Feburary 27- March 1, 2015
I wasn't going to use a silly title for this post because it felt irreverent, but my musical knowledge paid off.
I'm not sure how easily I'm going to be able to put this experience into coherent words, so bear with me.
We left early Friday morning, by which I mean 8:30 am and started on our journey north by heading east. The trip was again organized in partnership with another group, so on the bus we met our group leader Stephen, who we would come to learn was (and is) freaking awesome. The first leg of the journey was fairly quiet as everyone was still pretty much half-asleep...by the end of the ride 3/4 of the bus was out.
Around 11 we reached the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre outside of Dublin where we stopped for lunch. It was weird walking into the mall because It honestly felt like we stepped back into America. Right down to the white walls and even the smell. I felt like I was walking down a previously undiscovered hallway of Rosedale Mall. Everyone went their own way once we got inside, heading off in all directions looking for sustenance. A group of my friends and I were arrested by the smells of fresh Subway and we decided to stop. This was the first time that I had had Subway since coming to Ireland, and the spicy Italian footlong I found myself munching e'er long was 1000x worth potential damnation (given that it was Friday).
After we'd finished eating, even that small group that had supped together separated, with individuals wandering off to explore or find ATMs (we were heading into Sterling country after all). I and another girl decided to walk around and see all that was in the mall in an attempt to kill the remaining forty minutes or so before we had to be back at the bus. Our exploration took all of fifteen minutes: the mall was fairly small. I have to say that I was very proud of myself for not succumbing to the alluring temptation of Starbucks. I have not had Starbucks once since being here. I am doing my duty by Caribou even though said company is now owned by some dude in Germany. It also helps that we don't have Starbucks in Galway; the nearest one is in Kilarney.
Anyway, Micaela and I ended up in a Yankee Candle store of all places. I am still amazed at how popular Yankee Candles are here; that has to be one of the weirdest trends to cross the ocean. We managed to use up about 20 minutes smelling every scent of candle they had (the saleswoman did not look happy with us for not buying anything) before we decided it was close enough to start making our way back to the bus. Micaela got gelato on the way out, and there was some 100% salted carmel gelato calling my name (even though I didn't understand it as it spoke Italian), but lack of funds is a strong deterrent from temptation.
Once everyone had finally returned to the bus (there was a small mishap with a credit charge which had everyone on the bus wondering where said student had got to), we all settled back into our stupor for the rest of the ride. I would like to say that I enjoyed the scenery as we passed through the eastern counties of Ireland, but frankly I was sliding in and out of sleep. Thanks be to meclazine!
As we neared the border Stephen told us that there were three ways that we would know we were in the U.K.:
1) distance would be written in miles
2) the hard shoulder line would become yellow instead of white
3) the signs would have no Irish on them
(he amended this to include the evidence of the Union Jack as we passed a few, but the point was clear) Other than these, there was no hard indication that we'd left one country and entered another. Stephen literally had to say "1, 2, 3, now we're in Northern Ireland" as we drove along a nondescript interstate. The only other indication I had was that I got a text message on my phone from Verizon welcoming me to the UK and alerting me to the terms of my plan.
After crossing the border into Crown territory, I paid a little more attention to my surroundings, but for the most part we passed farmland turned to suburb turned to city outskirts.
Our first stop upon reaching the city was the Titanic museum where we had 3:00 reservations. We were led in, given our souvenir ticket, and directed to the entrance of the self-guided exhibit. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but the museum 100x more interesting and informative. The museum itself was built on the property of the old shipyards, right next to the dry dock where Titanic was built.
(Photo Cred of above shot is Wikipedia) Titanic Belfast
Up until this point, almost all of my information regarding Titanic had to do with the voyage and the tragedy itself; the famous stuff. All I knew about the birth of Titanic was that it had been built in Belfast by "big Irish hands". Yes I just quoted the movie. #no shame
This museum not only laid out the history of Belfast with regard to manufacturing that led up to the boom in the ship-building business, but took you through the construction of the ship from the keel upward with extensive detail. I, once again being the idiosyncratic person that I am, have to read EVERYTHING in an exhibit. This almost always results in a rush at the end; indeed this was the case at the Titanic museum being as it closed at 5. As a result I ended up skipping some of the welding etc. but I got a definite sense of the magnitude of the project
One of my favorite parts was the fact that there was an actual ride where you could get into a little car (think more SkyRide vehicle) that took you down into the "hull" of Titanic. There were props, mock construction pieces, and video clips explaining part of the process as well as the lives of the workers on the project..
