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| leaving Cairnryan, Scotland |
It was a lovely crossing over to Northern Island from the port of Cairnryan on the big superfast Stena ferry and we caught our first sight of Belfast around 2PM in bright sunshine. We called an Uber to take us to our Airbnb then made plans to take a bus tour early the next morning to the Giant's Causeway on the Antrim coast. But not before stopping off for supper at the closest pub. Right at 0830 from the Europa Hotel, in the heart of downtown Belfast, (during the Troubles the most heavily bombed hotel in the world) we were seated in our McCombs tour bus. It was a gorgeous drive along the Causeway Coastal Route and we stopped at various sights along the way that had a connection with the TV series
Game of Thrones filmed in the area (Cushedun, Portaneevey, and Carnlough Harbor), followed by a short visit to Carrickfergus Castle (a Norman fortress), and an even quicker look at the ruins of Dunseverick Castle. Our guide Steven was an interesting character who recounted often amusing stories along the way about the small villages we drove through and their particular role in the country's romantic history, past and present.
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| Europa Hotel, Belfast |
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| near the Dark Hedges, Ballymoney |
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| Carrickfergus Castle |
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| Ballymoney, dragon door from Game of Thrones |
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| Arya's steps, Carnlough Harbor, Glencloy |
The highlight of the day was exploring the Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in County Antrim, about three miles from the town of Bushmills, home to the Old Bushmills Distillery. This remote place is on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island comprising about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. Most of the columns are hexagonal although we saw some with four, five and seven sides. As there was a tour ship in port that day there were more people clambering about the rocks than I liked. The path down from the carpark resembled a line of ants and I wondered to myself what exactly were they all doing here. They were just rocks and although unusually shaped, to me nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe I am becoming blasé about everything we have seen on this trip and have a case of scenery overload. That happens in this part of the world where around every corner another spectacular view appears. The drive back to Dublin on the motorway took just over an hour (very nonscenic thankfully) and before returning home we had a quiet dinner in an Italian restaurant, Fratelli's.
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| Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland |
Our last full day in Belfast was drizzly and cool, the first time in weeks we had seen any noticeable precipitation. We headed into town, wearing our raincoats, on the local purple Glider bus that would take us to the Titanic Experience. This is claimed to be one of the world-leading attraction, telling the story of RMS Titanic from her conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, her construction and launch, to her maiden voyage and subsequent place in history which we all know. Well organized and informative but a lot of reading which because of the crowds could become difficult at times. Unfortunately they had no actual artifacts recovered from the ship's debris field but the ride through the imaginary docks where it was constructed was fun. After lunch we took another bus to the Peace Wall in the Shankill district, site of a deadly bombing in 1993 by the Provisional Irish Republican Army that killed 10 people. It was a typical working class area of the city, a bit run down and often showing it's Protestant colours, but a part of history not to be missed and no less important than the Titanic story. Crumlin Road Gaol was our next destination. Trying to figure out the buses to get there was a challenge, but we found it, standing unchanged across from the decrepit shell of the Crumlin Road courthouse. The gaol first opened its gates to prisoners in 1846 and for over 150 years was a fully operational prison, holding murderers, suffragettes, loyalist and republican prisoners. We saw the execution chamber and heard the stories of some of those condemned to die here, places and items with which they were flogged (some as young as 14) and it was easy to feel the depression and fear those held here must have felt within these grim walls. The rain was starting to let up when we left and found a bus back to our Airbnb where we would pack up once again. Tomorrow we were heading to the green fields of the Republic of Ireland!
GWS
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| Titanic was launched from this spot |
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| Titanic Experience, Belfast |
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| Peace walls, Belfast |
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| Wessex helicopter, from 72 Squadron, RAF Aldergrove |
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| Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast |
