Saturday
Our last day on the North coast, we (Karen, mom, and I) ventured on the most frightening ferry ride (it was not a passenger boat, and the waves- very strong) to Rathlin Island in Antrim County. Despite the near seasickness we made it to the picturesque Rathlin.
Saying good-bye to Karen was pretty hard, but rest assured I cannot wait to see her come May. I miss that lady already, and we had such a fantastic time. The rest of the afternoon, mom and I spent driving the scenic route along the north eastern coast in our BMW, obviously life is so hard. We managed to pull ourselves together (just kidding) to have high tea at a (wait for it) castle.
As we got closer to the city, I started to feel a bit uneasy. The north is still a very alive place full of the passion, and often violence that are the troubles. Protestant towns/areas are denoted by red, white, and blue (British flag colors) painted along the curbs or bottoms of street light poles, as are green, white, orange for the Catholic areas. There are "integrated" schools, but Karen told me that often brick walls are placed down the playgrounds because the kids will just end up fighting. Keep in mind the Catholic schools are free to attend in the North so Catholic kids tend to go to there for their education. And honestly, I can't blame them.
We drove into Belfast, and spent some time in the city. I don't really have the words to describe that place, and I found the energy to be very heavy and sad: the high wire fences, brick walls, and murals. Clearly the sense of oppression and violence still hangs in the air. Recently, there has been an increase in violence in the North, and we actually had to take a bus over the boarder to the Republic of Ireland because of a bomb threat on our Dublin bound train. Here is a mural from the Catholic side of Belfast.
Sunday
Mom and I woke up in our hotel in Dublin early on Sunday morning. We got the airport only to find that our flight to Chicago was severely delayed and all the passengers needed to be re-routed. After a half hour long phone conversation with a flight agent we learned that the soonest we could get to MN would be Monday at 5pm, and we'd have to spend the day/night in Chicago. So mom and I made an executive decision: to stay one more day in Ireland, and explore Dublin a bit more. We could hardly complain, and the airline put us up in a very nice hotel. Good and good. Sometimes, when you travel, you've just got to go with it-
We spent the day enjoying a hop on hop off tour of downtown Dublin, delicious lunch, amazing shopping at Avoca and River Island (thanks for the suggestion Karen), and a bit more fun at a local pub.
Mom and I have already vowed to come back, we had the time of our lives. I cannot recommend traveling to Ireland enough- go if you have the chance! The people, the scenery, the cuisine, and the music will all charm you. I have to admit, I feel quite lucky.
