We are nearing the end of our trip and have mixed feelings. We have seen much, but know we missed a great deal and want to see more; however, we are also ready to be home. We still have another full day of site seeing after today. This morning we started out with a quick stop at a site called the Dark Hedges. It is an avenue with a set of beech trees along the road planted by the local lord in 1775. The old trees are gnarly and cover the road like a canopy. Quite an interesting site. The road has been made doubly popular since it was used in scenes of the HBO series “Game Of Thrones”.

Then we moved on to the Titantic Museum. Our B&B host chuckled when we mentioned going there and said only the Irish could create a famous tourist attraction out of a boat that failed to complete its first voyage. The museum is located on the very spot on the Belfast docks where the Titanic was built between 1909 and 1912. The museum has displays about the city of Belfast and its ship building industry, the steps in building and outfitting the Titantic, and the eventual sinking on its first voyage. It is quite well done.

Our next stop was a look at some of Belfast's Trouble related murals. Belfast suffered similar to Derry with fighting over a period of 20+ years. The divisions in Belfast are even more visible in that multiple "Peace Walls" were built between Catholic and Protestant sections of Belfast. The walls are literal. Long sections of high fencing dividing neighborhoods. Murals similar to those we saw in Derry are present. On the Catholic side of the fence the murals focus on the Republic (Irish) side of the issue. On the Protestant side there are also murals covering the Unionists (English) side. Even though there is a measure of peace now, it is unfortunate that you can still see the literal divide between the sides.

Our final stop was back in Ireland at an old monestary cemetary called Monasterboice. Monasterboice is known for its two, 1000+ year old Cetic high crosses. These are fabulous pieces of workmanship that have survived and are still standing. Quite amazing. One has numerous Biblical scenes carved on it including Adam and Eve, Cain slaying Able, Moses striking the rock, and more. There are only a couple surviving examples of high crosses, so it was a wonderful opportunity to see two in one spot.

We will stay in the town of Slane for the night, which is close to Newgrange, our first stop tomorrow. Newgrange is a Neolithic tomb, so we will go back even farther in time tomorrow.