Around 11 we reached the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre outside of Dublin where we stopped for lunch. It was weird walking into the mall because It honestly felt like we stepped back into America. Right down to the white walls and even the smell. I felt like I was walking down a previously undiscovered hallway of Rosedale Mall. Everyone went their own way once we got inside, heading off in all directions looking for sustenance. A group of my friends and I were arrested by the smells of fresh Subway and we decided to stop. This was the first time that I had had Subway since coming to Ireland, and the spicy Italian footlong I found myself munching e'er long was 1000x worth potential damnation (given that it was Friday).
After we'd finished eating, even that small group that had supped together separated, with individuals wandering off to explore or find ATMs (we were heading into Sterling country after all). I and another girl decided to walk around and see all that was in the mall in an attempt to kill the remaining forty minutes or so before we had to be back at the bus. Our exploration took all of fifteen minutes: the mall was fairly small. I have to say that I was very proud of myself for not succumbing to the alluring temptation of Starbucks. I have not had Starbucks once since being here. I am doing my duty by Caribou even though said company is now owned by some dude in Germany. It also helps that we don't have Starbucks in Galway; the nearest one is in Kilarney.
Anyway, Micaela and I ended up in a Yankee Candle store of all places. I am still amazed at how popular Yankee Candles are here; that has to be one of the weirdest trends to cross the ocean. We managed to use up about 20 minutes smelling every scent of candle they had (the saleswoman did not look happy with us for not buying anything) before we decided it was close enough to start making our way back to the bus. Micaela got gelato on the way out, and there was some 100% salted carmel gelato calling my name (even though I didn't understand it as it spoke Italian), but lack of funds is a strong deterrent from temptation.
Once everyone had finally returned to the bus (there was a small mishap with a credit charge which had everyone on the bus wondering where said student had got to), we all settled back into our stupor for the rest of the ride. I would like to say that I enjoyed the scenery as we passed through the eastern counties of Ireland, but frankly I was sliding in and out of sleep. Thanks be to meclazine!
As we neared the border Stephen told us that there were three ways that we would know we were in the U.K.:
1) distance would be written in miles
2) the hard shoulder line would become yellow instead of white
3) the signs would have no Irish on them
(he amended this to include the evidence of the Union Jack as we passed a few, but the point was clear) Other than these, there was no hard indication that we'd left one country and entered another. Stephen literally had to say "1, 2, 3, now we're in Northern Ireland" as we drove along a nondescript interstate. The only other indication I had was that I got a text message on my phone from Verizon welcoming me to the UK and alerting me to the terms of my plan.
After crossing the border into Crown territory, I paid a little more attention to my surroundings, but for the most part we passed farmland turned to suburb turned to city outskirts.
Our first stop upon reaching the city was the Titanic museum where we had 3:00 reservations. We were led in, given our souvenir ticket, and directed to the entrance of the self-guided exhibit. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but the museum 100x more interesting and informative. The museum itself was built on the property of the old shipyards, right next to the dry dock where Titanic was built.
(Photo Cred of above shot is Wikipedia) Titanic Belfast
The three "points" on the building represent the prows of the Titanic and her sister ships Olympic and Britannic
Up until this point, almost all of my information regarding Titanic had to do with the voyage and the tragedy itself; the famous stuff. All I knew about the birth of Titanic was that it had been built in Belfast by "big Irish hands". Yes I just quoted the movie. #no shame
This museum not only laid out the history of Belfast with regard to manufacturing that led up to the boom in the ship-building business, but took you through the construction of the ship from the keel upward with extensive detail. I, once again being the idiosyncratic person that I am, have to read EVERYTHING in an exhibit. This almost always results in a rush at the end; indeed this was the case at the Titanic museum being as it closed at 5. As a result I ended up skipping some of the welding etc. but I got a definite sense of the magnitude of the project
One of my favorite parts was the fact that there was an actual ride where you could get into a little car (think more SkyRide vehicle) that took you down into the "hull" of Titanic. There were props, mock construction pieces, and video clips explaining part of the process as well as the lives of the workers on the project..
Once the bare bones frame of the ship was completed, they removed it from dry dock before fitting up the inside of the ship with all the innards. There was a model which showed the outside of the ship once everything had been put on it. Furthermore they had fully furnished examples of what First, Second, and Third Class quarters looked like.
First Class Third Class
One if the coolest parts of this part of the exhibit was a little alcove which had a camera projecting a 3D tour of the ship. It was amazing standing in the alcove and feeling like I was standing in the ship. The tour took you from the engine room all the way up to the bridge. The dining room was absolutely beautiful! There was also 360 degree visual.
Given the wealth of information up to this point in the museum, I was surprised to see how quickly, comparatively, the exhibit followed the doomed journey of the ship. That being said there was there was a room that was dedicated to the last night and with stories of some of the victims and survivors.
