The rain held off for most of the day, which was a blessing because we had much walking to do! The Folk Park was awesome, it was 10s of acres of land devoted to preserving the history of Northern Ireland, so they'd just taken buildings from all over the country and reconstructed them in the little town area and countryside walk. We saw several school groups, tourists and the like, but it wasn't overcrowded. It was a good day to get out and walk around and take a step back into Ireland's past. The thing about it is that it all just seems so RECENT! I enjoyed the park and the old-time cottages, but the funny this is that the "replicas" are pretty much what lots of the countryside and houses STILL look like (except most with running water and indoor bathrooms now)! It was interesting to wander around and get a grasp of the history of the countryside, and living, but really...not sure it has changed THAT much. So different from what I know. Think about how much America has changed in the last 100 years, and then comparing that to what I was walking around in in Ireland, the Folk Park was not that different than the drive I'd taken up the coast two days ago, or visiting Derry yesterday. Crazy. I LOVE it!
Me in the mill
One of the bedroom's in a country cottage.
A thatched roof farm house.
The Basket Weaver shed had really great masks, and the weaver spent quite a while talking to us about his craft at the Folk Park. These masks took 15 days to complete.
The Transport Museum was having a Gala for Doctors (I asked...I'm so nosy!) Very cool setting.
I loved the bicycle exhibit!
Remember how I said the rain held off? Well while we were in the Transport museum it started to HAIL! That's hail bouncing off the grass!
It stopped though, so we headed down to the most wonderful exhibit about the Titanic that I've ever seen. 
The girls wanted to stop by Ikea on the way home (it's new in Belfast) but my feet were hurting me from all the walking so I went to the cafeteria and had some Lingenberry juice (LOVE that stuff) and noticed that you could see the H & W (Harland and Wolff) gantry from the window. This is where the Titanic was constructed. Eerie. 
When we got back to Clady (Erin's town, about 45 minutes North West of Belfast), we went to The Abbey for karaoke...oh what a night! Here's Mary and I singing Daniel by Elton John.
Something about Ireland fits me. I had a dream last night that I met my birth mother (for some reason...I've never ever thought about it before), but in the dream I met her there in Ireland and then I just knew that I had Irish ancestry. In actuality, I have no idea if I have Irish ancestry. The kids at my school in the Bronx asked me on St. Patrick's day if I was Irish because I was wearing green, and before spring break the kids in East Harlem asked me the same thing because I told them where I was going, and I just started answering yes, because, since I studied and lived there for a few months during my years at MSU, I just feel like it's a part of me. Don't know if any of it's true, don't know what the dream meant, but I guess it must mean something, because it's just right to be there. This won't be the only time I return to Ireland in my lifetime.
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