It looks like the beginning of the world—from Voices of the Dawn, a description of Giant’s Causeway
My first thought when I saw Giant’s Causeway; it looked like the ancient ruins of a giant toddler’s Whack-a-mole toy.
Upon closer inspection, there was no description that I could impart to you. Technically these are basalt columns, that have a hexagonal shape, like they have been put through a pasta maker. You wander how in-all-that-is-scientific could these shapes have been formed in the same pattern.
Science tells us this beach was formed by volcanic lava, 50-60 million years ago. The lava pooled in a large depression and slowly cooled over time and formed these hexagonal columns as it cooled, from the outside to inside. Erosion over time has given us this geological snapshot. Of course Irish lore and mythology has a different origin, thus the name.
Lore has it that there was to be a battle between a giant in Ireland (Fionn mac Cumhaill) and a giant across the sea in Scotland (Benandonner). Fionn built this causeway so the two could meet and battle. The Irish and the Scots have slightly differing versions of the story. But Benandonner fled back to Scotland and destroyed the causeway behind him. If you look at the coast of Staffa across the North Sea, you will also see similar hexagonal formations.
Our invading horde descended upon Giant’s Causeway when we spent a few days in Northern Ireland. Our seven grandkids LOVED exploring these formations. It was a perfect place for them to play and use their imaginations. It helped that they had swords from a previous visit to Dunluce Castle’s gift shop. It was one of the few spots that we never worried they would break something. If Giant’s Causeway has survived 50 million years on the Northern Irish coast and mythological giants, surely it would not succumb to this small army of lads and lassies with wooden armament.
Hexagonal pillars of Giant’s Causeway.
Giants’s Causeway just adds to the myth and lore of ancient Ireland.
May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future—Irish Toast
The first of my ancestors that rode the waves to America journeyed in about 1745 from Ulster in County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland, to Virginia. I was always told that he came because of the potato famine. He was from Irish and Scottish descent and at the time there was some religious persecution of the Scottish presbyterians from the Church of England and also some interference into the agricultural produce of the Irish and Scottish farmers. So in a sense if the English are commandeering your potatoes, it is a famine… just not in the traditional sense.
The settling of my family into Kentucky was in about 1800, rumor was to open a Dollar General Store in the foothills of the Appalachians. But when he arrived, there was already too many Dollar Generals to compete with so he went back to farming, evidently quite successfully without the “help” of the Brits.
Our family traveled to the old country last summer and spent the first few days in Northern Ireland.
After landing in Dublin, we moved our hoard of thirteen with three small SUVs through Belfast and on up to the small coastal town of Glenariff. This scenic village is located on the Irish Sea, about an hour from Belfast. We stayed in a lovely house on a working sheep farm that our kids loved. Just so you know, the owners were working the sheep farm, not us.
The sheep bleated in the morning just like roosters, but it was an idyllic setting.
The small, coastal village of Glenariff on the Irish Sea.
Ancient ruins outside of Glenariff.
Rocks on Glenariff Beach.
The following are from a beautiful hike along a trail at Glenariff Waterfalls and Forest Park
One of the “two-lane” roads to Portrush.
I found Darren’s Corner at Harbour Bar in Portrush, in honor of Darren Clarke who won The Open Championship. Clarke is a fellow County Tyronian.
Golf is pretty important in Portrush especially for the winners of the Open. This is a mural of Shane Lowry from Ireland, not from Northern Ireland. I guess golf is the great unifier.
We drove back up the coast back to Glenariff and found Dunluce Castle
You can find many ruins from olden days in Northern Ireland.
My grandsons, a proud moment for their granddad.. They just wanted one more look at the Irish Sea.
I did make it to County Tyrone and visited the beautiful Dungannon Park. My dad, who researched all the family history always dreamed of seeing County Tyrone. I am wearing his hat.
I have two preferred locations. One of them is Portugal. —Cliff Richard
Falesia Beach in the Algarve area of Portugal on the southern coast is considered one of the best beaches in the world. Though I will not argue the accolades for this beautiful beach, I never really know how the powers that be come to that moniker. Is it location? Is it sunsets? Is it lack of crowds? Is it an exotic ambiance? Or…..is it the cliffs? Praia da Falesia has all of these.
Except for warm water, however it was early in the season, first week of May. This was the only drawback we experienced on this magnificent beach. Of course, the kids didn’t mind.
The grandchildren loved the large beach.
The high cliffs give this beach a hint of privacy.
The clay cliffs look like they could crumble from the attack of six small children with plastic shovels and buckets. But that is the allure of the cliffs, delicate but rugged.
I loved the shadow here. Since I am writing this on Christmas Day, it think it resembles Mary riding to Bethlehem.
The pink spiny thrift was in bloom.
There are beautiful sunsets.
“Out on praia de Falesia, I listen to the waves. Out on praia de Falesia, everyone behaves” Kent Nickell
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life—Pablo Picasso
Lisbon, Portugal is a very easy city to navigate as a biped. We did it with six grandchildren, the oldest being eight. One thing that stood out for me was seeing the many colored tiles and murals imbedded in the walls of narrow streets. Also the brightly-colored doors being extra splashes of color in an already multi-hued city.