This sign gave me chills:
It was especially interesting at the end of the exhibit because the organizers laid out some of the aftermath of the sinking, including the court hearings that resulted in it. I've been in four different Titanic exhibits so far in my life (I might have a problem...but I guess that's what you get when your parents take you to your first when you're 5...) and I don't remember any of them really talking about the hearings. It was interesting to get a broader back story. At the end of the exhibit they even had laid out all the different re-tellings of the ship's story from stage to screen, and critically compared them to the actual history.
As it was just hitting 5pm, we were able to make the last showing of the video which turned out to be footage from a dive to the ship. They hit many of the spots which have been found and documented. It was eerie to see some of the same shots as those that open the moving, including the head of the doll that I always thought looked like a baby when I was little.
After the video we entered a room that had information about the ocean in general and more specifically about wreck-diving. I even got to see a diving-bot!
Even though this one never went into the ocean, it was awesome to see one that potentially could. I was surprised again that despite the extent of the museum,there weren't many artifacts. Another patron asked the museum attendant if any artifacts had in fact been brought up from the ship. She replied that yes they had. However since the original discoverer did not declare salvaging rights to the wreck, others have scavenged artifacts and many are in private collections. She went on to say that some of the expeditions caused damage to the wreck thus the museum refuses to show any collections from these in protest.
The area outlined by the poles marks the drydock where Titanic and her sister ships were built. As a history major and someone who has a minor, sick, obsession with Titanic, it was amazing to be actually standing next to the birthplace of Titanic over a hundred years later. That being said, it is difficult to fell the full connection to history while on a schedule. Unfortunately I was not able to revel in the feeling of history because we had to get back on the bus. Since we were also there at closing time we didn't manage to get into the gift shop which was kind of a bummer. Overall though the museum was an amazing, if hurried, experience.
Saturday morning we had an early morning, with our breakfast slot being 7:45. The one downside of the hotel room, which in hindsight was actually beneficial, was the fact that the only plugs were across the room from our beds. This ended up working out though since we had to get up to turn off our alarms. Luckily we didn't have the first shift which was at 7am. Before eating though, Janelle had to get cash so we took to the streets in search of an ATM, which could have resulted in us wandering about. Thankfully we found a money machine within short order and returned to our food. Breakfast was substantially better than dinner. There were fixings for a full Irish breakfast, a porridge bar, fresh fruit, cereals and granola, yogurt, and a selection of breads and toast options.
Around 8:30 all the Arcadia students, including those from Dublin and Cork, hopped on our respective buses and headed we were on our way to the Giant's Causeway on the Antrim coast. I missed most of the surrounding countryside during the ride because I took a short catnap. I do however remember driving through the town of Bushmill, which definitely rang a bell; as we drove through Stephen pointed out the original brewery and the expanded modern one.
When we arrived at the coast, we all piled into the visitor's center where Stephen handed out our passes. We ere then led outside and handed personal radios and headsets. These were meant for our guided tour of the site. I wasn't sure why we needed them at first since I could hear everything the guide was saying. When we got down by the water though, I understood the necessity. Down along the shoreline the wind was so strong that it would have been impossible to hear anything without the headset. Props to whoever came up with that solution.
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Seeing this in the museum was one of those moments where history becomes real for me. I mean James Connolly actually sat on that chair...that piece of wood was in the presence of greatness! There were many other awesome artifacts. There was also a suit of clothing found in a peat bog!
I also managed to find the shipwreck exhibit which was pretty cool. It's easy to look at gold trinkets in a glass case and think "ooh pretty" and move on. It's a bit harder to think that said trinkets are from the sixteenth century and survived at the bottom of the ocean. I've said it before and I'll say it again, once you connect history to actual living, breathing (at one point or another) people, it takes on a whole new relevance.
I think it was about 4ish when I finished the history section and headed to Natural History. This exhibit was very cool because it outlined the history of Ireland form the Ice Age onward. There were life-size models of species that were once (and some that still are) native to the island with notations on their living habits; very interesting and informative!
Near the end of the science section I found Janelle and Micaela again and they told me about the historical fashion exhibit. Of course I had to run up and see it even though it was near closing time. If I'm completely honest, it was somewhat disappointing in the sense that there was an emphasis on 1880s and '90s which I am not such a fan of. Plus The Closet at home is prettier, but then again I might be a bit biased. ^.^
This time around we did manage to get a look at the gift shop so I was able to get my Belfast postcard. Even luckier was the fact that they had some Titanic ones as well, which covered my bases.
