise since we were expecting rain the entire time.

We took a detour to a lovely place atop the mountains. For the life of me now I can't remember what this place is called. But we took a hike around the area to view a few waterfalls. 

 It was fun until I got us lost and we ended up going in a huge circle. 

We stopped in this little town for some lunch but didn't find anything that we wanted. But the marina was fun! 

We arrived at the Villa Farmhouse B&B for our next nights stay. 

Check out the view!

This is from our bedroom window:

We stayed in this room. To say it was pink is an understatement. We were staying in grandma's house for sure. It even smelled like a grandma's house - something you're not sure the smell of but you know it's been there awhile. It was so old fashioned the host made us sleep in separate beds! 

Just kidding. 

She made us a huge Ulster breakfast. It's like the full english but with irish soda bread, potato pancakes and minus the beans. It kept us going for days. 

After we checked in we drove to the Giants Causeway, which is another post because I'm off shortly to go sign papers for a new flat! Yep, we're moving to a different place. No more futon or teeny shower anymore!