We said goodbye this morning to our lovely castle. Since the moment we checked in, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get back here!

We took a group photo before our departure. I’ve enjoyed getting to meet the people on the tour, at this point I’ve met just about everyone.

Today’s main focus was a stop in Derry/Londonderry. We had a walking tour on top of the wall which surrounds part of the city. I do know some of the history of “The Troubles,” but our tour guide put a very personal face on it. His own father was killed in the early 1970s. As sad as that time was, it is heartening to see what people can do when they really want to find a way to make peace.

You may be asking yourself “Why is she using both names?” Derry and Londonderry refer to the same place. “Derry” is the name used by the Catholics and “Londonderry,” the official name, is used by the Protestants. The population has voted to change the name to Derry, but the city is in Northern Ireland, and hence part of the United Kingdom; the powers that be have not yet made the change.

The drive to Belfast was quiet and I napped for a bit. Our hotel is a modern skyscraper, I am on the 18th floor! I attempted to see a traditional music session at a pub not too far from the hotel. Turns out that pub is a hopping place; it was full of young people, stopping by on their way home from work. I never did see the music and made my way back to the hotel via a bookstore. Lots of great books about Irish history. I only bought two, but took pictures of other ones that I may get at a later date. I considered buying them now, but they were way too heavy to fit in my suitcase.

Our last group dinner was fine…until dessert, I would have said that dinner at the Castle was better, but dessert here was just over the top.

The trad music sessions tonight either conflicted with dinner or were late, so HoH did another informal session for us in the hotel bar. At the very end, we were treated to a fellow tour participant playing in.

I hate to write anything about it, but the weather was again fantastic! I am not going to check tomorrow’s weather until I get dressed for our adventure at the Giants Causeway and the Titanic museum.