Thursday June 20th

Today was my only really unplanned day of the trip. While some of the other Young Ambassadors had assignments to go to, Caroline, Matt, Kelli Jo, and I were free to do as we pleased. Dr. Tim was kind enough to give us a lift to the beach.

On our way, we stopped at Dundrum Castle and visited Brendan on his archaeological dig. The castle was absolutely beautiful and, as always, Kelli Jo and I stopped for some photos.

We continued on our way to a coastal town. We grabbed a bite to eat and drink at a nearby pub and then headed down to the rocky beach.  Because it was such a lovely day, we were actually able to walk down the coast and touch the water.  I picked up a couple of really beautiful stones along the way for dear family and friends back home. We spread out our coats on the sand and sat on the beach talking for a couple of hours and relaxed in the sun.

     Some time later, we decided to walk through town and shop a bit. The town was beautiful and slow-paced, and the stores were so cute! After a bit of shopping, we caught a double-decker bus (just in time!) and headed back to Downpatrick.  I tried to stay awake on the bus ride, unlike Caroline and Matt!

     Dr. Tim met us at around 8:30 to talk to us about our experiences, what we had enjoyed, and what surprised us.  I could barely believe that our time was almost over! I was really surprised at how quickly I fell in love with Ulster. It's not a question of "if" but "when" I am going back!  I really enjoyed meeting the group as well as locals and seeing all of the beautiful scenery.  There is so much to do in Northern Ireland! We were going non-stop to the point where we were getting only a few hours of sleep before heading out again.  For this reason, I was not able to keep up my blog the way I had hoped and am just now working on reviewing the first week or so. I again apologize for the delay and I promise to get it up shortly!

Our last full day in Ulster ended with packing and spending time with local friends we had made. As our Taxi would be picking Ryan, Kelli Jo, Matt, Caroline, and I up at 4:30, some just stayed up all night. I was happy, though, to get an hour of shut-eye.

Much love,
Kelsey