Week 3: Northern Ireland

I may not have left the island this past weekend, but I did exit the country. The history of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will always baffle me. (I won’t go into politics, look it up for yourself.) Crossing over to the UK didn’t require me to show my passport or go through security, but it did make me change my euros for pounds and turn all the phone booths red. My friends and I stayed at a hostel in Belfast for the weekend. From there we could take a long walk to the Titanic Museum, watch a soccer game in a local pub, and experience a bit larger city than our quaint Galway. But most importantly we could hop on a tour bus to the Giant’s Causeway. Old historic buildings are beautiful, but nothing compares to God’s work in nature. Giant’s Causeway is made up of hexagonal stones that add to the beauty of an already rich landscape. I didn’t bother to learn the science behind it because no scientist shouting billions of years could answer better than saying that God is amazing. Climbing along these rock formations was certainly an adventure because the wind kept us on our toes. My feet got wet and my hair messy, but I can honestly say that the two hours spent there are my favorite so far. Since the wind was almost blowing us into the ocean while we were on dry ground, we couldn’t cross the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge for safety reasons (which might be a good thing since even walking near it gave me goosebumps.) Maybe by the end of my trip, my fear of heights will leave me. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend full of beautiful sights, great food, and good friends.