We started off our day bright and early to get on a bus to Belfast. The 3 hour drive included beautiful scenery along the way. When we got to Belfast we had tea, coffee, and scones at the Europa Hotel, the most bombed hotel in all of Europe. At the hotel we were introduced to our two guides for the day. One of them was a nationalist representing the Catholics (Peter Maguire) and the other was a part of the UVF and protestant (Noel Large). They told us about their perspectives on the trouble years. It was a very interesting experience to hear from a past terrorist and why he has changed so drastically. We learned that there is still a wall dividing the protestant and catholic sides of Belfast. The gates on the wall close at 6 pm everyday. We saw many British flags throughout the city reminding us that they were in fact in the UK. After touring the city we got lunch at a nice lunch place called Made in Belfast.
We then headed off on an hour drive to Giants Causeway. We took a short hike around the surrounding mountains and saw gorgeous scenic views. We learned about the stories behind the Causeway and also how they are formed. Kevin told us a story about the Irish giant and Scottish giant because it is said the Causeway was built by giants. The Giants Causeway was formed because of intense volcanic activity which made a series of hexagon shaped formations. The day included its fair share of rain showers but also many sunny moments. We even saw a rainbow on the way back to Trinity College. Overall, it was an excellent day exploring Northern Ireland.
(Thanks to Grace Kane and Maggie (Meg) Piwko for their contribution!)
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