Yesterday, I fell in love with Northern Ireland, and today it got even better. Portrush is beautiful, stunning and wild. But it’s also quite touristy, which isn’t really my thing.  Today, we ventured beyond Portush, along the coast, and through the glens, to discover even more of beautiful Northern Ireland.

After exploring more of the gorgeous Portrush coast, we drove east along the cliffs. We first came upon Dunluce Castle, which started dissolving back into the ocean hundreds of years ago, as it stands right at the edge of the cliffs overlooking the sea. It looks so much a part of the landscape that at first, I didn’t see it as anything but a pile of rocks. I would move in tomorrow.

We drove from there along to the Giant’s Causeway, which we loved and the kids hated (too much walking, too much wind, too cold — at this point, I think just too much vacation). I thought the story of the giant who created it (wink, wink) would interest them, but it only kept B’s attention for about 3 minutes. Nevertheless, a really gorgeous place.

As we drove along the coast further east, we found our next house (it’s actually for sale, so I’m only partly kidding). I can’t come up with enough different ways to say beautiful, stunning, ocean, sea, cliffs. But all of it, together with the rolling farmland that extends right to the cliffs’ edge, come together to make something so lovely and wild that I never expected to see anything like it. I also never expected to be jealous of a cow, but many of them have the most beautiful seaside, clifftop views.

We continued along and drove through the glens, which were very beautiful in a different, mountain and valley kind of way — a lot like the Lake District in England, except all in shades of green and with a lot more trees.

It is all so beautiful. I feel so connected with the landscape. I am so sad to be leaving.