Around the British Isles in 9 Days: Part 2

From Oxford, I took an overnight bus for the first time and went to Edinburgh. I surprisingly slept a lot and was ready to visit the city when I got there. First thing I did was eat a proper Scottish breakfast. It was amazing; the best breakfast food ever. I got vegan/vegetarian food the entire time I was in Scotland and Northern Ireland and it was some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. Thus, the haggis I ate was vegan and it was so good! I took it easy in Edinburgh because although the sites were beautiful, I still wanted to nap. I didn’t get up to Arthur’s seat but I did see the castle and parks and toured the old closes from the 1800s. A close was a section of street where people lived, more like piled on top of each other, named after the most influential person in that area. Edinburgh was gorgeous, but I had to move on.

Next, I went to Glasgow. Only long enough to take a picture of a musical landmark and then fly out to Belfast. Belfast had some of the nicest people I interacted with all trip. I was still by myself and the hostel I stayed at was so pleasant and just perfect for what I needed. I actually saw a lot in Belfast. The fish sculpture, the titanic museum (because titanic was actually built in Belfast), the botanical gardens and more. I learned a lot about the history of Belfast at the ulster museum and enjoyed it. But my time in Belfast had come to an end.

Lastly, I went to Dublin and was there Saturday and Sunday, which was St. Patrick’s Day. I had a bad time in Dublin at first. All the people I interacted with on the first day were rude from the time I got on the bus from Belfast to Dublin. I had such a difficult time I didn’t even want to tour the city so I ended up going back to my hotel in the late afternoon. There, I took a bath for the first time since I got to Europe; it was so nice. I enjoyed my time and ate good food before my friends showed up that evening. I spent time with Joshua, Park, Ryan F, Kevin, and Ariella that weekend. We agreed that the St. Patty’s parade was cool but nothing special. The parade was typical with marching bands and people dancing but what made it mediocre was that the parade site said it would go on from 10-6pm. We got there at 12 and it ended after 1. We then went for one of the most expensive Guinness' ever before heading to the airport to go home. Even though my Dublin experience was subpar, overall, I had a good time with my friends and am happy to say I spent St. Patty’s day in Dublin.

The week was long and packed with stuff, I enjoyed everything I did as well as when I didn’t do anything. There wasn’t too much relaxation going on for spring break but I was really grateful to have backpacked around the UK and Ireland. Plus the weather was amazing! Jut windy, it rained amybe twice. I have a lot to look forward to the next time I go to there!