Weekend Getaway in Northern Ireland

After having spent almost two months in Ireland, it was time for my first trip outside the country! I couldn't have asked for a better weekend, and I am so grateful of my study abroad program for organazing the trip for me and my fellow classmates.

Day 1

All 52 of us woke up bright and early Friday morning to hop onto our coach and head north from Dublin. We drove to Belfast where we started with a black cab tour around the city. I thought I had adjusted to the Irish accent, but the Northern Irish accent was something I definitely struggled with at first. Our cab driver was extremely informative and friendly, and I really enjoyed this start to our day.

The tour took us to a long wall of graffiti. Our cab driver told us the wall was originally put up to separate the Protestant and Catholic communities in the city, but now it had been turned into a work of art. Apparently, Barack Obama had signed the wall, too!

Me posing along the wall

Afterwards, we drove to the Titanic Museum. I absolutely loved this museum. It was very interactive and visually appealing. My favorite part was seeing the bedrooms for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class passengers. A friend of mine knew she had distant relatives who were on the ship, so it very was sobering to actually see their names on the list of those who died on board the ship.

Afterwards, we hopped back on our bus and headed further north to Ballintoy.  That night, we went to a local pub and sang karaoke until midnight. But rather than having a DJ who you requested songs to, it was just a man, his guitar, and his songbook. My study abroad group loves karaoke, so this was a real treat for us. We loved picking songs and singing along with him.

Day 2

Again, another early morning start. After karaoke, we were all pretty tired but unwilling to let that slow us down. We were served a yummy breakfast before walking to Ballintoy Harbour, which is one of the many filming locations of Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland! (For those curious, it was where they filmed Theon arriving at the Iron Islands in season 2.) There was a lot to explore here, including a massive cave.

My friend Mikaila, myself, and my friend Kaylee at Ballintoy Harbour

After, we piled onto the bus and drove over to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. I was SO excited for this. I love a bit of adrenaline, so the idea of walking over a rope bridge suspended 100 feet in the air was very, very enticing. Almost all of our study abroad group crossed the bridge, and there was definitely mixed reactions to whether that was fun or terrifying. I loved it, but if you're afraid of heights, then it might not be for you.

A couple of my classmates walk back over the bridge

After the rope bridge, we drove to the Giant's Causeway. It was absolutely freezing, but that wasn't going to stop us from enjoying the scenery. The director of our study abroad program was on the trip with us, and he explained to us how the hexagonal shapes were created, which all has to do with the perfect conditions that the lava was cooling in 50 million years ago.

Exploring the Giant's Causeway

For our final destination of the trip, we headed to Dunluce Castle. The castle is a very old, partly ruinous castle that inspired the Greyjoy's castle on Pyke in Game of Thrones. The tour guides were very informative, providing both an archeological background on the site, as well as their own theories.

Dunluce Castle

Overall, I truly enjoyed this trip with my classmates. However, two days is only just a taste of Northern Ireland, and I hope to someday return and see even more of the country.

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