Day 11 - June 11th

Tuesday was another action-packed day, and it feels like each day has more to offer than the last. Today, we started off with a tour at the Downpatrick Courthouse. Constructed in 1735, nearly 300 years ago, it is the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the British Isles. We were taken down into the holding cells and even followed the route that a criminal on trial would follow, from a holding cell up to the Crown courtroom. I previously didn't know much about the legal system in the UK, but a discussion with one of the sitting judges was very informative. We learned about common law and how trials are processed. For example, as opposed to verdicts by a jury in the US that can be reached in part by interpretation, juries in the UK are instructed to look solely at the evidence submitted by both the prosecution and defense to make a decision. 

Our next stop were the parliament buildings at Stormont, where we met the First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill as well as the First Deputy Minister Emma Little-Pengelly. Although we didn't get to look around much inside the parliament buildings, we were given a little tour of Stormont Castle and met essentially the vice presidents of Northern Ireland, second-in-command to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

After a quick bite to eat, we then went kayaking for a few hours at Strangford Lough. This was our third time in kayaks/canoes this trip, but this time we were in individual kayaks this time and it was fun to learn how to navigate a new boat. After some time on the water and a competition, we had a barbecue on the shore of one of the islands in Strangford Lough. What a mistake it was to get out of the boats -- while it was nice to have some burgers and hot dogs, we were met with wind and the freezing cold. One ambassador was shaking so much that he had to do sprints up and down a hill in an effort to warm up. Once we were back in our kayaks to head back to shore, it felt as though even the water in the sea was warmer than the air around us. At least we had wetsuits!