Today was quite a busy day traveling through Northern Ireland. We were able to sleep in a bit until 8am. It all started with a traditional Irish Breakfast. Eggs, Bacon, beans, tomatoes, toast and tea. Quite delicious and a great start to the day. After breakfast, we headed to The Giants Causeway about an hour north of Belfast. When we arrived, we decided to take the Red Trail to the Causeway which was about a forty-five minute walk, up a hill across a pasture and down some stairs and then back up hill through one of the most beautiful views of the Irish Sea. You could see the Giants boot from a distance while the sea forced itself across the coast. When we arrived near the top of the causeway the view was absolutely breathtaking. We were able to take several pictures of the Irish Sea on this cold and bitter day. As we headed back towards the visitors center of the Park, we were able to snap a few pictures of the students climbing the rocks near the Irish Sea. Once we completed our excursion, we arrived at the visitor’s center for lunch and some shopping. Most of the students had the opportunity to try Traditional Irish Stew. I must say that it was quite good, but the Mint chocolate brownie was to die for. After a fantastic lunch we headed to Derry, which has a similar story as Belfast during the Trouble times in Northern Ireland. Our Local Guide Ronin was very knowledgeable about the history of his city and the violence that occurred between the Catholics and Protestants within his city. I thought the most enlightening question by a student was the question why this happened. There was really no answer why except the hatred that occurred between the two groups after a period of time of fighting. It’s really astonishing to me how this countries separates groups of people over religion. To the eyes of most people both groups are Christian, but the history of religious persecution in Europe and especially the United Kingdom has gone on for centuries and helped build our country during colonization. It was very interesting walking through the murals of the city and seeing the walls built by the English royalty in the 15th century that divided the country. After our visit to Derry or London Derry (If your Protestant), but since I am Catholic I will refer to it as Derry. We headed back to Belfast for Dinner. We had our first opportunity to enjoy Fish and Chips at the 100 year old John Longs Fish and Chips. (Could Long John Silvers has stolen this name??) The fish was quite good, but we were missing Mushy Peas, a staple of English Fish and Chips. Most of the students enjoyed the dinner and ice cream dessert that followed. Unfortunately this is our last night in Ireland as we head to Scotland in the morning. We have a 4:45 am wake-up and a 5:30 am departure to head to our Ferry across the Irish Sea to Scotland. Tomorrow, we take a five hour ferry and bus ride to Edinburgh. We will meet a Scottie dog and a city where you can view the castle from anywhere in the city. We will also meet the location where Harry potter was created in a small café overlooking a school. Hogwarts, we will find out tomorrow.
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AuthorMr. Lopez is the primary author of our blogs. However, on each trip Mr. Lopez invites guest bloggers to add their flair to our experiences. Guest bloggers will be noted at the bottom of the blog. Archives
April 2018
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