A Spoonful of Life: hiking

Showing posts with label hiking. Show all posts

Apr 4, 2011

hiking.

I love hiking in Ireland. We are required to do 12 hikes for our "hill climbing" class, and I have only done 5 so far. I know, I'm a little behind. But that doesn't change the fact that I very much look forward to the hikes, especially when the weather is warm, the hill is high in the sky, and the trail is along the sea.

My most recent hike, which was located in Howth (about an hour and a half Dart ride away from Greystones), was by far the best of all. It had to have been about 65 degrees, because I was sweating and I was in a tank-top. For all of my other hikes, I have been bundled up and avoiding the wind and rain from attacking my face.

Basically, it was a lovely day to be outside in Ireland. We finished off the two hour hike with our elementary brown sack lunches and a walk through the prawn festival.

Mar 9, 2011

The North

Our trip to the North lasted for three days, and it was packed with information, stories, and lessons of peace and reconciliation. We left overwhelmed. What I learned about the Troubles of Northern Ireland has challenged my thinking and helped me to understand the people who have lived through it. The North has only recently begun the move from hatred and violence towards compromise and peace. Protestants and Catholics are still living in separate neighborhoods, and the peace wall that divides Belfast stands tall.

Murals like these are scattered on buildings all over Belfast. We were fortunate enough to have a tour by Noel, a former para-military member for the loyalist/Protestant side of the Troubles. He told us his story, and the meaning behind many of the murals.

Our visit to the Catholic/Republican area, Falls road, included a stop at one of the memorials. Brian, our bus driver, is a Republican Catholic, who shared with us the history of the Troubles starting back in the 60's. He told us about the fight for a United Ireland that so many Republicans gave their life for.