Belfast with the Dragons - Day 5 - 4th September

Day 5

Our last day in Belfast started with breakfast at the hotel.  The hotel is ideally suited just off the man city streets and near the Opera House.  Once again our breakfast was all we could have asked for with the attentive staff willing to fetch us anything we did not see layed out.

After breakfast we finished packing our bags, checked out and took a ride to Bangor.  I was not expecting it to be quite as nice as it is, there is a small harbour with lots of boats berthed there, a very pleasant sea front with splendid houses lining the long beaches.

There is also a tower house dating from 1632 in the heart of the port which, some while back, came near to being torn down as councillors thought a wider road was more important. However sanity prevailed as at a meeting off the full council the motion was defeated.  Pity those who defeated the bill were not on Newport Council when similar motions were passed!! 

Here are a couple of views of the Tower House:-

After this we headed back to Stormont in Belfast for a look around the Government Buidings grounds. It is amazing that it is completely open to the public and you can stroll most everywhere unhindered.  There is one place that is out of bounds though, and that is the castle that lies within the grounds.

The drive from the main gate to the steps to the Stormont building is exactly 1 mile long.  There are six columns on the front facade that represent the six counties of Northern Ireland and there are 365 Windows. One for each day of the year.

THe private Stormont Castle 

Stormont with it's six pillars and 365 Windows

The one mile drive from gate to house

Then it was into town for a last drink at the bar of the Linenhall hotel on Linenhall Street, the most famous street in Belfast when they were the largest manufacturers of linen in the world.  Whoever thought of wetting the stalk of flax so it could be ripped open to get to the fibres inside, then go through a number of processes before becoming a tablecloth or bedsheet must have had some imagination.

The Linenhall Hotel

As it was, a Belfast Linen Shed like the ones in Linenhall Street 

Then it was time to head off to the airport to catch our flight home after a really enjoyable few days in Belfast.

I will certainly be coming back again.

Belfast with the Dragons - Day 4 continued

Day 4

After a nice breakfast at the hotel we picked up a hire car at Eorop and set of for the Giants Causeway.  We had been advised earlier to go the scenic way on the Causeway Scenic Route. We were glad we did, it was magnificent.

First stop was a place called Cushendun.

Near the bridge there was a, statue of a goat with a live goat tethered nearby. This was to commemorate the last animal culled during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2005.

We them moved on up the hill looking back at the village

Next stop was at a lookout called Greenhill, but not before we saw some sheep perched precariously on the hillside.

At Greenhill on a clear day you can see the Scottish islands of Jura and Islay. It was not clear enough for us though as the weather had changed on the way up.

Moving on we entered a small town called Ballycastle where we stopped for a coffee and a snack. A very picturesque place with a long sweeping beach

Carrick - A - Rede was the next stop with its Rope Bridge.  While Tom walked off to find that, I had a look at the largest Lime Kiln ever built in Ireland.

After another short Journey we arrived at our destination, The Giants Causeway and heard the story of the mighty giant, Finn McCool.  It is owned by the National Trust now and very commercialised, but you have to visit it if you are in the area.

We had intended visiting Londonderry next but the weather took another turn for the worst so we decided to head back to Belfast.  We had a laze around before getting ready to go out and we decided to go back to the Nu Delhi Longe because we had enjoyed it so much previously.

We were not disappointed, te food was great again and we had some interesting company on the next table, a couple of gregarious Americans who we soon got on well with.

This is one place I will always visit when in Belfast and I have to agree with Tom's earlier comment about it being the best yet!

The evening was finished off in a pub called Morrissons where we had a few pints and enjoyed terrific entertainment from a couple of guys who sang and played my type of music.  I new it would be a good night when they opened up with some Tom Petty stuff.

The locals were in fine fettle enjoying their Saturday night out.

Belfast with the Dragons - Day 4 - 3rd September

Sorry if you are waiting for it, but I have just lost everything I have posted for day 4. Don't know how it happened but I will have to repost tomorrow.

