You Are Here – Northern Ireland

The release of this mug has been rumored for a couple of weeks now, but no real pictures have been found. Well, thanks to a kind barista who shared the hands-on images, we can now see what Starbucks You Are Here – Northern Ireland looks like. I feel like this one will be a little bit hard to get, given a somewhat limited amount of stores in the country. For those who are planning to visit Belfast any time soon, the advice is to wait till Belfast mug is out. This way you will kill two birds with one stone as it is expected to hit the shelves pretty soon.
As for the design of the mug, Starbucks has used mostly green colors, with some addition of blue, as you would expect. Here’s what I’ve found on the mug:
– Mussenden Temple is a small building built in 1785 as a summer library and a part of the estate of Frederick Augustus Hervey, Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol. It is now located so close to the edge of the cliff, that it seems like it’s going to fall very soon. It was not always the case, because it is the erosion which destroys the cliff and puts the temple in danger. A number of preventive measures are carried out to stop it from happening or at least slow it down.
– The Giant’s Causeway is a bunch of stone columns which look like steps that lead from the cliff foot to the sea. These are of volcanic origin and are declared as one of the greatest natural wonders of the UK. The way Starbucks pictured them is not exactly what you are going to see in person – it is much better in reality and is definitely something to not miss on your trip to Northern Ireland.
– Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge is located nearby and is a small rope bridge over the waters of the Atlantic ocean. It connects the mainland with a tiny island of Carrickarede and was first built almost 350 years ago by fishermen. It hangs about 100 ft above the water and has been rebuilt many times over the years. It serves only as touristic attraction now.
– Scrabo Hill Tower, or simply Scrabo Tower was built between 1857 and 1859 and offers amazing views being 135 feet tall. The tower, which original name was Londonderry Monument or Memorial, commemorates the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
– The Peace Bridge is a pedestrian and bike bridge across the River Foyle in Derry. It was built in efforts to further unite two parts of the city, Protestant Waterside, and The Nationalist Bogside, in a symbolic handshake across the river.
– The Dark Hedges is a part of the road between Armoy and Stranocum which has beech trees along it. The branches of these trees form a tunnel which became a touristic attraction after it was used in popular HBO series, Game of Thrones.