Written by James Delaney ‘22 and Hoa Ly ‘22
We began our day bright and early with a 7:30 A.M. wake up call and packed our bags and suitcases for our long day of travel to Dublin. We convened in the hotel lobby for our morning breakfast, where we enjoyed each other’s company over a quick meal. We then checked out of the hotel and filed into the coach bus, all luggage in hand. Our first stop was a brief photoshoot at the Stormont Estate, home of the Northern Irish parliament.
After packing back into the bus, we were onto our next stop: the C.S. Lewis walking tour, headed by East Side Tours, a local tour guide company. We strolled through the different statues of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. We learned a bit about Lewis’s life in Belfast where he spent the first ten years of his life and encountered many inspirations for his later literary endeavors. We visited the statues of the author’s work and even sang “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in front of the statue of Aslan, the lion from Narnia. (Dr. Rozenberg also learned how to play frisbee from Zach Ewing ‘23. See below!)
After our quick walking tour, we took the coach to the Victoria Shopping Center, for an opportunity to shop, eat lunch and snacks, and explore the mall. We split off into groups as we enjoyed each other’s company and the time we had left in the beautiful city of Belfast.
After our trip through the mall, we headed to the the ruins of Monasterboice Monastery, where our tour guide, Anne, gave us a quick history lesson on monastic life in the 11th Century. As we explored the site, we learned about the intersection between Paganism and Christianity in the architecture. We explored towers climbed by monks, ancient sundials, and Celtic crosses in these now ruins.
After that quick taste of history, we boarded the coach once more for our final stretch to Dublin (with a rest stop to stock up on drinks and snacks, of course!). The bus ride was filled with singing, attempted freestyle rapping, and some much-needed sleep. Upon arriving in Dublin, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Nancy Hands, a local restaurant and pub in Dublin. The uniqueness of the location was enjoyed by all, and it was a fitting first stop and welcome into Dublin.
BC High Concert Choir 