The Belles of Belfast City

My first trip of many to come was incredible. We had such an amazing time and were able to see so much. We left later than expected on friday morning because of miscommunications between our group leaders, so we were on the road about 45 minutes later than what was planned. We stopped for lunch and went to a small museum that I wish I knew the name of but I was honestly so tired at that point. We were prompted about the political differences in Belfast, which was definitely good to know. I had no idea how much we were actually going to learn during our stay. 

When we arrived in our hostel, we had a short time to put our things away before heading back into the city. My room consisted of 16 people! It was a lot of fun. I truly loved everyone involved in the trip. Such a fun, adventurous, and friendly group of people that will always hold a special place in my heart. Our first night in Belfast, we were able to walk around and explore the city. We walked through their HUGE shopping center called The Victorian. They have this amazing dome at the top of the mall that we were able to climb to the top. We also walked by the city hall building which is honestly the most beautiful building I have ever seen. I was obsessed, I took way too many pictures of it. 

 The view from the top!

eeeek I'm obsessed!

After walking around for a few hours, we returned to the hostel to get ready for our first night out, another pub crawl (my favorite activity ;])! It was so fun meeting the locals and having such interesting discussions about the politics of Belfast. We were able to hear the perspectives of both Nationalists, who believe the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland should be one nation, and Unionists, who believe things should remain the way they are. 

Roomie love!

We woke up early Saturday morning and a few of us walked around for a bit before we left to go on our Black Taxi Tour, where you drive all around Belfast and learn about the history of disagreement, inequality, hardship, and pain that this city has endured. You hear about awful tragedies like people being placed in camps or a huge wall that literally splits the city in two and you think it had to have occurred at least 70 years ago. But these incidents occurred in the 1970s and remain in existence today. Such a different world from Milwaukee. 

After the tour, we were dropped off at the Titanic Museum. We went inside and were told we had time to go grab a quick lunch before going on the tour. Since it was almost 3 in the afternoon, Ellie, our Swiss friend Juliet, and I thought we could walk across the way and grab something to eat. Well, our service was extremely slow and we ended up staying in the restaurant for about 2 hours. I jokingly said out loud "watch us come back to the museum and it will be closed". I guess I'm psychic because that's exactly what happened. Unfortunately, the museum does not give refunds, but the manager we spoke to could not have been nicer and said that we are welcome to come back at another date. So, we're heading back next sunday for a day trip! Definitely a good excuse to visit this city again :]. We were able to see a replica of the original staircase into the ballroom of the ship and snap a few pictures. It was a bit of a bummer, but we are excited to come back! That night, we went to a big club which was a lot of fun! Another great night with great people. 

We were up bright and early Sunday morning to head out to The Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle, and Giant's Causeway. It took about an hour and a half for us to drive up there by bus. I wish I could find the proper words to describe the beauty I experienced throughout the day. The Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge is located along the North Antrim Coast. There is a long footpath where you walk along and high above the coast to reach the bridge. The bridge is made entirely of rope with wooden panels on the bottom. It's a quick cross between two large pieces of land. The actual crossing was pretty scary, but I could not stop looking at the gorgeous landscape surrounding me. I can honestly say I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life. I countlessly caught myself dropping my jaw at the lush green, beautiful rock formations, and the deep blue water. I could not have taken enough pictures in the world to truly capture its beauty. Everyone deserves to see something that spectacular in his/her lifetime. It is an indescribable feeling. Every so often I would walk ahead or slag behind the group to just take it all in and be 100% present in that moment. I am forever thankful to have had the opportunity to witness that natural treasure.

 The Rope Bridge!

Can you tell I was slightly terrified?

We took longer than expected at the Rope Bridge (can you blame us?) so we only had a few minutes at Dunluce Castle, built in the 13th century. It was beautifully preserved and amazing to be in the presence of something so historic. There is an entrance fee to actually walk inside of the castle, so we only walked up to the gate overlooking it. It was amazing. Many people wiped out because of the muddy grass and slightly steep decline. I waddled my way down to the gate and took some more pictures. Pretty quickly we were back on the bus headed to Giant's Causeway.

Giant's Causeway is another place that I wish I could find appropriate words to describe it. We were told to walk up along the high coast before taking steps down to the rock formations and actual shore. It was such an experience of pure bliss. Normally, my fear of heights comes into effect, but all I wanted to do was to go out as far as I could. Definitely When we reached the rock formations, I climbed to the highest place in which I was allowed and took a few minutes to soak in what I saw. Unfortunately my camera battery had died at that point (I took over 300 pictures this weekend!) so I only have a few pictures from my grainy ipod camera. However, I know the image will stick out in my mind forever. Before we knew it, we had to return to our bus for the 3 hour journey back to UCD. I didn't want the weekend to end. There are certain things where you can always recall exactly how you felt at that moment, no matter how many years pass by. I have no doubt in my mind that I will hold this in my heart as long as I am alive. 

Sometimes you just have to take a selfie.



I can't believe I have already been here for three weeks. In some ways, I feel like I've known my close friends for a lifetime, but in other ways I am amazed at the way time has flown here. Coming abroad, you have no idea what to expect and you can truly only take a breath and hope that everything works out for the best. Three weeks into my amazing adventure and my expectations have exceeded beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I think about my parents who are planning a trip to Ireland in 2016, the year their baby (me) graduates from college to celebrate their hard work of putting four children through higher education or my friends who plan on studying abroad here in Dublin next year, and I couldn't be happier for them to get to experience this. It brings such a smile to my face. I can't thank anyone involved in getting me here enough. It's crazy to me that I almost decided not to apply to this program. I am so blessed! 


After this perfect weekend I could not be more excited for my future national trips to (drumroll, please) Glendalough, Cork, and Kerry as well as my international trips to Madrid, Rome, Warsaw, Krakow, and Prague. THAT'S RIGHT, I am officially booked for all of the above! I was feeling very inspired this morning after an amazing weekend and decided to get down to business. There are always a million reasons to say no to something, but one great reason to say yes. So, that is exactly what I'm doing! So much for which to be thankful!

 If that weren't enough, after a rainy and cold day in Dublin, Abby and I got to witness a gorgeous sunset on our walk home from the grocery store today. 



It feels so amazing to finally know I am meant to be here. LOTS of love!