I am sure it will be worth waiting for.

Steve

Belfast with The Dragons - Day 3 - 2nd September

Day 3


Match day is here, but plenty to do before then.

After breakfast in the hotel we walked into the city centre, not far, and caught the open top bus for a 90 minute tour of Belfast.  This proved to be well worth the £10 each that it cost us. We set off from Castle place and our first visit was to the Custom House and then on to the Lagan Weir.

The Custom House

Next stop was the SSE Arena, home to the Belfast Ice Hockey team and venue for concerts from the likes of Neil Young.

The SSE Arena

We then drove past the giant Harland and Wolff cranes, known locally as Goliath and Samson before driving past the set of Game of Thrones (where they were filming today) and stopping to view HMS Caroline, the only warship left from the battle of Jutland during the First World War.

Goliath and Samson 

The set of Game of Thrones

HMS Caroline 

Next stop was Stormont, what a magnifificent building, the home of the Northern Ireland Parliament.

Two views of Stormont 

Next was the Grand Opera house next to the Europa Hotel which was the most bombed building during the troubles.  Then on to Queen's University

The Grand Opera House with the Europa Hotel in the background 

Queen's University 

We then visited the areas that we had heard so much of during the troubles.  First we went to see part of the three mile long 'Peace Wall' that still separates the Catholics from the Protestants. Quite chilling! Then we went to the Falls Road in the Catholic sector and saw the wall Murals including the one featuring Bobby Sands. After that it was the Shankill Road in the Protestant area and examples of their murals.

Although the troubles are now over, it felt as though there would still be a great deal of mistrust in these areas for the people living on either side of that monstrous wall.

A section of the wall that divides the Catholics from the Protestants

The Bobby Sands Mural in the Falls Road 

Protestan Murals in the Shankhill Road 

Last place before heading back to the centre was the Crumlin Road Gaol. I can't express the feeling of dread I had while just looking at it.

Crumlin Road Gaol 

When we arrived back at City centre, Tom and I made a quick visit to the magnificent City Hall before stopping for a drink at Belfast's oldest pub, the Crown Bar.

City Hall 

Thomas drinking Brains at the bar of The Crown Bar

We then returned to the hotel to get ready to go to the match. The least said about that the better.  We were very much second best and lost heavily 29 - 8. Met nice people though and the stadium was terrific. How I wish we had one like that.

Ulster's new Kingspan Stadium tonight

Let's put it behind us now. We have hired a car and will be driving to The Giants Causeway tomorrow.

Belfast with the Dragons - Day 2 - 1st September

Day 2

We had an early start today and, after I had overslept and not risen at the time I had intended, we made up lost time and got to Bristol Airport well before the 7.00am easyJet flight to Belfast was due to take off.

Our flight took us over Newport with some stunning views.

Newport from the air.

After arriving in Belfast we made our way to the hotel and left our bags before having breakfast in Wetherspoons locally. When we had finished our breakfasts we went back to the hotel to check in and unpack before heading off to the Titanic museum.

That's me with the Titanic Museum in the background

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If you only visit one museum in your life this should be the one. It was a fascinating experience with loads of unexpected twists and turns as we progressed through.  I would thoroughly recommend a visit. 

After the museum we visited the SS Nomadic, which was a white Star tender which ferried passengers to and from the Olympic and  Titanic when they berthed in deep water off Cherbourg due to the fact that they were too big to enter the port. In later life it was a restaurant/nightclub on the River Seine in Paris, opposite the Eiffel Tower. It is now on permanent display in Belfast.

Thomas near SS Nomadic

Thomas at the bar in first class on the Nomadic

Then after a brief stop for a couple of drinks, we headed back to the hotel for a rest before going out for my first curry in Ireland.


We went to the Nu Delhi Lounge and had what Thomas described as one of the best curries he's ever had. If you are ever here you must try it. It was only 300yards from our hotel and quite frankly was amazing.

The Nu Delhi Lounge 

Went back to the hotel and had a couple before settling down for the evening.