Ballymena & Derry

We spent a week with mum's family here.  It was sunny and not a cloud in the sky, surely this must qualify as a Northern Irish miracle?

We've just been scooting around Ballymena and the surrounds to visit family. 

One of the days we drove to Derry via the Sperrin Mountains (which was a stunning drive). The Sperrins are gorgeous, rolling green hills that look more perfect than any watercolour painting could ever depict, white ponies grazing and frolicking in the lush wild grass, abandoned grey stone cottages and stone walls in varying states of disrepair and neglect, old men in tractors tipping their tweed hats as you pass them on the laneways...what a perfect start to my holiday with my parents :)

Derry was somewhere I had been before and suggested to my parents would be a good day out

We were only planning to spend a couple of hours there, but after wandering around the walls and visiting the little cafes that lined them, decided to make a day of it. We wandered through the markets, grungy cafes along the walls, visited the famous murals, and had one of the most interesting days out of the trip.

Zadar & Kornati N.P.

Day 1
My immediate thought upon reaching Zadar was 'Oh no, what a dump', a thought which was strongly reinforced upon reaching my hostel and seeing its location.  It was across the road from a quarry and on the edge of Zadar, a good 45 min walk from the centre of town.
Caught the bus into town, and got caught in a wild storm!!!  The rain was coming in hard sideways with gale force winds, and nearly sending everyone flying across the bridge...scary! Bought a roasted corn on the cob for lunch and waited out the storm under the city wall arch with about 50 other people.  Once the storm was over I walked to a bakery and sampled a Zadarska Gibinica, a local cake with sour cherries, poppy seeds, sweet cheese and crushed walnuts.  Grabbed a pizza slice on the way home for dinner.  Not seeing much in the way of good food here surprisingly.  Headed out for drinks at the local bus station (unfortunately the only place open at night for a drink!).

Day 2
Set off to explore Zadar in more depth.  Got a pizza for lunch in the main drag.  Walked up the belltower to get a view over the city, went to visit the famous sea organ.  Accidentally got on the wrong bus and had an hour long drive to the seaside at Diklo which was actually a really fun, scenic way to fill in some of the afternoon.  Made my own dinner given the inferior offerings being provided at the food establishments in town.

Day 3
Had my Kornati Islands day trip today.  Cruised around for several hours with commentary around the starkly beautiful Kornati Islands (think white rock formations against the deep blue sea), followed by lunch (except for me and 2 other vegetarians on board, they 'forgot' my order despite it being written on my receipt when booking and it was seemingly outside the realms of possibility to make up a vegetarian dish for us), stopping at a private island for sunbathing...I got a choice spot under an olive tree...fell asleep..what a lovely afternoon!