The first stop of our Northern Ireland trip was Portrush which we explored on the day of our arrival.
On our second day, we went on a tour along the coast. We had a really friendly busdriver and were able to visit some awesome sights. Nature there is so beautiful. First, we stopped at the Dark Hedges which some of us wanted to see because parts of Game of Thrones were filmed there. The trees seemed to be just one giant tent. The branches were grown arched which made it look similar to a never ending maze.
After that, we went to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge which was mind-blowing. We arrived there at about lunch time but to get to the actual bridge, we had to walk a bit. Due to the hot weather (no jokes!), the long walk was exhausting but as we finally got to the bridge, we were very impressed. The bridge spans 20 metres and is 30 metres above the rocks below. Walking over it was quite scary at first but also really cool.
The last stop on our tour was the Giant’s Causeway which is an area of about 40,000 inter-locking basalt columns and the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. The area was beautiful but full of tourists which made it hard to take good pictures or to enjoy the sight itself.
We left Portrush early in the morning of our third day and drove to Belfast. After checking in, we went to the Botanic Garden. It was beautiful. So many plants, flowers and a big greenhouse with a nice glass ceiling! After spending time together, playing card games and chilling, we visited the Ulster museum which is a huge museum where you can find some really pretty crystals, old art-pieces, stuffed dead animals, two dragons made of branches and so much more. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to see everything because it already closed at 6pm.
Our fourth and last day in Northern Ireland was really interesting but again EXHAUSTING! We woke up early and took a 40 minute walk to the impressive Titanic museum. It looked really cool and interesting from the outside and even better from the inside. Even though tickets are quite expensive, it is totally worth it! It’s the best museum some of us have ever visited. It was also very emotional: We were excited at the beginning of the tour and sad at the end of the tour. We were able to see reproductions of some rooms on the Titanic and to read articles about people who lost their lives. We were experiencing history. It was an amazing feeling with a bitter aftertaste.
In the afternoon/ early evening we enjoyed nice pub food and watched the German football match. We flew back home really early the next day.
Fotos: Kursfahrtteilnehmer*innen
Text: Antonia Göbel (v.a.), Laura Demontis, Mona Hodgkiss