After we left the museum, I wasn't feeling well so we talked about just heading back to the hotel. However, this time was our only slot to look around the city so we decided to at least look around a bit. No one really knew what to hit so we just started walking. As we got near our hotel though, I remembered that Stephen had suggested that we look around City Hall as it had many memorials and statues on the grounds, so we made our way in that direction. The building itself was closed, but there was indeed much to look at outside...not the least of which was a giant TV screen.
We first drove through the Catholic West Belfast. As you can see in the picture, the signs are written in both English and Irish marking the territory. West Belfast is also a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area.
After we all signed the wall, we drove back through the city to another hotel where we were to hear a lecture on the murals. Dr. Bill Rolston has been photographing the political murals in Northern Ireland (and all around the globe) since the 1980s. He started off his lecture with a brief outline of the origins of the conflict in Northern Ireland starting with William of Orange and the Battle of the Boyne. He talked about how by the twentieth century the conflict had become more political and economical than religious. It was for this reason that he was particular with his terminology. Rather than referring to Catholics and Protestants, Rolston discussed Nationalists and Loyalists (with the paramilitary factions of these wings being Republicans and Unionists). Rolston is known for having the largest collection of photographed murals which is saying something considering they change so often. During his lecture he walked us through the decades of the Troubles showing us through a slideshow the progression and changes in the art that was put up by the Republicans and Unionists all the way up until a few years ago.
One if the coolest parts of this part of the exhibit was a little alcove which had a camera projecting a 3D tour of the ship. It was amazing standing in the alcove and feeling like I was standing in the ship. The tour took you from the engine room all the way up to the bridge. The dining room was absolutely beautiful! There was also 360 degree visual.
Given the wealth of information up to this point in the museum, I was surprised to see how quickly, comparatively, the exhibit followed the doomed journey of the ship. That being said there was there was a room that was dedicated to the last night and with stories of some of the victims and survivors.
This sign gave me chills:
It was especially interesting at the end of the exhibit because the organizers laid out some of the aftermath of the sinking, including the court hearings that resulted in it. I've been in four different Titanic exhibits so far in my life (I might have a problem...but I guess that's what you get when your parents take you to your first when you're 5...) and I don't remember any of them really talking about the hearings. It was interesting to get a broader back story. At the end of the exhibit they even had laid out all the different re-tellings of the ship's story from stage to screen, and critically compared them to the actual history.As it was just hitting 5pm, we were able to make the last showing of the video which turned out to be footage from a dive to the ship. They hit many of the spots which have been found and documented. It was eerie to see some of the same shots as those that open the moving, including the head of the doll that I always thought looked like a baby when I was little.
After the video we entered a room that had information about the ocean in general and more specifically about wreck-diving. I even got to see a diving-bot!
The area outlined by the poles marks the drydock where Titanic and her sister ships were built. As a history major and someone who has a minor, sick, obsession with Titanic, it was amazing to be actually standing next to the birthplace of Titanic over a hundred years later. That being said, it is difficult to fell the full connection to history while on a schedule. Unfortunately I was not able to revel in the feeling of history because we had to get back on the bus. Since we were also there at closing time we didn't manage to get into the gift shop which was kind of a bummer. Overall though the museum was an amazing, if hurried, experience.
The spookiest part of the afternoon though actually happened before we even arrived in Belfast. On the bus ride up I started reading a book I had downloaded from library called The Dressmaker which I hadn't had the chance to start yet. Within the first two chapters the characters found themselves on a wharf about to board a ship. My first indication was that one of the main characters was Lady Duff Gordon. When I saw her name I quickly flipped back to the start of the chapter and saw the date listed as April 10th, 1912. I honestly almost squealed on the bus because a) I knew what that meant and b) it was just too weird of a coincidence given our destination.
(Lady Duff Gordon and her husband traveled on the Titanic)
After leaving the museum we drove through the city toward our hotel. All along the way Stephen told us what this and that building were and some of the history of the city. At one point we past a big stone building that had a thick wall around it. I believe Stephen said that it was the old court house; it was at least a previous government building. He said that the wall was not original to the building but had been erected during The Troubles as a precaution against car bombs.
After a short distance we found ourselves in front of the Jury's Inn which turned out to be a comfortable chain that has locations all over the island. Our roommates having been already assigned, we all received our key cards and headed to our respective rooms. Janelle and I made our way to room 214 with an eye toward resting a little before we went down to dinner. I love the feeling here when you walk into a hotel room and see a kettle and tea; it honestly makes me happy to have the option to make tea whenever I need it.
And so after a long day of mostly doing nothing (aka bus ride), tea was my first priority. Janelle's was plopping comfortably on the nice big hotel beds. In fact everyone was excited about that; the two refrains I had been hearing all day were: 1) the possibility of extensive hot showers and 2) sleeping in comfortable beds with more than one pillow.
