We are huge history and culture buffs. Port excursions usually involve museums, art galleries or other similar sites. We rarely if ever take the time to enjoy the natural surroundings. It was time to change that. On a recent trip we specifically chose two shore excursions that focused on the natural beauty of the European countryside.
We booked an excursion to Giant’s Causeway when we docked in Belfast in Northern Ireland. Although there were a number of ship excursions we took the chance on a private, smaller group tour and were very happy with it. The drive to and from took us past Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle as well as a drive through the Peace Gates and by the Wall of Murals in the city of Belfast. Our driver was funny and informative, and as an Irish Catholic spoke very passionately about the troubles faced in this beleaguered city.
Although the entire region is breathtaking, to see and climb the interlocking patterns of the rocks is a fascinating and well worth the hike. Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and has been noted as one of the top 5 natural wonders in the United Kingdom.
We were dropped off at the top of the cliff, near a hotel with a parking lot. You can hike down, it takes about 20 – 30 minutes depending on how fast you walk, or you can take a shuttle bus for ₤1 each way. We walked down but chose to take the bus up as its fairly steep in places.
Later in the cruise we stopped at Amsterdam. Luckily we were there the last weekend of the tulip festivals, timing that is most unusual for a cruise as it runs from mid March until early May. We decided to do a private excursion to Keukenhof Gardens. Most of the large fields had already bloomed and the flowers trimmed from their stalks, although there were a few late blooms to see, but the colours and blooms in the gardens more than made up for it.
Keukenhof bills itself as “the most beautiful spring garden in the world”. It started as a kitchen garden and hunting grounds in the 15th century. Keukenhof Castle was built in 1641 and the estate grew to encompass an area of over 200 hectares. The current gardens opened in 1950 and it has grown (pun intended) to a world famous attraction. Although its primary business is importing tulip bulbs, the gardens attract over 1.5 million visitors within the 2 months it is open each spring.
Upon entry you are provided with an easy to follow map and given time (we had 3.5 hours) to wander through the massive gardens. If you are a flower / nature lover I cannot express in words how beautiful it is. I will instead share some of our photos.
Both of these stops really fulfilled the nature element of our well rounded travel philosophy.