I visited Northern Ireland on two occasions; the first was a day trip to Belfast, while the second was a tour of the Northern Ireland countryside. It is very easy to get to Belfast from Dublin, as bus tickets are inexpensive and there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland (though that may change with the discussion of Brexit). Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, so it is a different country from Ireland and works with the British pound sterling rather than the Euro. Therefore, it proved tricky traveling for a day since I was not going to exchange cash for the very little I was going to spend. Nonetheless, the adventures I had in Northern Ireland are some of my favorite from my time in Europe.
BELFAST
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Beyond the Titanic Museum, Belfast itself was a very cool city. At the time I went, there was a Formula 1 car event going on around the Town Hall, so all throughout the city you could hear the roaring of engines from Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other very nice (and expensive) cars. I had visited on November 3rd, but already the city was dressed in Christmas lights and decorations, which made the city festive and cheerful. Just like any European city, remnants of the old city remained, such as the Albert Memorial Clock, which itself is deemed the leaning clocktower of Belfast. Even though I only stayed one day in the city, I felt at home in the bustling city.
THE COUNTRYSIDE
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Afterwards, we headed to the Castle Ward estate, which not only housed the new Castle Ward, but the grounds of Old Castle Ward. The Ward family had an unhappy marriage. Bernard Ward thought that building a brand new estate mansion would help his marriage with Ann, but they could not agree on the style nor the decor of the mansion. This resulted in a truly remarkable architectural style, where the house is split down the middle and each side is a completely different design. One side is of Palladian architecture, while the other is Gothic. It makes the estate unique and rather humorous to look at. But the main attraction was the Old Castle Ward estate, as it was a picturesque Medieval style castle with adjoining village buildings. It was very cool to walk the grounds and see the old stables and barn of the castle. Also included on the estate is the old Audley Castle, which is perched on a hill above Strangford Lough. Strangford Lough is the place where St. Patrick was brought over by the vikings from a monastery in Wales into Ireland, where he then spread Christianity across the country.
Such a trip was truly stepping into history. Seeing the old castles, forests and fields of Northern Ireland was truly a special experience. It is a gorgeous country with many hidden places worth visiting.
Such a trip was truly stepping into history. Seeing the old castles, forests and fields of Northern Ireland was truly a special experience. It is a gorgeous country with many hidden places worth visiting.