Janelle and I generally decompressed until it was time for dinner at which point we went down to the dining room. Dinner was a lackluster lasagna or a chicken sandwich. The lasagna wasn't bad, it just had very little flavor. Janelle was worse off though because the vegetarian option was some sort of tasteless tortellini. Dessert wasn't much better, with the option of chocolate cake or apple pudding. While eating, people started making plans for the evening. Janelle and I weren't really sure what we wanted to do, so we returned to our room to think for awhile. Plus when we left the table it was only about 7:30 so we figured that no one would be going out for awhile.
As it happened, Janelle decided that she wanted stay in and relax with a hot bath rather than go out. I thought about staying in too, but decided I really wanted to see some of the night scene in Belfast. I messaged one of my friends and luckily caught them just as they were heading out the door so I was able to tag along. I have to say it was pretty strange being out at 8:30 at night considering the fact that we don't usually even leave the flat until 11. On the ride the hotel Stephen had pointed out some good pubs near our hotel and so we turned our steps in that direction. Initially we were headed toward a pub called the Crown Liquor Saloon known for its ornate decor including church-like stained glass windows. I was looking forward to it, but we ended up at the pub next door (Robinson's) from which one of our number claimed to hear live music. This turned out not to be the case but by the time we found a table nobody wanted to move. We ended up joining a couple of the other Minnesota students and my friend Sarah and I had a lovely hour talking about all things Minnesotan. After one drink though, Breigh said she was tired and ready to head back. I wasn't really ready to end the evening as it was only about 10pm, but I also didn't want to force my company on the others who were going to find another pub, so I returned to the hotel.
Janelle and I spent the rest of the evening flipping through channels, reading, and just generally relaxing.
Saturday morning we had an early morning, with our breakfast slot being 7:45. The one downside of the hotel room, which in hindsight was actually beneficial, was the fact that the only plugs were across the room from our beds. This ended up working out though since we had to get up to turn off our alarms. Luckily we didn't have the first shift which was at 7am. Before eating though, Janelle had to get cash so we took to the streets in search of an ATM, which could have resulted in us wandering about. Thankfully we found a money machine within short order and returned to our food. Breakfast was substantially better than dinner. There were fixings for a full Irish breakfast, a porridge bar, fresh fruit, cereals and granola, yogurt, and a selection of breads and toast options.
Around 8:30 all the Arcadia students, including those from Dublin and Cork, hopped on our respective buses and headed we were on our way to the Giant's Causeway on the Antrim coast. I missed most of the surrounding countryside during the ride because I took a short catnap. I do however remember driving through the town of Bushmill, which definitely rang a bell; as we drove through Stephen pointed out the original brewery and the expanded modern one.
When we arrived at the coast, we all piled into the visitor's center where Stephen handed out our passes. We ere then led outside and handed personal radios and headsets. These were meant for our guided tour of the site. I wasn't sure why we needed them at first since I could hear everything the guide was saying. When we got down by the water though, I understood the necessity. Down along the shoreline the wind was so strong that it would have been impossible to hear anything without the headset. Props to whoever came up with that solution.
Coastline
The above picture was of our guide telling us the scientific theory behind the creation of the causeway and the surrounding land which is that a volcano erupted and the lava cooled abnormally. The legendary story of the place is much more interesting. According to the legend, the coast where the causeway is located was the home of the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool). As we walked, our guide told us all about Fionn and his family. Fionn had many pets including a lion (seen below):
If you look closely, it looks like a line with his head back roaring
And a camel I apparently forgot to take a picture of. We also saw Fionn's chimney,
his grandmother whom he turned to stone as she tried to escape from his wrath,
It looks like a hunched figure trying to get away
and his boot.
And then there's the Causeway itself:
The story behind the Causeway is this:
Across the Irish sea there lived another giant named Benandonner who challenges Fionn mac Cumhaill to a fight. In order to get to Scotland, Fionn mac Cumhaill builds the causeway between the two shores. However when he arrives he realises that Brenandonner is much bigger than he is and races back home. As he runs in the door of his own house, Fionn tells his wife that Brenandonner is going to come searching for him and kill him. Fionn's wife had him hid in the baby's cradle and put the bonnet on him just as Brenandonner arrived at the door. She invited him in and he asked for Fionn. She tells him that her husband is away from home but will be home soon if he'd like to wait. As Brenandonner waits, he hears a noise coming from the corner with the baby's cradle and investigates. When Brenandonner sees how big the baby (aka Fionn) is, he comes to believe that the father must be ginormous, far bigger than Brenandonner himself. He runs back to Scotland in fear and breaks down the causeway as he goes so he can't be followed.
