Today was our last day in Ireland, and I couldn’t be more reluctant to leave. It is difficult not to note the drastic differences between Belfast and Dublin. Even though we only spent two full days in Belfast, it’s very obvious that Belfast is not quite as lively or touristy.

First, we took a walk to the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens. Since the weather was nice, I decided to walk through the garden before the museum. The glass house was absolutely breathtaking and I could not believe how many different types of plants could live (and thrive) in one place (I have a hard time keeping succulents alive)! A bit further along, we came across the rose garden. I’m pretty sure I smelled just about every single type of rose in the entire garden. One of them in particular smelled like a Lush store, and I was tempted to take one with me!

We decided to explore the museum for a little while, and I found myself interested mostly in the exhibit on The Troubles in Ireland. I learned a new stance on the issue between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic when I walked through this exhibit, which I anticipated. Later on when we had our Black Taxi Tour, I was really surprised by how one-sided the information seemed. I completely have sympathy for the innocent victims who were needlessly killed, but I think they could have touched on the brutality that was received by victims in the IRA as well.

Aside from that point, I really enjoyed the tour and think I won’t forget it, as seeing the faces or innocent victims was incredibly sobering.