Today has been one long day. I woke up at 4am so I could meet everyone down stairs at 5:30. To say I was tired was a total understatement. I wasn't functioning well. I was the first one down stairs. I waited for everyone to arrive. We then set off to the tube station. We caught the Piccadilly line to Green Park where we switched to the Victoria Line. The Victoria Line took us to a train station where we got on a train to get to the airport, not Heathrow, but some other one. We got through security, easiest ever. We didn't even have to take off our shoes! Then we went to our gate. Got on the plane, no problem. Then we sat, and sat. We sat at the gate for 50 minutes while they figured out some paperwork thing. Apparently two people had the same seat, which on a full flight that would be a problem, but there were plenty of open seats. It's like can you just have him sit somewhere else so we can go? And he wasn't making a fuss about someone sitting in his seat. He was nice about it. So really we waited around for nothing! Then up up and away. I slept for most of the flight and when we landed, I couldn't hear anything. Luckily my ears popped pretty quickly. Then we rounded up and walked to the coach. We were brought to our hotel, a Hilton, and had to wait outside as Darrin and Susie went to see if our rooms were available. Unfortunately they weren't. Thy did however take our bags. So then we were off on our own for about an hour and a half. We went to this really cool market. They had all kinds of things. And really yummy looking treats. There were homemade milkshakes that used actual candy bars. They also had places with cupcakes and other treats. There was this one place a couple of us ended up eating at. It was a place with quiche, scones, and breads. I got a wonderful quiche, with chicken and peppers and other really yummy ingredients. I really enjoyed it. They also gave you a great portion for the very little money we spent on it. It was a great environment. While we ate we listened to a talented singer. I then got a scone for lunch the next day. It was really fun to walk around the market and see the different things people made. I love the farmer's market that is back in Boise, so it was nice to go and experience the same kind of thing. It made me miss home less. We had a really joyful time. After lunch we made our way back to the bus. On the bus we met our tour guide. She was a sweet lady. She also was really happy to be there for us and to inform us on the city. We saw the new court house which mixes the traditional style with a more modern glass look. Most of the buildings in Belfast are centered around the Victorian style. The city hall had green domes that was a signature of the Victorian style. While we were driving around Maria kept mentioning the Troubles. All of us were confused on what it meant. The term “the troubles” was very vague. So we asked her what it meant. Apparently for many decades Northern Ireland was divided by two different political views. The country was divided on whether or not the country should be independent or stay a part of Great Britain. The Protestants wanted to stay part of England where the Catholics were sick of oppression and wanted to become independent. So for many years there were terrorist attacks and people being killed on the streets. The country was a chaotic mess. A perfect example of the destruction is the old prison and old courthouse. The windows were destroyed and they were falling apart. But in them there was a beauty. I love old buildings that are abandoned and look sad. They have a history, and I always want to learn more. But now the country is trying to move on from the violence and work in a more peaceful manner towards everyone being happy. We continued to drive to a peace wall that supported the movement of peace. It was so cool. There were so many inspiring messages and people from all over wrote messages of wanting peace. It was really inspiring. There was also a ton of art on it. I love any kind of street art so it was fun to see. It was a very large wall and all over it there was stuff. I enjoyed looking at it. After we all climbed on the bus we rode through the Loyalist part of town. All over the English flags flew. There was a distinct difference from the part of Belfast we were in before. It was like a slap in the face. We continued on and soon the conversation switched to the Titanic! I love the Titanic. I find it so intriguing and I love everything about it. I actually found out that it was built in Belfast! We got to see the dry dock and the pump house! It was intense. I really enjoyed looking at the humungous dock. I never imagined what it would look like. You can see it in pictures but until you are there and see the people to scale it is a shocker! I then bought this really cool book that is letters from those who were on the Titanic! I am so excited to read it. I just tried to think of the people who built it and all the expectations they had for it. Then you think of those who worked on it and their reaction to the fact it sunk. I just loved being there. I was so excited. I wanted to go to this exhibit about it with all sorts of artifacts from it but didn't get to. After spending an hour or so at the sites we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel. On the way we saw a statue of the author, C.S. Lewis. Did you know he was born in Belfast? I didn't! It was cool to learn that facts. I really enjoyed the tour. It offers a great chance to learn new things and become more cultured. It is a real growing experience. After our great tour we arrived at the Hilton. This would be the groups first chance to see what it looked like. We walked in to be assaulted with the smell of hard boiled eggs... But we quickly got our room cards and roommate assignments. I was with Andrea. We headed up to our room and wow. It was really nice. The room was pretty mute in color except for a bright green chair. Our view was of a parking lot though. The bathroom was really nice. It had brown glass tiles and a nice sized shower/tub. The counter space was also good. I was really excited for the shower though. After two weeks of a luke warm shower I wanted a hot one. After we scoped out the room Andrea and I decided we needed to get some dinner. We didn't know anyone elses room so we headed out. We looked at two pubs but we didn’t like the prices so we continued. We then came to Victoria Square. It is an indoor outdoor mall. It is way sweet. Andrea and I were really impressed with the design. There was a big glass dome that covered the sitars and things. She and I found a pizza place called “Pizza Express,” where they had a deal of 2 pizzas for 10 pounds. So we bought those and headed back to the hotel. We saw a couple of hen parties. We saw the really expensive classy kind and then the fun ones were they were wearing pink tutus. It looked like a lot of fun! They know how to do the hen parties right! We headed back and crashed on our bed. We put in the movie, “She's the Man,” and ate our pizzas. They were so good! We saved some for the next day. Then during the movie my parents called so I talked to them for awhile. And then Danielle and Laura came into our room so we had some girl social hour, then Elyse joined us. We had a good time just having some girl chat and enjoyed being in a nice hotel. Then I read a letter from my book and Andrea fell asleep while all of us talked about the Titanic. Then everyone decided it was time to sleep. So we all went to our separate rooms. I then enjoyed my hot shower! It was so nice. I loved it! Then it was time to sleep. For a Hilton the mattress was really uncomfortable. I tossed and turned all night. But it was a great first day in Ireland!
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| Even though this day wasn't on Fathers Day, I wrote it on Fathers Day so it needed to be included! I have the BEST Dad ever! Thanks for everything! |
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| My Lunch! |
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| I loved this quote! It was on the peace wall |
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| Look how large this is |
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| I thought this was a cool angle |
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| Albert Clock, it leans, and can't be fixed. Also it is named after Prince Albert |
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| The Titanic pump house and dry dock |
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| Titanic and her sister ship, both would later sink |
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| The dry dock from the front |
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| Some kid decided to climb this large piece of art in Victoria Square |
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| Victoria Square, this is the dome, and the stair way |
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| On the third floor of the mall |
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