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Dunluce Castle

Being from America, I don't have the opportunity to see castles within everyday life, so having the opportunity to see the ruins of an old medieval castle was almost like a dream. As most girls, I grew up watching Disney Princesses and would daydream of living in a castle and get to wear dresses and run around the halls. As an adult I now know that is not what princesses do and that is not what I want to spend my days doing, but seeing a castle was still a bucket list item for the little girl inside me. The


Dunluce castle, though in ruin, was still absolutely beautiful. There were so many intricate parts of the castle like stairs leading up a tower to a tall, amazingly preserved window. I honestly felt like I could have stayed there for hours. The view, however, made the entire experience. The castle sits atop a hill that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and oh my goodness I would kill to wake up with that breathtaking view.

I have always felt very connected to nature, maybe it's because I was born on Earth Day, but I truly feel the freest when I am outside enjoying everything the world has to offer. My friends and I had the absolute best time exploring the castle and all the little look out nooks. We went all around the ruins, but I still felt like I didn't see it all. While we were exploring, I just kept thinking how cool it would be to live there. Maybe not in a huge castle, but a small house with a huge bay window that allowed me to curl up with a good book and listen to the waves crash against the rocks. That is the definitely the dream. Peace, serenity, and solitude. 


This whole experience reminds me of Willam Yeats' poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree. In this poem, Yeats describes a life of peace as he wants to build a cabin, dig a garden, and listen to the sound of the water hitting the shore. There is one lines in the poem specifically that speak to me most regarding my experience.

"And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow."

Peace is something people desire but few are able to claim; and when one finally does grab on to it - they can lose it in an instant. Peace is fleeting for one second your life could be the definition of perfect, then in a moment all hell breaks loose, and the idea of peace becomes a foreign concept. The reason I bring this up is because nature is where I find myself the most at peace. Whether I am hiking a mountain, laying on the beach, or simply reading in my backyard; I find my head becomes the clearest when the air is the freshest. Being at the Dunluce castle and being able to see, hear, taste, and smell the ocean allowed me to find some peace in myself. and even though it was only for a short time, I cherished every second.

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