On the second day of our trip, we departed from Belfast and embarked on the next leg of our journey.
The first stop was to a magnificent castle built in the 1178 and finished in 1242. Rich in history, they used to castle for defense. The castle actually used to be surrounded by water on three sides until the land was reclaimed later. At the entrance of the castle, soldiers would fence in the enemy and dump boiling hot substances, such as sand or feces, on the enemy head. They would then open the fence that would lead out the castle and send them away like that. The people were short in those days, so all the door ways were small. This was nice to see as I'm not that tall myself.
After the castle, the next stop was the Seamus Heaney Institute. Here we walked around the exhibit listening to poetry and following along to Heaney's voice. My favorite poem was Mid Term Break, a heartbreaking poem about his brother who passed. His writing was impeccable, packed with emotion and heart. It was refreshing to go to such a creative place. We could bring our own writing utensils in case a spark hit us!!! Heaney was an amazing poet, whom inspired poems I wrote thereafter.
The final event of the day was talking to author Sue Divin in Derry, Ireland. Divin was hands down my favorite part of the day. Her knowledge of Irish history and willingness to explore the cultural divide so prevalent in Ireland today is amazing and inspiring. She has written two books and is in the process of writing a third. I want to read them all very soon!!
We ended the day with a walk along the Peace Wall in Derry and a spectacular meal at our hotel. I cat wait to get up bright and early for part three of our adventure!!!
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