(There are identical rocks across sea on the shores of Scotland)
As I said, the wind by the water was insane. They even had Watchers (for lack of a better idea) keeping an eye on people climbing over the rocks. Because of the spray and rain etc. they were very slippery in places. In fact, there was an area that reached out into the sea that no one was allowed on because people never pay attention to the waves and some have been swept out to sea. Furthermore no boat can get anywhere near the shore so they have to call in a rescue helicopter.
Random fun fact: apparently every seventh wave is bigger than the rest.
I could have stood there all day and watched the ocean. I think I probably took ten minutes of video in all just watching the water crash into the rocks; it was absolutely gorgeous.
Me and my friend Sarah
Being 5'3", the wind was problematic. There were times where I was blown sideways, which was really fun when climbing down on slippery rocks. There was a high spot that everyone was queuing to take pictures at, but I didn't even try. I would for sure have been blown into the Irish sea.
After enjoying the scenery for awhile, we all decided to head back to the visitor's center and the bus. Most people went the normal way, but our tour guide told us about this:
The hill path back to the center: who doesn't like a challenge :P
Turns out it was pretty narrow...
Along the way we found Fionn mac Cumhaill's Organ:
Unfortunately we found out the path was not just a path. Behold the stairs of ill-health:
Looking down
View from the top:
Look at the surf though!!
You never realise how many pictures you took during a single outing until you're sorting through them later. We stopped so many times to take pictures that we almost missed the bus! Luckily we made it though, and even had time to browse through the gift shop.
The next stop on our agenda was lunch in the seaside town of Portrush.
On the way though, we stopped and grabbed a shot of the ruins of Dunluce Castle:
Portrush is a tourist town on the Antrim coast. Even though it was a gray day it was still quaint and pretty. When we walked down the street looking for food, the group was surprised to see a rollercoaster on the opposite beach. It made sense to me though in comparison with other such towns int eh US. We finally found the low-cost cafe we'd been directed to which had a gorgeous view over the sea. It must have been only 40 degrees (Fahrenheit), but there were many surfers out on the waves! Their dedication was amazing!
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Our delicious lunch completed, we turned the caravan back to Belfast. According to the itinerary, we had a few hours of free time before dinner to explore the city. Unfortunately as we were walking to the bus in Portrush it started to rain and by the time we reached the city it was pouring. The bus was to make three different stops based on where in the city people wanted to see: the shopping district, Queen's college, or the hotel. Most of the people left the bus at the first stop because it was actually right down the street from the hotel and few wanted to spend the afternoon traipsing through the raindrops. A few of us stuck it out though and were dropped off at Queen's College.
We had to look around a bit for the Botanic Gardens, which was one of our goal, so by the time we realised they were outside (rather than in a conservatory) we were already soaked. Once you're soaked you just kind of learn to go with it. Our primary objective though was the Ulster Museum. Our guide at the Giant's Causeway had told us that there was an exhibit in said museum of artifacts from the wreck of a ship from the Spanish Armada and this fact piqued many an interest. We were under the impression that the museum closed at 4pm (it was 3pm when we arrived) so we rushed passed the gardens to get the most of our explorations. We found out upon walking into the museum that it was actually closing at 5 so we had more time to look around.
It seemed as if everyone else in the idea had the same idea as we did because the museum was really busy, but I guess what better way to spend a rainy day? While we were just a expecting a history museum, it turned out that it was a combination History, Science, and Art museum.; and even though the museum was probably the same size as the MN History Center if not smaller, it had way more exhibits on display. The way they used their space was fantastic. It was also unbelievable how kid-friendly the museum was. There were many hands-on options to keep children engaged. My friends and I started through the museum together, but the first exhibit was on The Troubles and I had to read every piece whereas everyone else wanted to move on. The exhibit was incredibly informational; I appreciated being able supplement my knowledge from class with a wider viewpoint.
At the end of the exhibit there was a listening and reflection area where you could listen to people's oral histories from the Troubles. The historian in me was joyous at the fact that the oral histories had been collected but I was only able to make it through two. It was too heartbreaking hearing the voices of innocent victims and their families. In that exhibit I came more clearly to the realisation that there were no heroes during that period. By this I mean that the Provisional IRA was not heroic simply because it was fighting for a united Ireland. They were murderers just as much as the Unionist paramilitary groups were murderers. So after the emotional rollercoaster of that exhibit I took myself through the rest of the museum.
As per usual, reading everything never ends up working so I ended up skimming and just glancing around in the time I had left. As it was, I didn't get a chance to look at the Art floor. I did get to see James Connolly's kitchen chair though!
