This'll be quick, but I just wanted to update you on how we're getting along. It's less than a week until we go home, and we're definitely getting excited! The British Isles are lovely, though, so we're glad to have a little more time to explore.
On Monday we visited the General Post Office in Dublin, which is where the Easter Rising was kicked off; the pillars are still pock-marked from bullets. From there we caught our train to Belfast, where we spent a few hours seeing the Botanic Gardens and the City Hall, before heading to Portstewart on the coast of Northern Ireland.
We're staying in a hostel that is less than a block off the sea. The coast is gorgeous and green and rocky, and we've enjoyed walking up and down the promenade. The people here are also super friendly, and you only have to look confused for a minute before someone comes up and offers help. Of course, we're lucky if we can understand them, as their accents are pretty thick, but it is nice to meet with such friendly people.
Today we saw the Giant's Causeway, which is a national park on the coast with bizarre hexagonal rock formations. It was brilliantly sunny and quite pretty. I love the sound of the waves and the fresh smell of the wind. This afternoon we had tea overlooking the ocean, which was delightful and helped us warm up, as the weather is quite chilly.
Tomorrow we're taking a ferry to Scotland, where we'll spend a few days before heading back to London for the rest of our trip...
I had a funny experience on the phone today: I called to make a reservation on the ferry, and halfway through the man asked for my zip code, which I promptly told him. He seemed confused and asked again for my zip code, which I gave him again. He still didn't seem to get it, so I told it to him again, making sure to let him know that I was from the US. He was super shocked that I was from the US, as he was sure from my English accent that I was from Britian. He seemed put out, and asked somewhat crankily if I wanted him to change my nationality to US. As I am from the US, I thought it would be good for him to change it. It was quite interesting, as I certainly do not and never have had a British accent. Ruth and I had a good laugh over it.
It's time to sign off! I'm looking forward to seeing many of you soon!