It didn’t take long to realize these little surprises were part of the visual culture of Lisbon. And I loved it. I’ve thought about these nuggets of art scattered about Lisbon since I have been home and I think you could create some kind of scavenger hunt if you are traveling with a large group of family or friends, especially with young children. I think it would help the children to appreciate the surroundings and be aware of the city they are exploring. I will leave the details and rules up to you.
Here are a few tiles, murals, and doors I saw in Lisbon:
Of course, you could buy your own and hire a stone mason or brick mason and insert it into your 800 yr-old exterior house walls and start a tradition here in Indiana.
I will loan you this tile of Mrs. Big Surf and me to get you started.
If there is one portion of Europe which was made by the sea more than the other, Portugal is that slice, that portion, that belt. Portugal was made by the Atlantic—Hillaire Beloc
In the spirit of Vasco da Gama, Portugal’s most famous explorer, my family headed to Lisbon in May of 2024. Of course da Gama had a crew of 170 sailors and four ships as he headed around Africa toward India, we on the other hand had six grandchildren in tow…who’s the real explorers here.
My son-in-law says, “All old European cities look alike, a small ancient part of the city with narrow streets that are hard to navigate, surrounding a large cathedral from medieval times, shops and cafes to draw in the tourists, an few smattering of plazas, and outer modern neighborhoods with large streets.” Now this is a rather simplistic view of European cities, but he is a realist and the dreamer in me refuses to give in to this view.
Granted we have seen a number of old cities in Europe and I would be hard pressed to immediately tell the difference if you dropped me blindfolded in the middle of one the ancient parts of Rome, Munich, Salzburg, Paris, London, Athens, Istanbul…You get the gist. Only the language and some surrounding vistas would give me a clue.
Be that as it may, I loved Lisbon. And yes it followed the pattern of the other cities, however the hills and the ocean and the river made this city different. Lisbon reminded me of San Francisco without the survivors of the Summer of Love. There are lots of vistas atop hills with views of the sea and the Tagus River, vibrant colors against a backdrop of bleached-white exteriors and redbrick tiled roofs that seem to come to life in the setting sun.
After writing many blogs, most of which involve traveling with small grandchildren and family, I have decided my blogs are not for you younger travelers or retired couples with more sense than me, moving about these cities, unfettered by the whims and needs and occassional temper tantrums of small children. After all, most of you are writing your own blogs. There are so many good travel blogs, that’s how I knew where to go in Lisbon. This is about how we handled Lisbon. We went to Portugal in early May so there were plenty of flowers in bloom to add to the beauty.
We stayed in the Alfama district of Lisbon. It’s old and an easy walk to see some of the popular sights, unless you have an aversion to walking uphill.
This is the gate to the Castle of Sao Jorge atop a large hill with a great view of Lisbon. We didn’t go in, just walked around a little, wearing out the kids. It is crowded, so get tickets before you go.
Our kids loved playing on these steps in Alfama they didn’t care about touristy stuff.
Well let’s see some touristy stuff…
The Lisbon Cathedral is located in the Alfama district of Lisbon. I loved walking through this Medieval cathedral and also going up to the top to see the views of Lisbon was special.
I love seeing the old baptistries of the cathedrals. This is the baptistry of the Lisbon Cathedral (Church of St. Mary Major).
A view from atop the Lisbon Cathedral. You can see Christ the King statue on the distant hill and the suspension bridge, 25 de Abril Bridge, connecting Lisbon to Almada spanning the Tagus River.
The famous 28 streetcar is a popular way to see the city. Of course if I knew this, many, many other people knew it too. Get in line…we didn’t. You remember… six grandchildren.
The Rua Augusta Arch was built in 1755 to commemorate the reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. Going through this arch leads to the large Commerce Square (Praco do Comercio).
This is the Praco do Comercio. What is it about large open spaces that triggers kids to run wild, my grandkids anyway. I observed them from the top of the arch, they were easy to find, I just looked for movement.
You can go up top of the Rua Augusta Arch and stand by the sculpture.
The statue of St. Vincent, the patron saint of Lisbon, is in the Alfama district on a hill near the Lisbon Cathedral.
Iconic view of Lisbon on the Tagus River atop a hill in Alfama. It’s in a little garden behind the Santa Luzia church. Get there in late afternoon for the sun to hit the rooftops just right.
Another beautiful scene in late afternoon in Lisbon.
The Praca do Municipio, Lisbon’s city hall and public square with the spiral sculpture and octagonal platform make a great place to sit and watch people be annoyed by your grandchildren running amok.
The Pink Street with its hanging umbrellas is a quirky little surprise you may come upon.
This is a beautiful, serene little plaza outside St. Paul’s Church.
There are plenty of narrow streets that are colorful and have views of the sea and river. Notice the stone streets. Wear shoes with good tread because its get slick when they are wet.
The large Christ the King statue is worth the trip across the Tagus River to Almada.
It is a beautiful view looking back at Lisbon from the grounds of Christ the King statue.
Lisbon is a beautiful European city with wonderful views. The people are friendly and were never really intimidated by our horde of small marauders. If they could handle us, you will not be a problem.
Big Surf Daddy's Pix, Tix, and Licks 