Seeing this in the museum was one of those moments where history becomes real for me. I mean James Connolly actually sat on that chair...that piece of wood was in the presence of greatness! There were many other awesome artifacts. There was also a suit of clothing found in a peat bog! I also managed to find the shipwreck exhibit which was pretty cool. It's easy to look at gold trinkets in a glass case and think "ooh pretty" and move on. It's a bit harder to think that said trinkets are from the sixteenth century and survived at the bottom of the ocean. I've said it before and I'll say it again, once you connect history to actual living, breathing (at one point or another) people, it takes on a whole new relevance.
I think it was about 4ish when I finished the history section and headed to Natural History. This exhibit was very cool because it outlined the history of Ireland form the Ice Age onward. There were life-size models of species that were once (and some that still are) native to the island with notations on their living habits; very interesting and informative!
Near the end of the science section I found Janelle and Micaela again and they told me about the historical fashion exhibit. Of course I had to run up and see it even though it was near closing time. If I'm completely honest, it was somewhat disappointing in the sense that there was an emphasis on 1880s and '90s which I am not such a fan of. Plus The Closet at home is prettier, but then again I might be a bit biased. ^.^
This time around we did manage to get a look at the gift shop so I was able to get my Belfast postcard. Even luckier was the fact that they had some Titanic ones as well, which covered my bases.
After we left the museum, I wasn't feeling well so we talked about just heading back to the hotel. However, this time was our only slot to look around the city so we decided to at least look around a bit. No one really knew what to hit so we just started walking. As we got near our hotel though, I remembered that Stephen had suggested that we look around City Hall as it had many memorials and statues on the grounds, so we made our way in that direction. The building itself was closed, but there was indeed much to look at outside...not the least of which was a giant TV screen.
Rugby: Six Nations Finals: France vs. Wales
Guess Who...
I was also interested in finding the Titanic Memorial Garden that Stephen had mentioned; luckily it was quite close by...as in the other side of City Hall.
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| Janelle, Micaela, Me |
At this point, everyone was starting to feel tired (and a little cranky) so it was decided that returning to the hotel was the best plan of action. I still had a major headache from the bus ride earlier in the afternoon and I hoped resting my eyes would help to relieve the pain. I was probably also dehydrated, not having had anything to drink since tea at lunch. Dinner was set for 7:30, so we had about an hour and forty-five minutes to nap by the time we returned. I unfortunately couldn't fall asleep, but the closed-eyes technique + ibprophen + water seriously helped and I was much more comfortable when dinner time rolled around. Dinner the second night was better than the first, but was still fairly mediocre. This time there was an option between a burger or chicken and curry. I opted for the chicken and curry, but it was fairly flavorless compared to some of the other Chicken & Curry dishes I've had here. For dessert we had toffee pudding which was absolutely excellent! I love puddings here!!
That evening we again went out on the town. Initially I thought I was going out with Janelle, but it turned out that we ended up making plans with separate parties, both of which included a Sarah, wherein lay the confusion. MN Sarah and I met up with the same MN girls from the night before and meandered around looking for a likely pub. Earlier in the afternoon Stephen had pointed out some more pubs including one called Filthy McNasty's. Intrigued by the name, we all agreed to try it out.
Said pub turned out to be a small hole in the wall type place whose decor strongly reminded me of Hard Rock. There wasn't much room to sit so one of the girls went off down a hallway to scope out some more seats. The hallway ended in a patio that had a bar and balcony seating. Although it was 50 degrees out, the wind made it feel a lot chillier making us all less than enthusiastic about sitting outside. We found out though that the balcony had heat lamps, so we decided to try it. As it turned out the patio was actually a separate bar in its own right called the Secret Garden. There were four pubs in what was called the Filthy Quarter, all connected by corridors and owned by the same people. The Secret Garden was cute, with the garden theme tastefully reflected throughout without being obnoxious.
We ended up running into another MN girl from our program as well and it became a Midwest party to a large extent. Everyone else involved was made an honorary Minnesotan just to make things simpler. Honestly I think my favorite part of the night was at the cost of one of the girls. She ordered a drink from the bar that came in a can and was thus given an empty glass. She poured it while she was talking, discussing different types of ale etc. but when she went to take a sip, the bottom of the glass literally fell out and the beer splashed all over her. I'm not saying that I took enjoyment out of someone else's misfortune, but it was so cool to see; I wish I had been recording at the time because the transition was so smooth. We all thought she had spilled or dropped the glass, but no, the bottom just came out. The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. Again Sarah and I stayed for only one drink, more as sensitivity to cost than consumption, but the congenial walk back made up for any disappointment I might have felt with leaving early. Once again I was back in our room by 10:30ish, but it was nice having the rest of the evening to myself. I read for a little bit, but pretty soon I was fast asleep, only rolling over once when Janelle came in at midnight.
