Belfast, Ireland
The Viking Sun docked in Belfast beside the shipyard that built the Titanic. It is now in bankruptcy, having built their last ship in 2006. Our excursion for the day was to the Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Jan remained on-board the ship with a bad chest cold. Along the way we passed Dunluce Castle built around 1500 by the MacQuillan family and later seized by the ambitious MacDonnell clan in the 1550s . It was a busy day in the area as motor scooter caravans and walkers raised money and awareness for prostate cancer. Upon reaching the Giant's Causeway Visitor's Center, we learned that reaching the site required a 1-mile hike downhill (uphill for the return). Finally we reached the majestic and mysterious Giant's Causeway, an aggregation of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns--the result of an ancient volcano eruption. The columns...