Belleek Pottery Factory and the Giant's Causeway

Greetings from Northern Ireland; we have ventured into the UK, it was so different and also had so many similarities. One of our first stops was the famous Belleek Pottery Factory. Four years ago, the sister of my heart, gave both my daughters and myself a piece of Belleek pottery; I'm sure I had heard about it before then, but it started an appreciation for the pieces produced. Having been a potter in high school and college, it was so special seeing this.

The stamp of Belleek-this proves a piece is authentic.  Let me tell you that Belleek isn't cheap, but hubby and I had fun buying.  What's nice is that our purchases are being shipped home and we didn't need to pay taxes on it.   The next photos were taken on the way to the Giant's Causeway; love the country.

These Wind Turbines were not made by the company our sil works for.

Love this scene!

The following photos were taken at the Giant's Causeway World Heritage Site. It was an incredible day and the walking was good exercise. I loved hearing the surf; made us think of our trips to the Islands. I will say that after having seen this site on shows, I was expecting them to be larger. It reminded us of when we went to Niagara Falls, it wasn't as grand as it seemed on t.v.

In the above photo, you will notice a brown cut out mid way up-we actually hiked all the way up there.  So breath taking! I am not saying we didn't appreciate the grandeur, just had expectations from shows on Ireland that we've seen.

Love this man to pieces!

I have always been drawn to country homes and scenes; you'd think I'd get tired of them, but no.  I may have to have this enlarged and framed. Every time I see a field of sheep next to a home, I want to stop and take a photo.
Our next stop will be Belfast; we will see the Titanic Museum.  I'm sure we'll spend most of the day there.  We have a few stops on our way back to Dublin and then we will head home.  If I don't post any photos until Wednesday or Thursday, you will know that I'm adjusting to the time difference.
I hope you've enjoyed the trip; probably not as much as we have, but hope you've seen some new sights.
Blessings~
Noreen