The Giant's Causeway

There was one major deciding factor in our choice of which tour of Ireland to book -- the one we went on was the only one that included a stop at Giant's Causeway. The World Heritage Site on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland has about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, believed to be the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.  The pictures we'd seen of it were like nothing we'd ever visited before.

The weather when we arrived was absolutely perfect -- enough clouds to add interest to the sky while still allowing plenty of sun.  I chose to walk the trail to the Grand Causeway rather than take the shuttle so I could stop and take pictures along the way.  Before even getting to the signature columns I was blown away by the beauty of the small Portnaboe cove.

I shot this area for a while before remembering it wasn't really what I came for, and we didn't have a ton of time.  So I reluctantly put my camera away and focused on getting to the columns.

And ... wow.  Just wow.  I really can't adequately describe the feeling of being surrounded by so many rocks that appear carved by hand, but are completely natural.

The lush green grass, the vivid blue water, the puffy white clouds, the striking gray rocks -- I was absolutely blown away.

The columns lead straight into the North Channel separating Ireland from Scotland.  According to legend, they were built by the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill in order to accept a challenge to a fight from the Scottish giant Benandonner.

The site is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland, and as such gets a number of visitors.  We were fortunate to arrive fairly early before things got too packed, but eventually the crowds grew to the point where I just had to accept that most of my shots were going to have people in them.

I didn't mind the couple in this shot, who looked like they were taking a romantic selfie.  Upon closer examination I think the girl actually has her camera pointed away from her, while the guy looks a bit bored.  Too bad -- that ruins a good story.  They still had some nice scale to the scene, though.

I don't mind these folks, either.  That's Danelle taking a picture of Zak and Taryn.

Patience and graciousness are key in these situations.  Everyone else had just as much of a right to be there as I did.  So when I saw a view I like I set up my tripod and just waited for the inevitable break in the ebb and flow of people to get my shot.

Stepping over a hill I realized that the site extended quite a bit further -- in fact, we were only about a quarter of the way in.  But with limited time, this was as far as I could get.

I seriously could have spent an entire day here photographing from sunrise to sunset, and still probably have more left to see.

All to soon it was time to return to the motorcoach.  I still took the opportunity to take some shots of Port Ganny that I'd decided to forgo earlier.

One last reflection, and I had to book it to hit the restroom and grab a sandwich before being left behind.

This was definitely my favorite stop of the entire tour.  I know it's a big world and there are a lot of amazing things to see.  But I would love the opportunity to return here someday and spend a couple of days really immersing myself in this spectacular place!