A Broad in Galway: +66: Northern Ireland Recap

I suppose it's about time I got around to doing this!

Last weekend we went up to the North; we left at 9, had a two hour lecture on campus, and then headed out; we stopped in Sligo for lunch around 1:30 (I have to say, whoever plans our trips REALLY like dropping us off in random cities to find food and fend for ourselves. Just saying). We stopped to see Yeats' grave, and then continued to our HOTEL, which was this resort center in the middle of nowhere (no, really. NOWHERE).

Saturday, we went to Belfast. After some confusion about when breakfast actually was, we headed to the city. We took a driving tour, partially to cover more ground, partially for safety (we heard two shootings/explosions during our 7 hours there). We stopped to see the murals on Falls Rd, and to see the peace wall, which was really moving.

Murals on Falls Rd.

Bobby Sands Mural

The Peace Wall

...and what I wrote on it.

After that, we went to the Stormont estate, which is where the Northern Ireland Assembly meets. We had a great tour of the chambers (I ended up sitting in the Sinn Fein whip's seat...go figure)...and then we had tea. IN PARLIAMENT. How fantastic is that?!

Then we had a few hours free in the city, so Court & Kelsey & I went shopping (of course) and got milkshakes (of course). Then we headed into the town by our hotel for dinner, and had some pretty decent pizza (for not being in New York, at least) and then had some fireworks thrown at us by some rowdy drunk guys. Then we went to this haunted woods thing that someone had set up; it was a long wait, but a lot of fun, even though I was terrified at first.
Then we went back to our hotel and had our class halloween party, which was a lot of fun!

Court & I did the classic "Risky Business" costume:

aaand we also had: an angel, a rugby team, -Ory world (such a long story!), a lax bro, an Amish woman, the Minister of Silly Walks, a witch, a pumpkin, Pochahantas, a cowboy princess, and some Whos:

Sunday (HALLOWEEN!) we went to Derry for a few hours. Way too little time, honestly. But anyway, we went on a walking tour and went to see the murals in the Bogside, which was really, really interesting. We ended the tour at the Bloody Sunday memorial garden, literally in the middle of where it actually happened.