Sunday morning the Galway group had the first breakfast shift but since it wasn't until 7:30 it wasn't that much of a struggle. The only difficulty was that we had to make sure everything was packed up and ready to go as we would not be returning to the hotel after our city tour. It is unbelievable how much two people can spread out in one room over the space of 48 hours. Breakfast was once again a luscious spread which was much to our enjoyment. Once finished eating we handed our keys to Stephen, put our luggage into the trunk of our tour bus and then Stephen proceeded to split us into two groups. Since Galway was the smallest group, it was more economical to split us between the Cork and Dublin buses which weren't full rather than have all three buses try and caravan around the city.
The purpose of the tour was to show us more of the city but specifically to take us into the areas affected during the Troubles as well as to show us some of the famous murals. Fun fact: it's rather difficult to take good pictures through the window of a moving bus.
We first drove through the Catholic West Belfast. As you can see in the picture, the signs are written in both English and Irish marking the territory. West Belfast is also a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area.
Peace line
Sign for Irish-Speaking group (Sinn Fein in the corner)
Our guide told us that the murals are constantly changing. Every few months painters put up different ones sometimes loyalist sometimes nationalist. This was only one of two places where we actually stopped to take pictures of the murals. This was also still in the West end, so predominantly nationalist area.
Garden of Remembrance
New generation Nationalist taggers Longest peace line in Belfast
After driving through the Gaeltacht we crossed the peace line into the Loyalist side.
The gates in the peace lines open and close at different times each day to avoid people crossing them and causing trouble. I didn't think I was able to catch the shot of the tag "KAT" which is all over Belfast, but then found this. "KAT" stands for "Kill All Taigs"; Taig being an insulting term for Irish Catholic. It was pretty eerie to see it all over the city.
On the Loyalist side of the peace line we stopped to sign the peace line that has been signed by hundreds of thousands of visitors including Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama.
It was a very sobering feeling signing the wall.
Below: Largest Celtic cross on the island
After we all signed the wall, we drove back through the city to another hotel where we were to hear a lecture on the murals. Dr. Bill Rolston has been photographing the political murals in Northern Ireland (and all around the globe) since the 1980s. He started off his lecture with a brief outline of the origins of the conflict in Northern Ireland starting with William of Orange and the Battle of the Boyne. He talked about how by the twentieth century the conflict had become more political and economical than religious. It was for this reason that he was particular with his terminology. Rather than referring to Catholics and Protestants, Rolston discussed Nationalists and Loyalists (with the paramilitary factions of these wings being Republicans and Unionists). Rolston is known for having the largest collection of photographed murals which is saying something considering they change so often. During his lecture he walked us through the decades of the Troubles showing us through a slideshow the progression and changes in the art that was put up by the Republicans and Unionists all the way up until a few years ago.
I have to say that the city tour and the lecture were definitely my favorite part of the trip (which Breigh interestingly enough prophesied would be the case...maybe because I was talking about the murals so much beforehand). My interest in the murals developed from watching Youtube videos oddly enough. I listen to a lot of Irish rebel music and many of the videos show images of the different murals. Even though they were very scary and violent, I wanted to see them in real life, to see that history. Most of the violent images have been replaced now with more peaceful ones since the ceasefire and peace agreements, but there are still recruitment one that pop up every once in awhile which Dr. Rolston pointed out to us.
It is impossible to explain effectively what I felt walking out of that lecture (other than that I want to own all his books and be his best friend because he was hilarious and interesting and amazing). I again felt the impact of the conclusion that no one who partook in violence should be glorified. I was also plagued by a vague memory of hearing that there were Minnesotan organizations who raised money to arm the IRA and I was ashamed. I also thought about the videos on Youtube (Note: never read the comments, they're scary as shit) and all the people who choose sides and spread hate. I definitely left feeling introspective.
After the lecture we had lunch in the hotel (thai curry and chicken which was excellent) and boarded the bus home. On the way back we avoided Dublin because of the Six Nations Rugby match being played there and stopped just past. We took a short break at a big gas station, one of those way stops that reminded me strongly of the US, and after some delicious ice cream hit the road again, arrive back at Gort around 6pm.
We weren't in Belfast for very long, and given my original bias against Northern Ireland, I can't explain why I loved it so well. Perhaps because the hardships it has faced has given it character, or maybe it's just the Irish historian in me nerding out. Whatever it was, the days after the trip were hollow and I felt at a loss for some reason. That only happens after a really good trip, so obviously something struck a chord.
So, a month after the fact I leave you with some closing thoughts,...which means I'm going to make you listen to some music. :)
Slán go fóill mo chairde,
B
