A year ago today, the only European nation I could claim to have visited was the Republic of Ireland. As of June 22, 2018, I’ve officially been to two countries in Europe: the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
In 1922, the Irish Civil War ended with the majority of the island voting for independence from the UK. A portion of the island, however, elected to stay part of the United Kingdom. This area became known as Northern Ireland and continued to stir civil unrest until the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, largely bringing peace between the nations.
As the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are both members of the European Union, the border between them mostly disappeared, and travel between the two countries became common place. Well… at least until Brexit. Now tensions are returning with questions of what a new border might look like. Also, awkward- Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU by a margin of 55%. Oops.
For now, we can still travel freely between the two nations, and the crew decided to go off an adventure. We used the Paddywagon’s Tour Bus Service for €60 from Dublin to a number of stops in Northern Ireland. Aside from a few hiccups, it was a good deal and we enjoyed the trip. Definitely recommend to anyone thinking about something similar. (No I did not get paid for this endorsement. I wish.)
The Dark Hedges
Do you know I’m a Game of Thrones fan? I may have mentioned it once or twice in passing. Our first stop was The Dark Hedges– used for all of 30 seconds as a filming location for Game of Throne’s Season 2 Episode 1 “The North Remembers”. When not doubling as Westeros, it’s a beautiful street lined with beech trees that creates an aura of mystery and ancient times. The trees were planted in approximately 1775 and are just about reaching the end of their lifespan. Their age coupled with environmental concerns means that conservationists aren’t quite sure how much longer they’ll last.
For all their beauty, I would have liked to come here at the crack of dawn to get the place to myself, but it was still a nice place to stretch our legs.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Originally built in 1755, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge was used by local fishermen to connect them to the nearby island and catch salmon. Today, the bridge is looked after by the United Kingdom National Trust.
The weather was absolutely spectacular.
Some of us, ::cough Kristen cough::, needed an extra push to get across the bridge, but it was definitely worth just seeing the views from up there.
Giant’s Causeway
Legend says that the giant Finn McCool built the causeway as a way to go fight another giant in Scotland. Doesn’t look like he made it all the way, but he sure did leave an impression.
The Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage site and absolutely breathtaking. 50ish million years ago, volcanic activity created over 40,000 hexagonal columns that give the causeway it’s unique look today. It’s so easy to remember just how small we are when you’re standing in a site like this.
As always, I wish we had more time to just take it all in, but before we knew it, it was time to go. We made a quick stop in Belfast on the way home before returning back to Dublin. I’m so glad that we made the time to do some exploring before class started in Galway. Below is my absolutely favorite picture from the day. We still haven’t finalized our band name, but I’m fine with keeping a working title of “The Galway Girls”
Bernadette Bacero 
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