Belfast, Killarney, and some Majestic Deer

Wow, it seems like it was actually last week that I stepped off the plane, and suddenly I’ve been here a month! The last week and a half has been filled with both a lot of adventure and a lot of downtime, which can feel overwhelming when I’m in one or the other, but probably balances out just about right.

Last weekend my American flatmates and I took a trip up to Belfast in Northern Ireland (which is in the UK, for those like my father who struggle with European geography). Since Cork is near the southern tip of the Republic of Ireland, it was actually a pretty long trip for us! We started with a two and a half hour train ride up to Dublin, then had to take the Luas to get from one end of Dublin to the other, then took another two hour train up to Belfast. I’d like to say I sat with my face glued to the window admiring the magnificent Irish countryside the whole way, but in reality I just read a little and slept a lot.

The moment we stepped off the train, I was surprised at what a different vibe Belfast had from Cork. It felt much more modern, and honestly much more American than any of the towns I had visited in the Republic. The streets were wider, the store fronts more spread out, and there was a big ol’ Union Jack painted on the side of the first big building we saw. We stayed at the Belfast International Youth Hostel in a 23 bed female dorm, which was my first hostel experience. It was mostly what you’d imagine a hostel to be: small squeaky beds, a snoring lady, a less than perfect temperature, but dirt cheap! Luckily the bathrooms were fairly clean and the other girls were quite nice, and it turned out to be a very pleasant place to stay.

Belfast was the city where the Titanic was constructed, and the museum they have dedicated to the ship is the most high-tech and innovative museum I have ever seen. We spent all of Friday afternoon walking through the exhibits, which featured a small-scale Universal type ride through a recreation of the the building process, and a view of the sight were the ship was actually launched in 1911.

From there we headed back into the heart of the city to explore Belfast. The first night we were there happened to be Culture Night. What kind of culture, you ask? Is that an annual event? Monthly? I honestly have no idea, but it meant the pubs and streets were packed and there was live music everywhere, so it was super fun. We ate burgers, drank beer in the street, and even watched some kids play the Scottish bagpipes.

The next morning we got up bright and early to take a Game of Thrones themed sightseeing tour, since they film the show in Northern Ireland. Now, I don’t watch Game of Thrones, nor will I ever watch Game of Thrones, but I have never seen so much beauty in my life. Describing it here isn’t going to do much for you, so I’ll let the pictures below do most of the talking (though they can’t really do it any justice either), but basically we saw breathtaking cliffs, the ruins of a castle, Giant’s Causeway (interlocking basalt columns everywhere-think geometrically perfect coastal rocks!), and lots and lots of charming Irish countryside that is far more spectacular than even my beloved Midwest. It was everything I thought Northern Ireland would be like, and it was well worth having to watch some super-fans reenact a weird battle scene in costume on the beach.

From Belfast, I went on to Killarney while the rest of my friends headed home for Monday classes. I had actually planned the trip to Killarney first and then tacked Belfast on the other end because I had booked a horseback ride for myself through Killarney National Park. I was incredibly nervous to travel alone even for 24 hours, and getting in late to town by myself after dark is something I will plan never to do again in my future travels. My hostel ended up being about 5 miles out of town, and I paid for a cab just because I was tired and freaked out.

However, Killarney turned out to be a very quaint and touristy town with horse drawn carriages everywhere in the streets, and traveling alone suited me better than I expected. The horseback ride was absolutely the best thing I’ve done in Ireland thus far, though again I’ll have to let the pictures speak for themselves as best they can. Killarney National Part is honestly the place of my dreams, with lakes, mountains, and deer roaming freely, completely unfazed by humans. My horse’s name was Cheyenne, and she was faster and more powerful than any horse I have ridden before (still love you more, River). Cantering through the forest on her felt like being inside one of the many majestic horse computer games I played as child. I was blessed to get the most perfect sunny day and spent a couple of hours just laying in a field in the park once the ride had finished.

After the National Park, I walked the five miles into town, grabbed lunch, and walked five more miles out to Ross Castle. I think at this point my opinion of castles is, if you’ve seen one, you’ve kinda seen them all, but this one was situated on one of the park’s lakes and provided a great place for me to spend a couple of hours reading in the sun. The key to solo travel, I found, is a good book. I actually liked Killarney so much that I made an impromptu decision to spend an extra night, and spent the rest of the evening reading and consuming the tea and cookies provided by my lovely little hostel.

Overall, this first weekend travel experience taught me that, while I had a lot to learn about how to travel correctly, traveling alone is not the nightmare I thought it’d be. I forgot my passport, which luckily wasn’t a big deal since the boarder between the North and the Republic is an open one, but it’s not a mistake one should probably ever make when wandering around a foreign country. I failed miserably at bringing clothes that were warm enough, and had to borrow, buy, and complain to get myself through the weekend. And finally, I forgot to bring a phone charger. Yikes, I know, but I survived. I don’t mind hostels, I can make conversation with strangers, and I can enjoy my own company for a whole 48 hours more than I expected, so overall the trip was a roaring success.

Otherwise, my “normal” life in Cork is actually remarkably simple. I work out a lot because classes at our gym are free and because I have a lot of time to fill, and I’m pretty sure I might actually be the most in shape human ever by the time I leave here. I’m as confused as ever on what these professors expect from me, and I’m still missing the comfort of having people around that have known me for years. And Sweet Green, I definitely miss Sweet Green. But overall Ireland continues to impress me and continues to be everything I could have hoped for in a study abroad destination.

Thanks a million for reading! (The Irish shopkeepers always say “thanks a million,” pronounced “tinks,” and it’s adorable).

Cheers!

Summer