Yesterday we left Dublin and went to Belfast. I have to admit, I was pretty bummed about leaving Dublin because I loved it so much there but at the same time I was excited to go to Belfast. This is a new place for me, so the excitement had been building since we got here. The first thing I noticed about Belfast was the beautiful rolling hills and mountains in the background. This was absolutely stunning, and it almost felt like home. Afterwards we went to Belfast City Hall which is what is pictured above. I immediately noticed the stunning architecture inside. It looked extremely victorian and meticulously built, and I heard Karson describe it as being very “colonial” which I think hits the mark. I thought it was really cool to learn about another country’s government. I thought it was really interesting that they choose a new mayor every year, and the lady described that Belfast does this because they want each mayor to be fully invested for the people. They do not feel here that a mayor can be as effective if they’re in office for a longer period of time. This opened my eyes a little bit into how the other world sees things. There are lots of things that people in Europe do that Americans do not and I find the little quirks very interesting. My favorite part of the tour was when our tour guide Julie (who was adorable, by the way) was so excited to tell us that it was the first time that there were only women in the major spots of the city council. I thought this was so powerful, and as a feminist it made me incredibly happy that this had happened.