Legen...Derry

The morning consisted of a hasty breakfast, followed by a scenic drive up to the Northern Ireland coast. We went to the Carrick-a-Rede bridge, which is a 20 meter long wooden bridge suspended 30 meters above the ocean, connecting the mainland to the island of Carrickarede.  Unfortunately for our group, the wind was 45 mph (they use miles per hour in Northern Ireland, and kilometers in Ireland) so we were not allowed to walk across the bridge. The scenery was still beautiful!

We headed out to the Giant's Causeway, which is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills. Such "rock" formations really impress me, because they are nature's creation... God's creation. That is so much more interesting than man made things! It was peaceful watching the waves crash into the rocks, and seeing a few rainbows pop up throughout our time there. Rainbows in Ireland come up for about 30 seconds before fading away. When you see one, you better snap a picture quickly or else you'll miss it!

From the Giant's Causeway, we headed out towards Derry. On the way, we stopped at the ruins of Dunluce castle, and I saw a FULL rainbow, for the first time in my life. It was crisp, bright, and clear. The world is a beautiful place!

Finally, we arrived in Derry. My phone doesn't know where to say Derry is! One app said Derry, UK... and one says Derry, Northern Ireland. 

We took a walking tour around Derry, and learned all about the civil rights movement back in the 1970s. Specifically, Bloody Sunday is a tragedy that occurred in Derry back in 1972. 26 unarmed civil rights protesters were shot by British Army paratroopers. 14 were killed. In 2010, a report was made public that showed that the civilians were not armed, and that the shooting was completely unjustified. Just a little over a week ago, on October 20, 2013, the police announced that an investigation will be opened into these murders, which could result in the arrest and conviction of at least 20 retired soldiers.