October 3, 2004 - page 2

I don’t blame them for having wanted to live here. Apart from being beautiful, the castle was also quite safe from attack. As we walked around the ruins, I kept picturing invaders trying in vain to cross the jagged rocks. I recalled scenes from Shakespeare’s MacBeth.

That play was set in Scotland, just across the Irish Sea, but this is exactly how I would have pictured it.

The highlight of the day, however, was the Giant’s Causeway. Legend has it that a huge stone bridge used to connect Scotland to Ireland, and both sides were guarded by giants. When the Scottish giant tried to invade Ireland by crossing the bridge, the Irish giant, Finn MacCool, dressed as a baby and frightened the Scottish giant. As a result, the Scottish giant destroyed the bridge and Giant’s Causeway is all that remains.

Located on the coast, it's a collection of interesting natural rock formations. I climbed to the topmost point and got misted by the waves as they crashed against the rocks. The wind was so strong, I thought I might blow away at times, but the amazing scenery was worth it.

A bit chilled and windblown, we all piled back on the bus, awe-struck by all the beauty we had just taken in. In a month or so, it will probably be too cold to do a lot of outdoor sightseeing, so we were glad we took the opportunity to come when we did.