 |
exhilarating. Jessica Sprenkel - Dublin-TCD, Fall 2009
Posted on October 28th, 2009 Dublin, Giant's Causeway, Ireland |
|
That's the only word I can think of to describe this past weekend. Even that doesn't quite do it. So, I'll try to tell you about it.
The international program that I'm studying through put together a weekend trip to Northern Ireland for us. What a treat to
1. have everything planned for you including where to eat, what to do and transportation and
2. to stay in a hotel instead of a hostel! The trip included a Black Cabs Tour of Belfast, Whiskey tasting at Bushmill's Distillery, a trip to the Giant's Causeway, yet another castle, crossing a rickety rope bridge and a waterfall hike.
I enjoyed all of those things immensely but there are a few moments that will stand out as phenomenal events in my memory. The first happened on the Black Cab Tour. After riding around Belfast with a knowledgeable cabby, seeing the murals of Protestant Loyalists (the people of Belfast who want to remain in the UK) and of Catholic Republicans (the people of Belfast who want a united Ireland), memorials to areas of the city that had been bombed or burned by the other side and driving along the Peace Line, we stopped for a photo. The Peace Line is a giant concrete wall with fencing on top that divides the city into the two neighborhoods. The concrete is covered in graffiti and signatures of people who had been there before, promoting peace. It's so surreal to me that people still fight like this. I thought it was only something to have read about in the history books, like the Berlin wall. It's not. It's still very real and though the fighting has mostly stopped, the people of Belfast have this constant reminder of their past and current hatred of differences.
The feeling I had when I signed the wall was somber. I am such a believer in peace and to be able to sign a wall alongside thousands of others who had left their messages of peace scrawled in sharpie was a powerful thing. It reminded me of the importance of kindness in daily life and not just tolerance in the major issues like this conflict. "One love. One world."
As powerful as that was, the Giant's Causeway is the portion of the trip that impressed me the most. We had "horrible" weather and that made it perfect! This landmark is a geographic marvel, created thousands of years ago by volcanic activity in the earth. The day was windy and rainy which you think would have spoiled it but made it all the more memorable. The Causeway is a giant area of rock formations that stick up out of the earth in hexagonal shape. It's quite amazing the perfect shape that all the rocks take! There's an area of rocks you can climb up and another area that goes out into the sea, slowly disappearing below the water. I was free to explore at my will but at the mercy of the wind and the rain. I climbed up the front part for a fantastic view of the rocks and patterns below, nearly being blown off the side by the wind (I'm not exaggerating about this!). After sitting on the top for a while, I ventured out towards the water to be closer to the crashing waves. At points I could literally see the wind heading towards the stones from the rain lines on the water and learned quickly to get low as the line approached, or risk being blown over.
At one point I looked over and saw Sally nearly blown over, saved only by her flailing arms. Vic and Alex hiked alongside me closer to the water and experienced the waves crashing on the rocks around them. There was one gust that was nearly the end of me - I would have been the wipeout of the day. Still heading out to the point, I saw the gust coming on the water but it was stronger than I expected and it literally blew me onto one foot and into a spinning 360 degree twirl that landed my other foot in a pool of water, saved by my balance and grabbing onto Justine for support. Fits of laughter ensued and I felt like I haven't felt in a long time. This is where I have trouble explaining it. Vulnerable? Not really. Alive? Sort of but that's not quite it either. Invigorated? Maybe that's the best way to explain it. The wind and the rain and feeling the elements made me feel real and rekindled this young spirit that seems to die in all of us as we get older. I hope she stays. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! - Jessica Sprenkel, IES Abroad |
Leave a Reply