Today was such an amazing day. My peers and I celebrated the first day of summer by going on an outdoor adventure. We headed towards the country side Northern Ireland and it was a very interesting experience. Our road trip lasted about 2 hours, and we made several stops along the way. One of the things I noticed is that as you move away the city , neighborhoods become more political  and national identity starts shifting from town to town. There were places were the Irish flag flew free in the sky , while in others there were monuments and flags praising the English crown.  Although our tour was not meant to be educational or  to address this issue, our tour guide shared with us what he thinks is the reality of Northern Ireland. He explained to us that the political spectrum in this particular place is broad. There is people that identify themselves as being Irish, others British, and others simply as Northern Irish. He also shared with us something I thought it was pretty cool. Apparently citizens of Northern Ireland are allowed to have both an English and Irish passport, which kind of allows them  to pledge alliance to the country they feel more related too. Also, he explained that after the Brexit referendum a lot of people who didnt have an Irish passport decided to get one to ensure mobility across the European Union. I think this is going to be something to look up at the future because I think it could be a game changer for Northern Ireland’s political situation.

The biggest highlight of the day was our visit to the Giant’s Causeway, and  walking to the Rope Bridge. It was such a wonderful experience. I will attach a couple of pictures, but I must say that the camera doesn’t do justice to the beauty of this place. Honestly, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seem.

Today was an eventful day. We left Ireland in the morning and I felt a mixed of emotions. I was excited to know that a new destination was awaiting, but at the same time extremely overwhelm for leaving a place that has acquired a great significance in my life. When we arrived to Belfast I couldn’t help to compare it with Dublin. As our professor anticipated the architecture in Belfast is a reflection of the 19^th century which makes the city look more industrialized, and familiar with the landscape at home. It was very interesting to see how everything seems to be a combination of Irish and Anglo culture. For a second I was a little confused and really trying to define the politics and national identity of this place. It was exactly then when everything we learned regarding the partition of Northern Ireland, the troubles, and religious tension between England and Ireland came to life. Everything started to make sense. My impression on this first day in Belfast is that people on this side of the island are still conflicted when it comes to defining identity , and that the best coping method is the incorporation of elements from both cultures into their lives.

Upon our arrival, we visited Belfast City Hall. So far ,I think this is my favorite part of the city.The architecture of this place seemed to shared a more similar style to the major buildings in Dublin Ireland, with respect to the rest of Belfast. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history, architecture and current political structure in Northern Ireland. It was again very interesting to see how they have taken pieces and elements from both cultures to develop and recount their history.