Each year we try to take one of the teen grand kids on a summer trip.  This year it was Emberlee’s turn.  We flew to Dublin and after “breakfast” in the town’s oldest pub (it was Sunday, and the booths looked like church), we drove to Belfast, Northern Ireland to catch up with the ship.  Something seemed a little scary about boarding in Belfast right next to the shipyard that build the Titanic.  We visited the new museum there (so-so) and toured the city.  A lovely, lively town on the mend after 30 years of Catholic vs Protestant fighting called the “Troubles.”  I sure hope whatever happens with Brexit doesn’t damage the peace or this thriving town.

 

North of Belfast is a unique geological formation called the Giant’s Causeway.  I’d never heard of it until the (British) Open golf tournament was played nearby.  It is the strangest thing – hexagonal rock formations that look like they’ve been artificially stacked like Lego blocks.  Google it – it’s hard to believe!  I was anxious to get pictures for the blog, but hadn’t thought of the tourists climbing everywhere.  I did my best, but you really should Google it.

From Ireland we sailed to the Faroe Islands, midway en-route to Iceland.  Unless you’re a salmon lover, you might not have heard of them.  The weather is almost always windy, wet, cloudy and cold – but we got lucky and had a couple of rare, beautiful days.  

 

Then on to Iceland for a brief visit and the flight home.  Before Rejkiavick, we stopped at Heimaey and island just south of the “mainland.”  In 1973 a volcano erupted burying houses with 12 feet of ash.  Then the lava crept towards the port village for over five months.  Miraculously, no one died, though 400 homes were ruined.  They built a museum around one of the excavated houses – very well done.

(This was not the volcano of Eyjafjallajökull that disrupted European air travel in 2010 – though i know that’s the name you were thinking!)

 

Finally, we had a brief visit of Rejkiavick and went to the famous Blue Lagoon to make my skin like that of a teenager.  Very touristy, but well run and worth a visit.  Iceland had become become a booming tourist/party destination thanks to extremely low cost airfares by Wow airline, but since they went bankrupt, I think they’re struggling.  A fun stop though.

We had a wonderful time with Emberlee and hope we helped extend her love of travel.