Northern Ireland- the scenic north

Lets continue to get our Irish on. On my trip to the green island this summer I did not pass up the opportunity to visit the giants and leprechauns of the mythical north coast.

From the sizzling bar scene in Belfast me and my friend steered the car towards the tranquil north. We stopped well, half way, at the Halfway House Hotel just by the windblown, mindblowing, eastern waterline. Spectacular view, rustic food, lovely staff.

When my friend stopped on the way, at the sign "The Dissapearing Lake", I was certain she was pulling my leg. But sure enough. They have a disappearing lake. Sometimes it is dry, and sometimes there is an acctual lake here. Go figure.

The mysterious lake is located in Loughareema. Imagine if you will- a lake that completely vanishes! When we passed it there was no lake; when we returned at another time..well, no lake at that time either. BUT the next time my friend Sinead drove by it was again a huge, full and beautiful lake. She even sent me a picture. Astounding.

As a curiousity the hugely successful HBO series Game of Thrones shot some of there scenes in these dazzling green parts of Ireland- just to set your mind on the amazing back drops you will experience in these neck of the woods.

I was truly amazed at the amount of sites to go to all over- the old architecture, the culture and the many ancient Irish tales I got to take part of.

One place you can't miss driving around is the small village of Cuchendun or more importantly the caves outside the village, that were used in said GoT.

Also please as you weave along this area- visit the natural and yet unexplained phenomenon Giant's Causeway. This UNESCO world heritage site along the Causeway Coastal Route is something else.

Standing on the hills above you’ll look down on thousands of basalt columns tumbling down into the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s an epic sight, with a whopping 40,000 or so of mind blowing hexagonal-shaped pillars, which dates back to a volcanic age almost 60 million years ago.

It is absolutely majestic and can not in a million years get a description to do its grandeur justice.

Beautiful and historic Dunluce Castle (below) is another interesting and scenic site with loads of history well worth you time.

.....and when you are road trippin' anyway, stop by the bars on your way that has the GoT wooden doors. There are 7 of them all over Ireland. They were made out of the famous oak tree from the set that the storm took a few years ago. It was succesfully transformed into wonderfully detailed carved doors, placed all over Ireland.

My friends parents has a cottage in the very small and very, very quaint village of Cushendall. This is were we were headed. The few pubs on the one village street are filled with locals, beer galore, irish flutes and fiddles.

And if you're not lucky enough to have a place to crash- there are plenty of little cute bed-and-breakfast's around.

And do plan on staying by the coast a few days. Or a few weeks. This is truly were dreams are made.