Ireland!

I cannot believe this trip is over in 3 days. Granted I will be going on to Switzerland and Spain so I still have just under 4 weeks left, but I can't believe I have to say good bye to everyone already. It feels like just yesterday I arrived at Edge Hill University, terrified that I would not make any friends. As it turned out that was not the case at all and I have met some absolutely amazing people. The three that I have become the closest to are Diana, Dani, and Kelsey. Luckily I will be meeting up with Diana and Kelsey in Spain and all four of us have plans to meet up in New York for New Years!

Anyways, I have so much to talk about starting with more of Scotland. I am 5 days into Ireland and I must say Scotland is still my favorite. The Highlands of Scotland were beautiful and although I took many pictures, it is hard to show how amazing the landscape really was.

Loch Ness was beautiful. I kept hoping to see a shot of good ole Nessie but she did not appear to want to come out that day. However we did get to see a demonstration done by a highlander on how the people once lived, including how they dressed and what weapons they used. That same day we also saw Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland. It was such a gorgeous day and even so it got lost in the clouds. That night we went to a tradition Scottish dance called the Ceilidh and what a blast that was! The following day we went to the Island of Mull and went to another castle. You can tell I have become spoiled when I say, "another castle". We have seen so many and each time they are different!

Saturday we went off to Glasgow where we had to say good bye to our tour guide and bus driver. That afternoon my friends and I went shopping and had a fun evening in the hotel.

Sunday we took a 3 hour ferry to Belfast, Ireland! We didn't do much that night except take a quick bus tour around where we learned about the Catholic/Protestant divide. The following day we first went to Giants Causeway which is honestly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I will try to send out pictures but everyone should google it. It is amazing! That evening we went to Derry where we saw murals depicting the tragedy of Bloody Sunday and we learned more about the Catholic/Protestant divide. It is really interesting and absolutely horrible. I got a little overly emotional at the memorial to the poor people whose lives were taken during an innocent civil rights protest. They were very brave, however, and for that I give them a lot of credit.

We have done so much more that I have yet to write about but I must go get ready to dine at a medieval castle!

xoxo