Belfast or Bust. (Plus Derry)

This weekend we are in Northern Ireland. We started our journeys by visiting the Giant's Causeway--huge disappointment because neither Andre nor Goliath were present. We even called out for them a few times, but didn't hear any reverberating grunts, rock thuds, or "fee, fie, foe, fums". Then we visited the town of Derry, the site of the Bloody Sunday of 1972. It was a very enlightening and solemn experience; we talked to brothers and sisters and friends of those who had died that day. Seeing the murals and the remnants of violence was very eye-opening and enriching. We also got to observe the beauty of the city, and loved hearing about its history dating back to 592 AD. Our group took part in a video documentary of tourism in Northern Ireland of which we will be receiving a copy. Our travels then took us to Belfast, where we took a bus tour of the city and witnessed its political tension, dying shipyard industry, and even the port where the great Titanic was built. But even with all of this excitement, one of our favorite activities has been driving through the countryside watching the breathtaking landscapes whiz by as we share music with our i-pod splitter. Lovely, indeed.