I realize that I read several articles about driving in Ireland prior to taking this trip, but I'm here to tell you, they did not prepare me.

Not only are you dealing with the wrong side of the road, the wrong side of the car, and the wrong unit of measure for speed (if you're American), but you're also dealing with narrow roads, mad drivers, and people on motorcycles that seen to have a death wish. Streets aren't labeled clearly and the GPS takes its sweet time telling you where to turn. The short version is: brace yourself for the white-knuckling, high pucker factor experience you're about to endure. I am only grateful that I had a navigator with me in the car to help.

I am not a tall woman, but this is me stretched across a two lane road in Northern Ireland

The narrow streets aren't terrible once you get used to them; the hard part is actually reprogramming your brain to the point you should be sitting at in the road. Since you're on the right of the car, on the left of the road, your alignment point is a little different than the states. Once you get past that, you're golden.

Having the freedoms that a road trip allows is well worth the pucker factor involved in learning. We drove from the Dark Hedges this morning to the Carrick Rope Bridge and then the Giant's Causeway. Along the way, we made an impromptu stop at a church and graveyard.

The views are astounding, the roads are frightening and all in all, it's well worth it.

Today was full of sights and movement. We started at the Hedges and drove to the Carrick Rope Bridge. That's a much longer walk than you may realize, so brace yourself, should you go there.

It was a half-mile walk to get to the bridge, then a small line to cross it. But, there's an island on the other side that's well worth the effort. The views are breathtaking and you could easily take a million pictures and it'd never be enough. And, you have to cross the bridge a second time. It's the only way over and the only way back. And, there's no stopping on the bridge. There are men on either side who rush you along the way.

After the bridge, we went to the Giant's Causeway, which I must admit was neat. I knew what it was, for the most part, before I went, but it was not what I was expecting. The stones were about a foot across and they were everywhere. They were like naturally occurring stairs and they were really fun to walk on. Be warned that the well-traveled stones are quite slick and I almost bit it a couple of times. So, be careful when you go.

I enjoyed this geometric peninsula and the stories that the tour guides time while we were there. (Not that we took a tour)

After the Causeway, we ventured back out to get to our bed & breakfast. We knew the Kinbane ruins and castle were within walking distance, so we came here and parked. The walk wasn't terrible to get to the ruins, but coming back was insane!

Walking down the stairs to Kinbane Castle

The stairs that led down were steep and oddly spaced. We had fun going down, but we knew coming back up would be a trial.

The castle itself is very small and not what you might expect, but it's still beautiful and has the best view in town!

View of the sea from Kinbane Castle in Northern Ireland

The castle was small and not quite what I'd call a castle, but it's more a castle than anywhere I've ever lived, so I'm not knocking it.

The stairs were a trial and we were out of breath constantly, but it was an awesome place to see and we're glad we did it.

You should know that there are a lot of farms here too. We walked to the ruins and that took us past a farm with lots of cows. My sister wanted to pet one, so we stopped.

The cows weren't interested in us, they were just suspicious the whole time. I pet one and my sister pet one, so we counted that as a success.

The B&B we’re staying at is wonderful. The view is breathtaking and the woman who runs it is incredibly awesome. Kinbane Farms is a gorgeous place to stay and reasonably priced. The ruins are very near here and again, the view... The view is worth it all!

I'd say our first full day in Ireland was quite successful and we're excited for tomorrow. Tomorrow, we're headed to our family castle ruins at Dunluce Castle on the Northern Coast. And from there... Who knows?

Adventure awaits, hopefully not die on the motorway.

Thanks, y'all!

p.s. I'm hoping to create a video to go with this series of blog posts, but I'm not there yet. Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel LuluAvano.