Belfast, Northern Ireland

We woke up early to catch a bus to the airport, then to catch another bus to Belfast. The two and a half hour bus ride was more than enjoyable. Seeing the "countryside" of Ireland is breathtaking. I thought I knew green, but no. IT IS ALL YOU SEE! I also practiced my Spanish with my friends, hoping to have learned/remembered enough to use/practice it in my three-four weeks spent in Spain over Christmas.









The City Hall - Almost everyone I know is from Europe, so they think it is funny that I am always so fascinated with the old buildings. They are all used to it, but for me it's always so amazing! Behind the city hall is a huge ferris wheel. We were going to ride to see a good view, but it was 6 pounds = 9 euros = 13 dollars. No thanks! (btw we saved a ton of money by packing a bunch of food for the trip - definitely something we are going to be doing from now on!)








This old car is actually a taxi. Most of the taxis look this way (thought you might like it Dad!)






The river was dirty, but nonetheless beautiful :)











Belfast Cathedral - one of the highlights of the trip. It was the first church that I've seen that was opened for free viewing. The architecture in the building is amazing. I didn't really take any photos, but it was definitely something I'll remember. Everything was extremely detailed, it was fascinating.






We also went to a Museum that had photographs and newspaper clippings of the Bombay Street burning in 1969. This was when many Catholics were burned out of their homes on Bombay Street. The photographs were very graphic and really made me get an understanding of that time.


The Queens University of Belfast - Just a very old college with beautiful architecture and landscaping.








Botanical Gardens - Unfortunately, we arrived too late to actually enter the botanical gardens part, but spent a lot of time in the park. This picture is pretty cool, but what you don't see is all the attempts :)
















We were all so exhausted by the end of the day! Luckily the ride went by very quickly, as I was making Christmas plans! I'm going to spent about 7 days in the Canary Islands and about 5 in Seville. I'm planning on buying my plane tickets this week, possibly finding a one-way for under 100 euros.