This post was originally published on the MSU Mass Media 2017 blog.
Sparty here! What a long, awesome day. When we woke up in Ballintoy, which is miniscule in comparison to Michigan State, we all packed up our bags and left our first hostel stay of the trip. We hopped back on the bus and head out for our first destination: Dunseverick Castle.
Dunseverick Castle was much different than the castle we went to on Wednesday. This castle is entirely in ruins, and the only parts of it left are two big, stone pillars. It wasn’t a long stop since there wasn’t a ton to look at, but it’s definitely interesting to see how time changes things. I mean, when you stop and think about it, back when that castle stood in all of its glory, I wouldn’t have been able to write a blog post about it.
From there, we headed over to Derry, where we explored the wall surrounding the old city and learned its history. The wall was used to protect those in the old city from cannons being fired from enemies when the people of Derry were at war. Though they could fire over the wall, it was a smart tactic to build the wall so thick so that it was difficult to break through.
My favorite part of the day was hiking with all of the students up Slieve League, the tallest sea cliffs in Europe. It was hard to keep up since my legs are so much shorter than everyone else’s, and it was one of the warmest days Ireland has seen so far this year, but that four-mile hike was well worth it. The view was breathtaking, even for a doll who never breathed in the first place.
If you’re interested, Shamrocker Tours posted a picture of us on their Instagram page, so go check it out! Staying at the hostel and being up in the mountains for so long these past few days have made me realize how much we rely on technology, and how we panic when we lose service or Wi-Fi. It has been an eye-opening experience to see how normal it is for people in other areas can do so easily without media and excessive technology.
By Julia Swoish (aka "Sparty")