Derry

The Rope Bridge
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We set of for Derry this morning, on our way we made two big stops.  We visited the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, which is a little rope bridge with a massive drop underneath.  I was terrified, but made it over, so I had to go back...  The veiws were spectacular.

We then drove further west to the Giants Causeway to see the spectacular pillars jutting out of the sea.  The scientists will say that these are caused by volcanic lava being crystallized and forming the pillars, however the locals tell of a story about a giant who built the steps so he could visit his love in Scotland.

Jill Crossing the rope bridge
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We arrived in Derry (or London Derry as the Protestants call it), at about 5pm.  We had a walking tour of the city organised for 6.  The tour was a walk around the walled part of the city.  Derry is one of Europes only fully walled city, and the city walls still exist today.  The night before we arrived in Derry there was a riot in the street between the Catholics and Protestants, so most places were closed when we got there.  It was quite eerie that the center of town had no people in it at all.

Jill and Ross after crossing the bridge
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Derry also has walls around there Protestant communities, the people from each side of the wall havn't mingled for 30 years, so the children on one side of the wall have never met anyone from the other side.  They are schooled seperately, their parents shop at different shopping centers and drink at different pubs.  Our tourguide put it perfectly when he said "If they took down that wall, all that would happen is the kids from either side would start playing together, and the Catholic teenagers would start dating the Protestant teenagers."