Wearing Shorts to Explore Derry

Thursday, May 24, 2012--Derry, Northern Ireland

With warm sunshine again today, we went out in our shorts for the day.  Many local people were doing the same.  There were a LOT of pearl-white legs walking around Derry today.

Our goal was to see several major sites around the city.  We started with St. Augustine's Church which is just a block from our B&B.  It was impressive.  From there, we headed to Austin's Department Store which is the world's oldest department store having operated for 180 years.  After a stop at the tourist office to get information we needed, we walked south of town to the Loughs Agency Riverwatch, an aquarium with exhibits representing the local rivers.  From there, we continued to the Workhouse Museum where we saw an interesting special exhibit about the military here during WWII, including the local American bases and the interaction between the Americans and the local people.  Next, we headed to St. Columb's Park where we sat on the grass and sunbathed with locals who were also there.  From there, we toured the Catholic area where there are large murals on the ends of row houses representing events an attitudes from the days of The Troubles.  Finally, we explored the local campus of Ulster University which is in a upscale neighborhood where the row houses are similar to the nice townhouses on the East Side of New York City.  It was a nice day of exploring and being out in nice weather.