Today's port stop was in Belfast, where we had a shore excursion taking us to the Giant's Causeway. The trip was scheduled to start at 11 am, arrive at the National Historic Site, and return us to the ship by 5 pm.
But first....
I haven't getting a full night's sleep since we started out to take this cruise, and last night was no exception. After I woke up at 4 am for a bio-break, I couldn't get back to sleep. Around 8:30, we had gotten dressed, and went up to the buffet. While there, we encountered a crowded buffet area, with staff telling us that the downstairs dining area was open for breakfast. After the last time there, we didn't want to deal with slow service when we had a shore excursion to go on.
Around 11, we left the ship and found the bus that would take us on our excursion. The tour guide kept our minds occupied for the 2 hours it took to reach the Giant's Causeway. We reached our destination shortly before 1, and proceeded to the welcome center, and then to the bus that would take us to the lower part of the causeway trail path. Both of us were very glad that we brought cool weather gear, as it was quite chilly outside.
We walked around a little bit (my legs were feeling better than the usual normal), and decided to take the shuttle bus back to the welcome center. It was a 20 minute wait with no place to sit and wait. (Actually, I did find a seat, while RQS held our places on line.) Strangely enough, we were not the last people back to the bus.
On the way back to the ship, the tour guide told us more about the history of Northern Ireland and its separation from the Irish Republic. And then, when in Belfast, he told us about Belfast's RMS Titanic heritage before reaching the ship. (We could have done without this part of the tour, as we had no opportunity to get a bite to eat.)
We were in our cabin by 6, and then having dinner by 7. It was a good day, but a little bit too long....
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