Belfast

Belfast should be a must see for anyone visiting Ireland, especially if one is interested in the history of Northern Ireland. There is plenty to do there, and coming from the Republic, my group and I loved the favorable exchange rate and lower prices. We were able to eat like kings and visit as more pubs for cheaper than is possible in Dublin. From a cultural standpoint, West Belfast was the highlight of the trip. For those who don't know, West Belfast is where much of the action occurred during the Troubles, the turbulent time of Catholic and Protestant conflict. West Belfast, a Catholic neighborhood, is adorned with many murals - some militant - memorializing the conflict. I have uploaded examples along with other pictures of the trip. Other places visited in Belfast included city hall, the St. George Market, Queen's College, the Rose Garden, and the Titanic pump house. I can't recommend that last one as it is pretty far away from the city center on foot and there isn't much to see, as I believe the Titanic sank quite a long time ago.

A long overdue update

This is a long overdue update of my adventures in Ireland but I will try to write a couple updates over the next few days. Since Paris, I have visited Belfast, Glendalough, and Galway, but there has also been a lot of down time, mostly to save money. The next two weeks should be particularly exciting because I am traveling to Amsterdam this weekend and Prague the weekend after that. This week is the penultimate week of classes, and I can't believe how fast its gone. There is still a lot of preparation I need to do before finals.