“What is scarier, the Blarney Stone or Carrick-a-rede?” I asked all my coworkers before my departure to Northern Ireland. I heard about the wobbly rope bridge several months ago in the beginning of this program, but it did not feel like a reality until this weekend. I was nervous to cross from Northern Ireland onto the island, connected by only a creaky amalgamation of wooden plants and rough ropes.
The Carrick-a-Rede Bridge is in a pocket of Northern Ireland surrounded by giant cliffs and dazzling turquoise water. The bridge was built for fishermen to catch salmon more easily in the 18th century, but salmon fishing is no longer caught due to overfishing. In my opinion, the Blarney Stone was scarier, but we had to cross the Carrick-a-Rede Bridge twice, so my nerves did not settle until after the sight.
We also went to the Titanic Museum in Belfast. This museum was interactive and thought-provoking. I particularly liked the cable car ride, where visitors were guided through the rigorous Titanic building process. After learning about the construction, we learned about the several misfortunes that caused the ship to have a tragic ending, including driving too fast, communication issues, not enough lifeboats, and too short boiler rooms. The museum showed the luxurious first-class rooms and the smaller, yet still posh third-class rooms, compared to the coffin ships and Jeanie Johnston. The communication issues caused devastation because first class users were overwhelming the operator with their leisure calls so perhaps warning may have been missed. After hitting the iceberg, the nearest ship, the Californian, 17 miles away had turned off the commutations for the night and no other ships were close enough to help. Moreover, the boiler rooms allowed leakage to enter each other after hitting the iceberg, that the ship kept accumulating water. Finally in the museum, we learned about the discovery of the ship by Robert Ballard.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Giant’s Causeway and was particularly struck by the combination of organic rock and hexagonal rock. The tour guide explained that a meteor hit Northern Ireland and the basalt cooled in a certain ‘Y’ pattern. The causeway is under a large cliff with grass and Redrock.
For the Fourth of July, I went with friends to Eddie Rocket’s to reconnect with American food. I ate a loaded hotdog followed by a sunset walk along the coast with Stella and Tyler.
On Saturday, I went on a day trip to Scotland with Stella, Kayla, Morgan, and Selina. Our journey was a full 24 hours, from 2:30am Saturday to 2:30am Sunday! We took the 3:15am bus to the airport and hopped over to the Irish Sea to Glasgow, Scotland. The city reminded me of Boston, because of its beautiful architecture and smaller size. Our bus tour began with a trip on the sea where we observed the cliffs and hills towering above the expansive beautiful sea. Next, we took a bus to the town of Callender. I tried traditional haggis for the first time – it was spicy and delicious! The ice cream was very fresh and creamy and perfect for the sunny day. The highlight of this trip was the highland cows. Our bus driver gave us carrots and we got to feed and pet the beautiful, calm, and large cows. Scotland uses pounds, not Euros, which was a new currency to me. Finally, we had dinner at an Italian restaurant, and I got a delicious steak salad before heading to the airport at 10pm. I am so grateful for my friends who are up for an adventure and can plan and execute such a fun trip!
I am looking forward to the Howth Cliff Walk this week!
You are making the most of your time abroad! I’m impressed with all you have seen and done! Cherish these fun moments!
I follow your adventures vicariously. Your writing brings back memories. Have an ice cream on Grampa.