So February 25-27th IES took us on a trip to Northern Ireland which was honestly probably one of the best trips I have ever taken! We took a train from Dublin to Belfast and ate lunch at the Crown Pub (one of our favorite spots from the Tolkien and Lewis trip last January :) And then went on the Black Cab tour which is a take you on a tour of Belfast and the cab drivers tell you a bit of history from the Troubles era in Northern Ireland. It was absolutely amazing to see the murals that were painted on the sides of buildings, restaurants, houses, they were literally everywhere! We also got to sign the infamous Peace Wall that divides the city between the Protestant and Catholic areas. I knew that the Peace Wall existed but I had no idea that it was still be added to even in the year 2011. It is a little hard to believe that tensions can still be that high but it is neat to now have made a mark on such a historic landmark. After the tour we took a bus to the town of Portsmuth which is a small town near the water. It was absolutely beautiful there! During our free time we loved walking along the pier and frolicking on the rocks! My roommate and I also had a great view of the waterfront out our hotel window.
The next day we went to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge which is essentially this wooden bridge that you can walk across that connects to islands. It is amazing...definitely an adrenaline rush because it was extremely windy and while you knew you were perfectly safe there was that little bit of danger that made it exciting! Also the bridge was in an absolutely beautiful area and we were able to explore and hike a bit while we were there. We also took a tour of the Bushmill's Distillery while we were there. It was really interesting to learn the process of how Whiskey was made and even got to have a free sample at the end :D We then spent the rest of the afternoon in Giants Causeway which was just as beautiful as I had remembered! I had been there last year on the Tolkien and Lewis trip but that place still amazes me. Definitely a world wonder!
On Sunday we went to Dunluce Castle which was also amazing! To be able to walk around remains of a Castle that has been there for hundreds of years is always a neat experience. From there we went to Glenariff National Park which is honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Being in Ireland I have seen the rolling green hills and the beautiful seasides but this park was more like a forest. We went on the Waterfall Walk which was essentially a path that followed a river and there were absolutely amazingly beautiful waterfalls as we walked. I cannot stress enough how beautiful this place was! It also helped that it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining (a rarity for Ireland) so it is one of my favorite places I have ever been! We ended the walk at this cute restaurant that served us thanksgiving dinner style in which they came around and gave us meat and potatoes, veggies, and desert. It was the absolute perfect way to end an amazing trip! I honestly didn't want to take the bus back to Dublin I wish that I could have stayed there with my best friends from IES :D
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